the DEEPER side of things
In February of 2022 we moved our 4 Directions Branding blog to a new Substack publication called the DEEPER side of things. This new publication represents an expansion of our content to include personal development, spirituality, culture, and of course wholehearted leadership and branding. The connecting thread is our focus of peeling the layers and always going deeper.
Below is our archive of posts up until February 2022. Sign up for the DEEPER side of things here and receive weekly posts about the depth of all things. We are also building a community of fellow travelers on the road to greater depth and meaning. When you sign up, you’ll have full access to the community through commenting, and other good stuff on the horizon.
What Personal Branding Actually Is
Hint: it’s not what you think. There is much confusion about what a personal brand actually means. Generally, it’s assumed to refer to a self-promotional style of marketing in which the marketer seeks some measure of personal notoriety, credibility, even fame—usually...
The Times They are A-Changin’
You may have noticed that we’ve been rather quiet in the past six months. Given the economic slowdown, it might seem logical to blog more, not less, but we’ve been in a mode of internal change, which has necessitated a withdrawal from the day to day activities related...
Personal Branding Revealed
The hardest things to see in life are those that are right in front of us. It’s why we don’t tend to notice a family member gaining or losing weight, or the gradual increase of gray in the once all pepper hair. It’s the proverbial frog in the pot of water gradually...
Don’t Tell People Who You Are, Show Them
As increasing numbers of people are endeavoring for a more intentional career path, personal branding is becoming an important topic. Simon Sinek and his work have been instrumental in shaping the narrative around personal branding, from one of telling others how...
The Tone of Marketing Speaks Volumes
If our purpose for being in business is something more than mere profit, if we see our product or service as a way of bringing change — of making lives just a little better — then the tone of our marketing is more important than the methods we use to market. What most...
Why Marketing Is So Important to Branding
It may sound like a no brainer that marketing is important, but it’s actually one of our greatest challenges as brand strategists. Which is . . . once we’ve completed a deep and thorough brand strategy with a company, if they don’t have an effective and customized...
Why Branding Is So Important to Marketing
Guest Blog Post The following is a guest post by Roger Gallegos of Beacon Marketing. Roger is a marketing strategist with a great mind for finding unique marketing solutions. This post is also a part of a new collaboration between 4 Directions Branding and Beacon...
Forget the Silver Bullet — It’s Missing the Point
When it comes to marketing, forget the silver bullet. Why? Because it’s missing the point. If we’re looking for the next gimmick, the next new thing to save the day, we’re losing sight of why we’re in business in the first place, which is to bring change, to provide...
Allowing and Embracing the Twists and Turns: The Non-Science of Authentic Branding
We want a sure thing because a sure thing gives us comfort. For this reason, we tend to resist the twists and turns—the mini-successes and scrapes and bruises. Building an authentic brand is both a process and it’s not. There are
Things That Get in the Way of Authentic Branding
Brené Brown tells us that, “Authenticity is not something we have or don’t have. It’s a practice—a conscious choice of how we want to live.” She also tells us that, “If we want to live and love with our whole hearts . . . we have to talk about the things that get in...
Marketing is Changing: Whether We Like It Or Not
Marketing is changing whether we like it or not. Although this is not new—as the old axiom goes: the only constant is that change is constant. What is unique about the fact that marketing is changing is how visible the changes are as compared to other aspects of our...
The Power of Marketing from a Place of Inspiration
There are companies who have products and services that are not very inspirational, and yet they associate their products with feelings of inspiration. And there are companies with very inspiring products and services who market from a place of features and…