Neil Patel is a well-known digital marketing expert and entrepreneur who has built a strong personal brand over the years. His journey to becoming a thought leader in the industry is an inspiring one, and it's worth exploring how he got there.
Neil Patel started his career in digital marketing at the age of 16, and he has been working in the industry ever since. This article seeks to explore the entrepreneurial journey of Neil Patel and the strategies he used to grow and evolve his personal brand.
Finding His Niche and Passion
Neil Patel started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 15, when he created his first website to sell car parts. He soon realized that he needed to learn how to drive traffic to his site, so he began to study online marketing. He became fascinated by SEO, PPC, content marketing, and other digital marketing techniques. He decided to pursue his passion and make it his career. In 2008, Patel cofounded his first blog called Quick Sprout with Hiten Shah. Patel used Quick Sprout to share his marketing knowledge and insights. In 2018, Quick Sprout was sold to Lars Lofgren and Corry Cummings. Patel now offers consulting services (through NP Digital) to help other businesses grow their online presence and revenue. It took years of building, but Neil Patel eventually and deservedly gained recognition and credibility as an expert in his field
Growth of Personal Brand
Patel's personal brand has evolved over time. He started by creating helpful content on his blog and being active on social media. He then expanded his reach by creating video content and sharing it on YouTube and other channels. Patel's personal brand is now recognized globally, and he is considered one of the top digital marketing experts in the world. Patel's personal brand is also characterized by his unique voice and style. He is known for his straightforward approach to digital marketing and his ability to explain complex concepts in simple terms.
The growth of Patel's personal brand can be attributed to several factors:
He consistently created high-quality content that provides value to his audience.
He is active on social media and other platforms, which has helped him reach a wider audience.
He is featured in major publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, and The Wall Street Journal, which has helped him establish himself as an authority in the industry.
He controls the narrative of his brand. Simply put, if you search for Neil Patel on Google, you won't find a Wikipedia page. Most of the information you find about him is on his personal website Neilpatel.com, websites linked to his brand like his Ad agency NP Digital, and his social media accounts. His LinkedIn page doesn't provide much information on his entrepreneurial journey, but his personal website does. In a nutshell, if you want to know anything about him or the content he provides on digital marketing, you need to go to his personal website and company websites.
He has an appetite for risk taking. Patel has procured a number of businesses along the way to grow his brand. Some of these businesses had zero revenue, so there was no guarantee of a return on investment.
Creating Valuable and Engaging Content
One of the key factors that contributed to Neil Patel's personal brand growth was his consistent and high-quality content creation. He wrote blog posts, ebooks, guides, case studies, infographics, podcasts, videos, webinars, and more. He covered various topics related to online marketing, such as SEO, social media, conversion optimization, email marketing, analytics, etc.
He made sure that his content was valuable and engaging for his audience. He used data, statistics, examples, stories, humor, and visuals to support his points and make his content more interesting and memorable. He also used a conversational and friendly tone to connect with his readers and make them feel like they were talking to a friend.
Patel leveraged different platforms and channels to distribute his content and reach more people. He created his own website, neilpatel.com, where he published his blog posts and offered his online courses and tools. He also used social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc., to share his content and interact with his followers. He also guest-posted on other popular blogs and websites in his niche, such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., etc., to expose his brand to new audiences.
Building Trust and Authority
Another important aspect of Neil Patel's personal brand evolution was his ability to build trust and authority in his industry. He did this by demonstrating his expertise, credibility, and results through various means.
He showcased his portfolio of successful projects and clients that he worked with. Some of the well-known brands that he helped grow include Amazon, Google, Airbnb, Uber, etc. He also shared testimonials and reviews from his satisfied customers and students.
Patel has earned various awards and recognitions for his work and achievements. For example, he was named one of the top 10 online marketers by Forbes, one of the top 100 entrepreneurs under 30 by President Obama, one of the top influencers on the web by The Wall Street Journal, etc.
He also established himself as a thought leader and a sought-after speaker in his field. He wrote several best-selling books on online marketing, such as Hustle: The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum, The Definitive Guide to Growth Hacking, etc. Patel has delivered several keynote speeches at various events and conferences around the world, such as Web Summit, SXSW, Growth Marketing Conference, etc.
Evolving with the Market Trends
The last but not least factor that influenced Neil Patel's personal brand growth was his ability to evolve with the market trends and adapt to the changing needs and preferences of his audience. He constantly researched and experimented with new tools, techniques, strategies, and platforms that emerged in the online marketing space. He also listened to the feedback and suggestions from his audience and customers and improved his products and services accordingly.
For example, Patel bought KISSmetric and Ubersuggest to grow his digital marketing brand. He didn't buy these companies for their revenue, as both companies had little or no revenue streams . He already had a stable revenue stream from his Ad agency business called NP Digital. To put a number to it, Patel bought KISSmetric for $500,000 and Ubersuggest for $120,000, knowing both websites had little or no revenue. He needed websites with web traffic similar to his, so he bought these websites and ported them over to Neilpatel.com. It was big risk and there were no guarantees he would get a return on investment but it worked out for him because in his words "he knew his numbers like the back of his hand".
Conclusion
Neil Patel is a remarkable example of how to build a successful personal brand in the digital marketing space. He started from scratch and followed his passion and niche. He created valuable and engaging content and distributed it across various platforms and channels. He built trust and authority by showcasing his expertise, credibility, and results. He evolved with the market trends and adapted to the changing needs and preferences of his audience.
He also stayed true to his personal story and values. He was honest, transparent, authentic, and generous with his knowledge and resources. He also added his personality and humor to his brand voice and style. He made his brand stand out from the crowd and resonate with his audience.
Sources
(1) Personal Branding: What is it, Examples & Strategies For 2021 - Neil Patel. https://neilpatel.com/blog/personal-branding/.
(2) How to Build Your Personal Brand by Blogging - Neil Patel. https://neilpatel.com/blog/build-personal-brand-blogging/.
(3) How Neil Patel Created and Expanded His Personal Brand - Over The Top SEO. https://www.overthetopseo.com/how-neil-patel-created-his-personal-brand/.