322: How to Build a Personal Brand with Mallory Erickson

What actually makes a personal brand memorable? According to Mallory Erickson, it's not a perfectly curated aesthetic, a complicated content strategy, or having the perfect business plan. It's getting crystal clear on the problem you want to solve—and how you solve it differently from everyone else. In this solo episode of What the Fundraising, Mallory pulls back the curtain on how her own personal brand and coaching business actually developed. Spoiler alert: it wasn't particularly strategic, linear, or polished. It started with a problem she was experiencing herself, a desire to help other fundraisers, and a willingness to keep talking about the same problem over and over again. Mallory shares the unexpected origins of her coaching business, how the Power Partners Formula™ became an anchor for her brand, why vulnerability and authenticity have been critical to her growth, and what she did when people told her to talk less about mindset and nervous system work and give people more templates instead. She also talks about the importance of repeating your message—even when you are sick of hearing yourself say it—and why she recommends giving yourself 180 days of creating content before obsessing over engagement metrics. In this episode, you will be able to:  — Get clearer on the specific problem you want your business to solve. — Understand why specificity is more powerful than simply calling yourself a coach or consultant. — See how your own lived experience can inform your business and brand. — Understand how consistency can create a strong brand identity—even when your services evolve. — Learn why vulnerability can strengthen rather than weaken your authority. — Resist the temptation to shape-shift based on other people's opinions. — Understand why repeating your message is essential to building recognition. — Create content without becoming obsessed with engagement metrics. — Use coaching and self-coaching to navigate visibility and business growth. — Build a personal brand that people can actually see themselves in. Get all the resources from today’s episode here.  Support for this show is brought to you by Donor Perfect. Our friends at Donor Perfect really understand fundraising on so many levels. Stay aligned while working online with a seamless and secure payments experience for your donors and your team. Empower donors to give where they are, whenever they like, automate data entry, and process online, monthly, and mobile payments, and accept payments over the phone. Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.