What do you think of when you hear the word branding? If you’re like many business owners, you think of colours, logos, patterns and design to be a part of any brand. While those are all valid characteristics of a brand, they’re not the only (or most important!) components to focus on.
If you want to be known for your astonishing branding, you need to go beyond the visuals. While the design aspect of your brand is important you need to nail your voice, your mission, and your consistency. This is what will complete your business as a brand worth working with.
Find Your Voice & Let It Be Heard
When potential clients come across your blog/website or somewhat stalk your social media platforms, are they getting a good idea of what you’re all about? Is your brand’s voice in line with the vibes you’re trying to get across? This is so important!
You need to portray yourself and how you want to be seen or heard. I’m not saying to be make believe and be someone you want to be. Finding your voice simply means to understand yourself and know what message you want to tell the world. You have to believe in yourself and you have to believe in your brand. If you don’t have this, you’re pretty much doomed.
Whatever voice you decide is best, stick with it! When you confuse people you lose them so be sure you’re not bouncing around and using conflicting voices in different blog posts and pages.
What Is Your Mission Statement?
What is the cornerstone of your business? Would your audience be able to pinpoint it? Think about how you want people interacting with your brand to feel. What thoughts do you want dancing through the heads of everyone you interact with?
My mission statement is “The Sexiest Thing About A Woman Is Her Hustle”. And I will take this to my grave because I truly believe that it is.
When it comes to my business I want everyone I talk with to feel understood, empowered, and safe. Take out all the fluff, and my business boils down to making women feel confident and capable of achieving their dreams. THIS is the real reason why I started Real Estate In Stilettos. I wanted women to know that they can achieve anything they desired without being judged or ridiculed. I wanted my followers to see me as their business BFF. Someone they know, like, and trust. So I do everything in my power to ensure I’m consistently providing service that is focused on those feelings. I respond thoughtfully to emails and social media comments. I happily chat with women who will probably never become clients; I always want business owners who interact with me on any level to feel warm, appreciated, and understood.
Write down a mission statement of sorts. Touch upon what your values and goals are and detail how you want people to feel. What do you hope people say behind your back?
Once you’ve laid out your mission, list ways you can bring on the wow factor! How can you make your target audience feel special? In what ways could you go the extra mile? I like to send out a written note to my clients. And I keep the follow-up going with birthday and Christmas cards. Take the time to get to know them as a person, not as just a paid client. If you’re a blogger, what can you do to excite your readers? Perhaps you create a freebie they’d go crazy over or you host some sort of ultra fabulous giveaway.
Regardless of what your business is all about, simply taking the time to interact with people who reach out to you is HUGE.
Great customer service is an intricate part of your branding. How well you handle a mistake, the grace you show, what you do to exceed expectations – THOSE are the things that will stay with people long after they’ve forgotten if your main font is consistent or your colours are in sync. Aim to always keep your mission at the center, and don’t rest until you’re making everyone you interact with feel exactly the way you want them to.
Consistency is Most Definitely Key
Nothing is more confusing (and irritating!) than inconsistent branding. If you’re going for a flirty fun vibe, it won’t make much sense to have a black website with dark purple text. If you’re going for ultra-professional, sequins and glitter everywhere just won’t work – save the glitter for your daughter’s play party.
People should be able to recognize your brand in every aspect of your business. From your social media accounts to your email signature, your flow needs to be on point AT ALL TIME.
Remember, your branding is about your target audience. It’s really important to understand what they want, but it’s also important for you to have your own style. Merging the two can be challenging, but it can work if you do your research well. Yes, you should like what you put out there (if you don’t, it can be difficult for you to feel comfortable sharing it) but the preferences of the people you want to attract is key.
So, now to put in the work! Start by checking to make sure your branding is consistent within all of these areas:
- Logo
- Fonts
- Colors
- Voice
- Graphics
- Customer Service
- Marketing Materials
- Mission Statement
- Social Media Presence
- Email Signature
Have you been factoring all of these touch points into your branding vision? How well do you think your target audience connects to your brand based on what you’re currently putting out there?
With Love | Nikki xo