(Photo by Amplified Group)

If you’ve been in business a while, people have likely pigeonholed what you do, for whom, and your “claim to fame”. That’s a good thing, but it also prevents you from growing your brand (or changing direction). If you were selling shoes, and now are selling real-estate, your brand will have trouble stretching, and your credibility will suffer. So how can you grow your brand?

If you’re simply expanding your offerings naturally (a product line extension, a new targeted application of your existing technology, or a new flavor) you ought to:

• Explain what’s new.
• How this naturally tells the story of your growth (we started out here, and as we saw more demand or opportunity we seized the chance)
• Ensure your existing clientele that you’re not abandoning them – just continuing to do great things for new people.

If you’re instead going in a new direction (showcasing a entirely new skill set, reaching an entirely different market, or selling something that your existing clientele might not care about), you need to team up with someone else who has expertise/strong branding in your new area. When you start in a new area, no one likely knows you (even if you have a strong brand recognition in a different area). And if they knew of the “old” business model, they might think you’re overreaching and not immediately trust your offering. So instead of trying to strike out on your own, team up. After a few exposures to your teamwork, people will start to believe that:

• Since the expert teamed up with you, you must be good.
• Your new brand makes sense, since an expert validated it.
• You are who you say you are.

A great team is mutually beneficial. Your expert will help you get noticed in your new niche. Your expertise in another niche will enhance the expert’s credibility (I’m the person they came to roll out this new important offering). Your team doesn’t have to be a long-term relationship – just long enough for you to be able to benefit from the “lift”.