When you think about creating your brand, what do you think of?
Often times when it comes to branding our business we think about things like logos, font colors, and website design. And all of those things have a place. But the truth is your branding should go much deeper than that. When it’s done right, your brand is the life of your business.
What Your Brand Isn’t
When you’re in the early stages of building a business and creating your brand, it’s fun to think about things like logos and designing your website, and choosing colors you love. Many people get stuck there, spending weeks or months on colors and design and then they wonder why they aren’t making money. The fact is these things are not the end all be all of business branding, far from it.
What’s in a Brand
Your brand should be about your values. And about communicating what you bring to the marketplace in such a way that it will attract your ideal clients. Your brand’s job is to attract clients. If it’s not doing that, then it’s time to take another look at your branding strategy.
Your brand should be composed of a few different things.
The first is your messaging. And this part is so important because your message is how you attract ideal clients.
The second thing is your brand should tell the world what your value proposition is. What does your brand promise? What are you promising the world by having people work with you?
If your brand isn’t working for you, if you’re struggling to get clients, if people aren’t reaching out to you, if your message is getting muffled in the noise then you need to revisit how your branding is positioning you within your niche.
What People Say When You’re Not Around
A big part of branding is your reputation in the marketplace. It’s what people say about you when you’re not around.
There is a certain value every brand we love has. Apple is known for innovation and creativity. Toms shoes are about social responsibility and giving back. What do people say about you and your business when you’re not around?
You need to have clarity on your brand and its value in the marketplace. If your brand isn’t clearly communicating what your message is to the world then I encourage you to work on that. Because your brand message is the calling card of your business.
Think about your brand message.
What is the WOW factor about you that is unique to your business and the problem you solve in the marketplace?
It’s the sign over your door that says, “Hey! I’m open and this is the problem I solve!” If you’re not communicating this clearly then you need to clarify your message and improve its delivery.
Know Your Value
Many people think they need to have a complicated value statement full of ifs and buts, and hows. But it doesn’t need to be like that. A brand message should be simple and easy to understand. It should be a clear statement of the values that move your business in the marketplace.
For me, one of the words that surround my brand is ambition. I am ambitious. I am planning a million dollar year in 2018. And I want to attract ambitious women clients to my business.
Another word surrounding my brand is safety. I never want to be known as a coach who doesn’t have time for her clients or who makes them feel forgotten. I want to be a safe place for my clients’ questions and ideas.
The third word for my brand is abundance. I believe in abundance when it comes to money, love, time, and clients.
I don’t ever want to work from a scarcity mindset and I encourage you not to either. A scarcity mindset is what leads to getting stuck in comparison syndrome. Or worrying there aren’t enough clients for you in the marketplace.
Finally, belief is a word surrounding my brand.
Belief in myself and in my clients. If I don’t believe in someone then I won’t agree to work with them. It’s that simple. And I believe in the results I can give my clients. I know my value to my business and to my clients. I communicate that with my brand.
Making Emotional Connections
Knowing the values of your brand is essential to creating your brand message. It will also help you when you’re speaking to potential clients about what you can do for them. Or when you’re out in the marketplace communicating or marketing your business.
When you’re creating your brand you want to think smart and do your research, of course.
But more importantly, you want to make sure your brand values come through clearly in your brand message.
You want people to connect to your brand emotionally.
Ultimately most purchases are made in response to a gut feeling. You want your ideal clients to connect emotionally to your brand through your message. Go after that positive gut feeling that will inspire them to want to work with you because they connect emotionally with your message.
The Takeaways
As you’re creating or revisiting your brand message, think about what your brand should do for you.
It should attract your ideal clients. It should clearly communicate your value proposition in the marketplace. And your brand should connect emotionally with your target audience. This is how you create a brand that works for your business.
What are the emotions you want to portray with your branding?
Let us know in the comments or in our free Facebook group, Ambitious Online Coaches.
