Author: Vicky Ayala

Vicky is a digital strategist and personal brand coach who works with multi-passionate soloprepreneurs and teaches them how to build a thriving online business. She muses on the entrepreneurial journey and uses storytelling as a vehicle for showing others how to design a lifestyle that’s on purpose and by design. She is also founder of The Brand Asylum, a virtual training academy for solopreneurs who want to leverage and launch their way to success.

It’s summer which means a hiatus from most TV shows. It’s too nice to be inside glued to the TV and with access on mobile, there’s no compelling reason to expect entertainment delivered exclusively via a television. Hello YOUTUBE! The summertime is also great for analysis and reflection. Looking at what makes a show popular is a great way to reverse engineer success for your own projects. As a TV addict, I can tell you a lot about why certain shows captivate their audience. When you’re looking to create a cult following, learn from what gives these shows’ their competitive…

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Just when you thought you had everything in place. – Visit my website? check. – Connect with me on Instagram? check. – Stalk me on Periscope? check. While there’s always a new platform to test drive and create a profile on, being relevant has nothing to do with the latest new website. When you setup your brand online, you are being visible. When you leverage marketing opportunities with social media and email, you are increasing awareness. Visibility and awareness don’t hold a candle to attention and it is here where your relevance lives. When you look at the latest blockbuster,…

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Expectations are kind of a big deal. When you walk into Starbucks you get free WiFi, friendly baristas and overpriced coffee. You expect your name to be misspelled on the cup and an endless supply of marshmallow dream bars. On a good day you expect to find a table near an outlet so you can spend 3+ hours “working” like the location independent boss that you are. This is my experience with Starbucks. Perhaps you have a different one. Maybe you’re more of an Urth Caffe kind of person. I’m not judging. The point is we have specific expectations of the…

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The interwebs can be a bit like the wild wild west. It’s the ultimate equalizer for branding. The cost of entry to get a site is minimal. All you really need is $10 to register a domain name. Sometimes you don’t even need to pay for web hosting. Platforms like WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace will take care of hosting for you, at an additional cost. Building your online brand can be done for cheap, in the sense that you don’t pay so much cash up front. What you don’t pay for with money you pay for with time. The million…

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I have a memory of being in the 3rd grade and having a coloring assignment. We all had to color in the same picture of an elephant. It was the 3rd grade, don’t JUDGE! This memory was vivid enough that it stands out, to this day. I looked at everyone using the grey crayon. I wanted to be different. I remember thinking I didn’t want my elephant to look like everyone else. The teacher picks a few to post on the wall and I wanted to be able to see mine from a distance, not looking like the others. So…

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“You only have one chance to make a first impression.” I don’t believe this. As a matter of fact, over the last decade of doing online marketing, specifically around the non-sexy work of metrics analysis, I can say with certainty that you have several times to make an impression online. What people say and what people actually do are not always in alignment. This is one of the reasons why I love the data side of marketing. Numbers and behaviors are purely objective. They don’t spin. They’re not passive aggressive. They’re pretty black and white. Granted, IRL (in real life)…

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Goodbye 2014. HELLO 2015! I don’t remember the last time I was this excited about the new year. I attribute most of it to a newfound sense of clarity, the kind that comes with therapy and age. One day I hope to build a kick-ass entertainment company, but for right now I’m celebrating where I am at and nurturing my own evolution so that when I’m ready to take on that big vision, I’ll be able to do so with gumption. I am a creative entrepreneur who channels her mojo into other areas. I’ve done castings, producing, location scouting -…

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This is the month of giving and the creative entrepreneur in your life can use some shiny new goodies. While others are adding the latest gadget or receiving gift card to Targets, you can rise above and give your fellow creative friend the gift of success. Here are some alternative gift options when planning what to get your fellow actress, producer, director, writer or the ambitious chica that does all of the above. Adobe Creative Suite This comes with a hefty price tag, HOWEVER if you are a student then the cost is significantly lower. There’s the downloadable software and…

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If you’re in the business of selling then November should be synonymous with Holiday shopping. This is the time of year where you start planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. As a creative entrepreneur, you may not think you have a lot in common with the Targets and Best Buys of the world but you do. You’re in the business of selling something people want. Entertainment doesn’t solve a “problem” in the way that Spanx or Snuggies do but entertainment does fill a void. People want to be entertained. They want to escape and get immersed in a story.…

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Who’s ready for back to school? I remember those Staples commercials, they start them up around August, set to the verse “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” You see the dad gleeful and frolicking through the aisle. A few moments later you see two sad looking kids dragging their feet. Every year, the commercial makes me laugh. Talk about awesome storytelling! It’s a timely commercial because even if you’re not a kid or if you don’t have kids, you can relate to this transitional energy of “going back to school” or rather returning to the Fall season. There are…

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Imagine waking up tomorrow as either Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz or Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Which character would you want to wake up as? I am Alice Let’s pretend you’re Alice today and I’m the white rabbit about to walk you into wonderland. Only it’s not just wonderland. It’s your future, 10 years from today. What does it look like? If you can’t envision 10 years then let’s go with 5 years. Imagining your future should not be difficult. If it is then either you’re not clear with where you want to go or you’re not being honest…

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In today’s digital era, we all have a very unique opportunity to build our personal brand on our own terms. If we look back to the golden era of Hollywood, studios used to own the talent and decide their public image. Now anyone can build an online presence. You don’t need a publicist to get publicity. You don’t need an agent to get audition leads. You don’t need a manager to tell you how to steer your career. The online world is your oyster. Social media has opened the door. It allows the cream to rise to the top. If…

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You scored a TV gig. AWESOME! Now what? Whether you’re a contestant on some new reality tv show or a guest on an existing popular franchise, leveraging this exposure starts BEFORE your make your TV debut. First thing you want to do is ask a very simple yet honest question: Who are you targeting with your online brand? There are: your industry professionals – the casting directors, producers and filmmakers. your industry peers – fellow actors, writers and content creators. your audience – the people who pay with their time and money to watch you do your thing. When you’re…

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You have a website. Great! Now what? Having a website is becoming the standard for anyone who wants to build a strong online presence. Websites have replaced the business card. If you don’t have something beyond a Facebook or Twitter account then you’re losing out opportunities to extend your reach. So what makes a great actor website? There’s the standard site which houses your resume, headshot, bio and some video clips showing your work. That’s OK but it’s not good enough. In order to stand out you need it to be great. You need it to truly represent the awesome…

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