Kris Jenner schooled me on the power of self branding

The Kardashian-Jenner clan has undoubtedly created a force to be reckoned with, becoming one of the first modern-day families to establish an empire made up of 26 businesses, past and present.

Most of their success comes down to their quick-thinking, endless work and marketing techniques – especially when it comes to social media. From the onset, when online platforms were in their infancy, the family revolutionised the digital sphere, arguably birthing the concept of influencers.

They used social media to their advantage, leading to a swarm of endorsements and high-end deals for years to come.

In fact, each individual sister made the 'top 20 followed Instagram accounts in the world' with Kylie Jenner coming in fifth place behind Selena Gomez, Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo and the official Instagram account.

There's power in her online presence, reportedly forcing Snapchat to lose $1.3 billion after posting an innocent tweet. In 2018, she wrote: "Sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me... ugh this is so sad."

On a separate occasion, Kim Kardashian acknowledged her influence...

"If I really want something and I'm a bit lazy, I can tweet 'I'm loving Oreo, I'm craving Oreos right now' – and then on my doorstep, every flavour of Oreo will show up," she said.

Now, when it comes to personal branding there's only one person who walks the talk: Kris Jenner.

The momager and driving force behind the Kar-Jenner empire has depths of experience under her belt, overseeing a catalogue of brands including Skims, Kylie Cosmetics, Good American, Poosh, 818 tequila, Arthur George, SKKN to name a few.

Here are 10 valuable lessons we learned from the marketing mastermind on Masterclass:

What is a 'personal brand'?

First thing first: what does it mean to be a personal brand?

For Jenner, it's "the way that one presents themselves to the world. It's how someone perceives who you are, what you stand for, and what your story is."

Ultimately, it's the "way you market yourself."

Jenner encourages people to follow the philosophy of being their "authentic selves" and to follow their passion above anything else.

Their reality show was never about building a brand in the earlier days – until she realised it was a hit that had longevity.

Masterclass

Getting to know yourself all over again

Before anything, Jenner recommends reciting your core values, passions and the "legacy you want to leave behind."

She recites a quote from her friend Kathy Griffin, to "find what you love to do in life and then find a way to get paid for it."

Three key points she advises people to follow are:

• Find what you're good at
• Love what you're doing
• Be ready to pivot and the ability to take criticism

Vision boards are the future

Vision boards are seemingly the 2024 buzzword, and it's much more than throwing together some aesthetically pleasing pictures without meaning.

Jenner didn't start vision boards until her children introduced them to her. Kylie Jenner is a huge fan of inspirational boards, prompting her mother to follow suit.

Jenner's vision boards evolved from her phone, to her laptop, and then to a "huge piece of poster board" in her office.

To take in the Kris Jenner spirit, we were sent away with homework to create our own, while considering factors such as reoccurring themes and "outlining the narrative" from them.

Masterclass

Trial and error

Jenner shares some of her milestones and setbacks over the years and how she overcame them to create the Kardashian-Jenner phenomenon.

She recalls her mother's first business ventures – one being a candle shop and another in children's fashion. This was the first memory of "team building" for Jenner, adding that they were "surrounded by great people."

Jenner was offered a summer job at the Candelabra store in La Jolla, at age 13.

One life lesson she took from her grandmother is: "No matter how small the task, do it well."

Paying attention and drive to learn also contributed to Jenner's success today.

Routine is key

Jenner's day starts at 4am. She gets her morning coffee, heads to the gym and catches up with phone calls, emails and meetings.

By the time she's ready to take a shower and film The Kardashians, she feels like she "has a leg up on the day."

It offers a sense of being productive before the day has even started, allowing you to sleep feeling accomplished.

Find your people

There's no point in launching a brand if you have no one to launch it to. And that's why it's important to find a target audience before getting ahead of yourself.

Jenner suggests carrying out market research from social media accounts similar to yours, seeking out the hashtags they're using and following them for a while.

She also advises getting to know the community of people you're trying to target and finding the "white space" which essentially means the unmet needs of customers.

Utilise social media

Social media can make or break a brand – and consistency is key, even if that means sharing an Instagram Story that takes seconds to create.

While she acknowledges that everybody is different, she said the "sweet spot" for her and her kids is posting "three times a day" on feeds and stories.

Meanwhile, TikTok is a "free for all."

You cannot focus on one social media platform, according to Jenner, as each social media experience is different.

Masterclass

Track your numbers

Take time to delve into analytics and understand what is performing well and why. Jenner said her birthday posts tend to be more successful, which sees her writing wholesome messages for her children.

"The number one post I've had so far is of Kourtney and Travis' engagement," she adds, saying that she believes it's because fans have an emotional connection to Kourtney and her love life.

"Everyone saw Kourtney and Travis as a couple that maybe they can be one day. You know, those people who have struggled in a relationship, and then finally found the one and got connected," Jenner explains.

"That was a real feel-good, celebratory post that everybody could relate to."

Handle hate with grace

If you end up receiving a lot of hate online, there are ways to "block bad words" from your page.

"I wouldn't necessarily recommend that you engage with a hater who gets nasty with you," she explains. "But sometimes, it can pay off."

Jenner recites a time in the earlier KUWTK dayswhen she received a lot of slack for a snippet showing Kylie Jenner jokingly pole dancing on her mother's fitness pole.

Subsequently, Jenner received a harsh email that called her a bad mother.

After a few back-and-forths, the anonymous woman ended up asking Jenner for a job as an assistant, saying she'd make a really good fit.

Last but not least, stay humble...

"Behave like you can't afford a loaf of bread, when, in fact, you own the bakery..."

For more information on Masterclass, click here.

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