LET'S MAKE WAVES with Rana AlBasri Mouawad

This is the last episode of the season… I come to you in this raw unscripted episode, giving you an inside look into what will I be looking at when conducting a mid-year review for my work and for my personal brand. In this episode, I take you through some of my annual goals, and how did I perform during the course of these first 6-months… and my plans while reviewing some of those results. The ai...

What is a Brand without authenticity, relatability and connection? What is a Brand without a clear promise that is rooted in the Value Chain? What is a Brand that is built on social platforms VS thought leadership and content creation? What is a Brand without soft skills and just hard skills in the world of AI? If these questions ever crossed your mind, you’ve come to the right place. In this epis...

A Personal Brand Story is all about You and Your Business or Profession. While brand stories must be interesting and attractive, the key is that it must be strategic! It should be the bridge that connects your business to your target audience. In this week’s episode, I chat with Reme Mancera, a personal brand strategist who is specialized in helping entrepreneurs share their story strategically to...

We’ve all been there… you’re on a mission to create social media content for your brand or business… you sit and stare at the screen and  nothing is coming to you! You’re not alone and this is more common than you think! We all know that creating content for our social media platforms is important for our personal brand and business, but the overwhelm is making the process difficult. In this episo...

If in the midst of frustration, you asked yourself any of these questions: Why is a “popular” guide not giving me the branding solutions I’m looking for? What is at the heart of a brand? How important is the brand story to my brand? Why are big companies trying to put on a personal “face”? Do I need to control the narrative and build my personal brand? How do I know what is “wrong” with my brand?...

There’s a “lost-opportunity” for many companies today who do not actively shape their employees’ personal brands and benefit from creating an Employee Advocacy Program. The valuable potential within a company’s workforce often goes unnoticed and it is time for businesses to recognize the untapped potential of their employees in shaping the company’s success. In this episode, we delve into the bene...

Have you ever found yourself wishing for a roadmap to navigate the complex world of brand building? That elusive guide that lays out the essential factors determining a brand’s triumph or downfall in today’s dynamic market? If so, this episode is tailor-made for you… I am thrilled to introduce our esteemed guest, Jaafar Hamza, a branding expert hailing from The Kingdom of Bahrain. As an accomplish...

If I told you that your personal brand can Serve you like a backstage pass to better opportunities in life and business It’s your key to sharing your voice It helps you connect with the right crowd It supports in building a sustainable business It helps in your career advancement Would you still struggle in believing that your personal brand requires your focus to build? This week’s podcast episod...

Do you find content marketing mysterious? It’s definitely not a buzzword, but a strategic approach that involves creating valuable, relevant, relatable and consistent content, that is aimed to build a foundarion for authority, trust, interest and connectivity. In this week’s podcast episode, we talk about the kind of tailored content that is usually part of a well thought of content marketing plan...

If you’re planning a launch, listen-up! Launching comes in different sizes… it could be a big launch, such as launching a new business, a digital course, or introducing a new product.  Or it could be a small launch like a holiday promotion or a discount offer… Whatever type of launch you’re planning, there are common mistakes that takes place in the 3 stages of any launch: the Prelaunch stage, the...

If you’ve been consistent in content creation and value sharing, your content holds more value than you can imagine! This valuable content is an asset that can be used to support your list building efforts.  Whether it is email, phone numbers or any other information, list building is a powerful direct line to clients, a strategic asset, and an engine for driving sales. Building it with a lead mag...

What is a key element in your brand building that is a “gem”? Something that will help you make a lasting impression, an essential step in your journey towards standing out and leaving a memorable mark? This gem is your Unique Selling Proposition . In this episode, we talk about: Why is your USP so crucial in the grand scheme of personal branding? How can you define your USP? What happens next? In...

Many agree that companies benefit from a robust communications strategy, but neglect the fact that professionals, thought leaders, content creators and many more benefit from creating and implementing a communications strategy for their personal brand. Just like businesses, individuals need many tools in the communications strategy toolbox. In this week’s podcast episode, we discuss the outline of...

In episode 40 of Let’s Make Waves Podcast, I’m thrilled to delve deep into the world of personal branding – something that’s often discussed but not always fully understood. Let’s unravel the significance of investing in your unique identity. In this episode, I’ll take you through 18 reasons why crafting and nurturing your personal brand is not merely a choice but a game-changer for your career. F...

It is uncommon to experience frustration or challenge around the process of sales, especially for entrepreneurs, as it something that doesn’t come naturally for many. There’s a negative connotation that comes with the word, because most of us either had a bad experience with sales people personally OR have been affected by pop culture’s stereotypical portrayal of sales people. However, sales is an...

Building something on your own is not an easy feat. There is no permanent formula that clarifies the right amount of balance to create when sharing your values, staying on the path of authenticity, and sharing your voice to communicate and connect..all while building a strong personal brand and a solid actionable strategy for the benefit of your business. As an entrepreneur, there are certain elem...

Brand positioning is an absolute must for all businesses wanting to succeed. The proof is everytime you ask for a ‘Kleenex’ instead of saying tissue papers, or wanting someone to ‘Google it”, instead of searching for something online. The proof also comes in numbers: brands that have a strong brand positioning see an average revenue increase of 10-20%, not forgetting increased customer loyalty, br...

What is more exciting for a business owner than having a happy loyal customer? Well, it is for that customer to refer their friends and family to your business and encourage them to buy into it. This is the power of creating a referral program within your business. A referral program is part of Word of Mouth Marketing, where it’s a systemic approach to generating continuous referrals to our busine...

If you’ve been following my journey for a while, you would know that I am a corporate professional turned entrepreneur. For many years, I worked in communications for Middle East and Africa region, based out of Dubai… a. time in my career where I was able to work with large teams on multiple markets and with a spectrum of media outlets, ensuring that brand positioning, messaging and publicity was...

In this digital space and as small business owners, we cannot afford to shy away from utilizing different marketing tools that can help us build our brand and our credibility… all while reaching more new audiences. Influencer marketing uses endorsement, product mentions, and partnerships (amongst other tactics) with individuals who have a dedicated social media following – and who are viewed as so...

A Thought Leader is someone who is influencing the narrative by understanding what needs to be done in a specific field or topic. A thought leader is not just an expert and doesn’t necessarily need to be a social media influencer or a celebrity. These two attributes are not a must. However, it is important to remember that thought leaders have a thought . They need to have opinions and ideas for i...

There is a general uncomfortable feel and many barriers experienced by small business owners when it comes to Data. Sadly, because of these barriers, many plans and strategies are built on ‘a feeling’ or ‘hope’ or minimum information.  However, as uncomfortable as this may sound, it is not difficult to build confidence when it comes to working with data. In today’s world, Data, more than ever, is...

Despite the rise of social media, email marketing is still the most effective way to boost customer loyalty and make sales online. However, getting a prospect’s email is no easy task! People sign up and share their email only when they expect value in return. That’s is the number one pillar to a successful email marketing strategy: Value . For any list building strategy to work, there are importan...

What if I told you that the reason why your marketing strategy is not working to it’s full capacity is because of one very important element? This element is: Not considering your customer’s journey when planning your marketing strategy. What breaks the efficiency of your marketing or communications plan is building them without factoring-in the customer’s journey. It simply means your brand and b...

Introducing to you the “Case Study” Episodes, where we go in-depth and a dive-in into a particular challenge that is facing a certain business, tackling next steps between strategies, processes, framework and tactical actions to solve that concern and cross the bridge to the desired target. In this case study episode, we are helping a fashion designer create the right publicity plan and strategy t...