The power of personalised branding in an oversaturated online market
Suzanne ‘String’ Nguyen — the confident, approachable and fun-loving LinkedIn influencer is having the time of her life creating inspirational and helpful video content for her cult following online.
The prolific content creator genuinely enjoys the creativity that video affords but underneath her relaxed and personable presence lies a savvy businesswoman with a plan.
“I treat this like I am an athlete — I rock up, train up, show up and take it seriously,” String says of converting her creative outlet into a profitable business.
The former interior designer-turned-string installation artist — the origin of her moniker — began creating video content in 2015 with no clear direction or content plan in mind.
“I found video best expressed my personality and expertise. Video is a trust accelerator, it’s the best and fastest way to show your credibility, personality and knowledge,” she says.
“I spent a lot of time trying to authentically find my voice and, when I did, found it resonated with a lot of people because the more you know yourself, the more you can express your opinions, the greater your impact will be in the world.”
The turning point came when Meerkat, the video streaming platform she used, ranked her as Australia’s number one content creator and in the Top 20 globally. This is where she developed the skills to create content, build a community, and become a channel.
String then won the 2016 Shorty Award and was nominated for Forbes Asia 30 under 30 before launching the first YouTube B2B channel on LinkedIn.
She applied for QUT Creative Enterprise Australia’s (CEA) Collider Accelerator Program to develop a video content startup. Once in the Program she pivoted quickly to instead launch The Trusted Voice, a personal branding hub to help creatives and professionals amplify their voice and build their online reputation and profile.
“The great thing about these business owners and domain experts is that they know their stuff and when people prompt them by asking questions, they can answer with authority,” String said.
With a clear mission to build trust online and to do it authentically, String is creating The Trusted Voice as the go-to-place for professionals, specifically coaches and consultants.
This platform will work with the people and businesses to make sure their content stands up and amplifies their authority and their voices. This will be then be bolstered by String creating a community of trusted brands online, done through training them to become brand-creators.
When you create your own brand, it allows you to be yourself authentically, as you yourself become a marketed brand — and that means creating content online, String explains.
String says client numbers are doubling month-on-month and she is courting investors to build her team and develop the startup’s next product: tools that track and measure the reach and impact of content on audiences.
