Talk up your brand.

Talking up your brand might sound salesy at first, but please hear me out a little bit first.

Regarding my brand, I have never been a salesy person, and I'm so shy about selling my brand that I don't even think I could sell it if it were water in the desert. But that shyness flies right out the window when selling a product becomes my job. I've made a lot of money for many people, but I'm not one of them. And if you're thinking "me too" right now, you should continue reading.

I discovered recently that, with the right mindset, you could do just about anything, even sell your brand with confidence. There are, of course, a few factors at play that can either push you forward or hold you back when it comes to promoting yourself:

• Lack of confidence in yourself

• Lack of confidence in your product

• Fear of having to deliver the product

• Fear of success

While you're coming to terms with what you just read (and yes, I know you've heard it all before, but have you ever really acted upon it?), please note that I understand because I am right here with you. But let's try a different approach. Instead of waiting to be in the right mindset, why not create it?

I don't mean any of that "Fake it till you make it" crap; I'm talking about taking the time to visualize your brand, see in your mind's eye where you want your brand to be and how you want it to look a month from now, a year from now, five years from now.

What do you want the first thing people to think about when they hear your brand's name to be? That is the question you need to focus on.

Now that you know where you want to go... let's talk about how you will get there.

You need to start somewhere, so here are three main things that you should be doing to help your brand be recognized more easily:

• Engage in conversations with customers or prospects by responding quickly and genuinely. People want a real person behind the company that makes them feel valued as a customer or potential customer.

• Share content from other sources in your industry so they can see how you fit into the bigger picture of things happening around them.

• Have a unique idea, an unusual concept, an exciting story, and compelling visuals. Create a narrative with an intriguing storyline. Pair that up with high-quality images or videos so users can see what you have to offer.

It doesn't sound that difficult, does it?

While I'm sure that you already know putting theory into practice is easier said than done, with a little bit of hard work and determination, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. And don't forget, you can always ask for a bit of support when you need it.