When you think of a brand you might go back to it’s origins in branding livestock… or maybe “oh a big business like Coca-cola”.
Wherever you look we are inundated by brands. From the iconic London Underground font to the trademarked colour of a Cadbury’s purple wrapper. These visuals are ingrained into our daily lives. Historically brands were identities, trademarked and consisted of a signature. Many logos from long-standing companies are just updated version of this wordmark – think Boots or Ford.
This is great for big companies with large budgets and a team of designers.. but what does a brand mean for YOU?
Every business is a brand
Whether you’re setting up a self-employed side business, jumping head long into the world of coaching or it’s time to elevate your brand… you are your brand.
Sounds silly, right? Surely a brand is just knocking up a bit of clip art / logo in Canva (more on that in another post!)
It is SO much more than that. A brand puts you in front of the right people, YOUR people. It makes you recognisable, it cements you in people’s minds when they think of a service or product that they require.
In the era of social media branding has become a lot more personal. If I think back to 2016, I did my first personal brand shoot – except back then it was just a fancy headshot. Little did we know personal branding would be as important as it is now. With more and more people, especially women, setting up on their own having business visuals that reflect their values, their business and creating a personal connection has become paramount.
People buy people
The internet and social media are full of so much information – good – bad – false… that in order to resonate with our clients we need to be in front of them. They want to see our faces, know the person who’s bringing value to their lives. This is the Know, Like, Trust factor. If you build this, people will be more willing to work with you – they’ll feel they know you. If you’re selling a product great. If you’re offering a service this is one of the most important things to remember – show up.
So, what is a brand?
Let’s break it down… I like to call this the BRAND Basics
B – Basics
Describing your business, what it does, how it is of value to your clients.
R – Relatability
People buy people. Build that Know, Like Trust factor. Let people the brains behind the brand. You want to attract your ideal clients by being someone they relate to you help build a connection.
A – Authority
Build authority by sharing your knowledge. This keeps people engaged as well as letting them know you’re the expert*. Show up, visually and content-wise – with consistency!
N – Nurture
Be there for you clients. Respond to them, engage via social and mailing lists and find out what they need and how you can help them – so they’ll keep coming back. Nurture those connections.
D – Different
Different is good! Be different, be distinctive. Have you ever thought you can’t launch something because there’s already another one like it? Look at all the plumbers vans whizzing around, they didn’t worry about that! Leverage and celebrate your differences. Show up with a strong brand, showcase your personality and find YOUR people.
* – expert, your knowledge makes you an expert in a room of average people!
Are you following the BRAND Basics?
Sounds simple right? Are you following all of these for your business? Do you need a little help getting your brand visually off the ground so that you can do the important bits – the reason you started your business to sell your amazing products or help people with your valuable services.
