This is a review of the book titled “Founder Brand” written by Dave Gerhardt and published by Lioncrest Publishing in 2022. As a marketing expert, he explains why and how a company’s founder must turn out to be an effective personal brand. His framework for creating “a founder brand” is a worthwhile investment for all entrepreneurs as his consultancy has demonstrated.  A founder brand provides both an ongoing connection with a new and existing customer base and continuous public feedback for strategic growth and without spending on polling and advertising.

A founder brand is crucial for building awareness, trust, and credibility in marketing. Focusing on the founder provides a personal connection, establishing trust with customers and connecting them to a human being. Dave Gerhardt, a conversation-focused marketing company, created a brand for Drift founder David Cancel, which led to a successful podcast and increased revenue. To create a founder brand, tell the founder's story, create content, publish, and master the feedback loop. Transparent, open, and emotionally vulnerable stories make it easier for the niche to connect. Gerhardt recommends targeting a specific group of potential customers and marketing the founder brand directly to them.

Drift transformed its lead form issue into a problem-solving case history by offering articles, videos, and podcasts to solve the issue. This led to a book and a better marketing channel. To determine your niche, define the ideal customer for your product, identify a common problem it solves, offer your solution, and end with the product name. To become a social media presence, post short messages on Twitter and LinkedIn, create a podcast, and engage in public speaking. Share your reality with online followers to build credibility and trust.

Starting a niche podcast requires determining expertise, researching similar podcasts, and showcasing your knowledge and personality. Plan the format, length, and frequency, and prepare a backlog of prerecorded episodes. Utilize a hosting site like Transistor.fm to publish your podcast and promote it on social media. Maximize podcast content to generate traffic to your blog or corporate website and offer perks for subscribers. Stay with your podcast for at least 12 months, build a community, and accept speaking opportunities. A continuous loop of online followers and integrating content from outside activities into your podcast can transform you into a mini media company.

Dave Gerhardt's book offers both actionable insights and basic information about social media and podcasts, making it useful for beginners and those fluent in the web and social media. Gerhardt presents a clever and useful strategy, providing general tactics and direction.

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