Primal Branding by Patrick Hanlon: Issue 60 | April 2019

We’ve been so heads-down busy over here, we slipped right past our March book! And now it’s spring! A time for growth and looking forward at what can be for our lives, our families, our businesses. Are you ready?

Tim Schmoyer, who will be a guest on SPI 367 on April 24, recommended this book to me after a private conversation we had about my YouTube channel. He says he recommends it to all of his clients, so of course I had to read it, too.

And let me tell you, it was so worth it.

I really enjoy Primal Branding’s (Amazon link) exploration of why some brands work and thrive, while others don’t. One business could have a very similar product as another business, but it’s in the way each business brands their product that can make a world of difference, giving one business an edge over the other. [Full Disclosure: As an affiliate, I receive compensation if you purchase through this link.]

Patrick Hanlon delves into human nature to describe why brands outperform others, such as the human need to belong to something, our love for creation stories (e.g., Steve Jobs creating the origins of Apple in his garage), and our fascination with memorable icons (e.g., logo, or even a jingle) like the intro to the Smart Passive Income Podcast (“work hard now, so you can reap the benefits later”). Rituals play an important role, too—something that you have your audience or customers do every single time that becomes a part of your brand.

One other branding strategy in the book that was particularly helpful to read about was the idea of creed. In other words, what you believe in. If you and your brand believe in something, you can bring people along with you. This is your moral compass, staking your claim in something you believe in.

When you try to please everyone, you actually please no one, so it’s important to take a stand and actually put your foot down and declare not just why you do what you do, but really what you believe in. For example, I believe that anyone can do online business. I believe that you don’t need to spend a lot of money in order to build a successful business. I believe that success comes from serving first, and earning second.

If you are trying to build a successful brand, no matter where your platform is or what your product or service is, you should read Primal Branding. And, fun fact: this is a great complementary book to one that I’ll be releasing later this year. More on that later!

How’s that for a tease? 🙂

Thanks so much for being a part of the SPI Book Club. I hope you find the book as fascinating and useful as I did!

Buy the Book on Amazon