Edan Gelt

After nearly two decades of marketing and branding businesses, I needed to shift and use my experience to brand individuals for a new career path.  I quickly came to realize it is much more challenging branding a person than a company . Now I have much admiration for influencers and other individuals who have excelled in doing just that. For starters, companies spend big money on branding. They hire outside agencies, have decent budgets and many have spent years building a strong go-to-market identity. I’m hoping my blogs and Minute of Marketing YouTube series offers value in helping you lose all inhibitions to create your own personal brand and campaign.  It is entirely egocentric and at times a tad uncomfortable, but you’ve got to flaunt what you’ve got.  Let’s get started! DEFINE YOURSELF BY BRANDING Who are you and what value do you bring to your profession or lifestyle?  Don’t dig too deep on this one but seriously, what are you good at?  If you’re a re...

In my last blog “ Marketing and the Power of Free ” and subsequent vlog , I wrote about the impact of giving away products and/or free services.  By sampling or giving your product away at no cost builds brand awareness, increases sales and enhances your budget.  But how does it work and why? Have you ever been to Costco and enjoyed the free samples?  How often did you buy what you tried because you really enjoyed it?  And if you didn’t buy the product, did you feel guilty?  Maybe you even put the product in your cart and unloaded it a few aisles down.  That’s just a sample of the Law of Reciprocity.  The law of reciprocity says that when you offer something first for free and it is valued, people feel a sense of indebtedness toward you, thus in turn you then wanting to return the favor. The law of reciprocity is one way marketers use psychology to entice or influence people to buy products or services.  It’s an innate reaction that if used correc...

Social media plays a huge role in the lives of consumers. It has been estimated that 2.62 billion people worldwide use at least one social media platform and the average time spent amounted to 135 minutes per day. According to Forbes, personal branding is now more important than ever and, if managed effectively, will give you an edge over your competition and allow you to build trust with potential clients. Brand communication is therefore key to creating a solid and trustworthy image.  When starting out you will need to choose a social media platform to broadcast your content and this means knowing your audience and where to find them. For example, if your audience is interested in the beauty industry and loves to watch hair and make-up tutorials then maybe podcasting isn’t for you and it would be best to stick with Instagram or YouTube. Business guru and YouTuber Vanessa Lau advises not to get caught up in "shiny object syndrome", trying to launch your brand across a multi...

In my last blog “Where Video Marketing is the King of Content”, I discussed the importance of creating video marketing to stay relevant online.   While writing this blog series, I also created my own vlog “Minute of Marketing” as a how to DIY guide, sharing insights and examples of marketing initiatives.   Depending on the type of business you own, your goals and the clientele you cater to will determine where you should share your video content. Are your clients business professionals or are they casual customers? What social sites are you most comfortable on, what social sites do they frequent? Do you have a website and social channels set up yet? Regardless of platform, a multi-channel distribution strategy is key – you need to place your media where your customers and prospects are and often they are not all in the same place at the same time.   WEBSITE If you have a website, start posting your videos there.  One “About Us” video isn’t enough – regular...

In terms of reaching your target market, free giveaways or free samples are more successful in earning a response from your audience. Free samples are surprisingly more cost effective than traditional marketing. Using "free" as a strategy allows businesses to reach potential customers that may have never reached with traditional marketing.  Often, your potential core consumer doesn’t even realize your product or service is needed until they’ve experienced it firsthand. Hence why free samples are the way to wiggle your way into new customers 'must haves.' If you’re going to try this premise, the item, service or content you provide must have value to your target customers. By delivering the value your core customer most desires, you will not only pique interest but odds are you'll also gain a loyal customer. Why is free so powerful? Brand Awareness By giving away a free sample of your core product, you are reaching potential customers that may not have realize...