Designing a new logo can be a daunting task especially considering that it only takes up a few pixels on your website or business card. How can you possibly squeeze in the entire identity of your brand into a few pixels? How can a font, color and an icon represent who you are as a business owner?
Do you need branding?
This is one of the questions I ask on my contact form. And I often get the answer "Nope, I have branding that I love."
I often wonder what that means to my prospects (clearly I need to change this question to get more clarity).
Do you love your logo?
I suspect for some, they do have a logo that they love. But once again, what does that really mean? Do they simply love the font, the colours, the icon?
If we dig deeper, what is it they love about the individual elements of their logo? Why do they love it? Is it just a feeling or do they have logical reasons that they can actually articulate?
Do you love your persona?
And for others, they may love how they project themselves as a personality. For example, they may be beautiful, edgy, vibrant and innovative. They dress beautifully, they have a lot of energy, and they may think outside the box and challenge the status quo. The question is, is that how they are truly perceived by the world and what does that mean to their clients and visitors. Will their visitors resonate with this vibe or will it push them away?
Do you love your design elements?
And yet for others …. It may just be pretty pictures on their website, their favorite flowers or colours, or something they encountered on their journey in life that brought them joy. The photos may have great significance to them and elicit a certain feeling when they look at them.
Their visitors may not have the same view of the image and it may not evoke the same feeling in their visitors? What we perceive as warm, inviting and inspiring may not be what our prospects perceive when they visit our website.
The truth of the matter is that branding is all of the above and so much more.
Imagine for a moment that you have a beautiful brand that you absolutely love and are confident to share with your clients. Imagine that you have…
A brand that attracts more clients to your business – but not just any client… the right clients. You know, the ones who energize and inspire you. The ones who are willing to invest in you because they truly appreciate your value.
A brand that builds trust and credibility because it is authentic to you, reflects your passion and positions you as the expert that transforms the lives of real people.
A brand that captivates your audience because it resonates with them – they feel like you really get them and can picture themselves working with you.
A brand that creates an authentic client experience and a deep desire to connect with you that will lead to amazing referrals.
A brand that makes it easy to market yourself because you are presenting yourself from a place of serving rather than selling. It conveys that you truly care and want to help make a difference in people’s lives.
A brand that allows you to reach more people and transform more lives.
What is branding?
Branding is a culmination of messaging + visuals + interactions based on the words you use to describe your business.
When you use the right words to describe your brand and voice, you will rediscover your authentic self and amplify your brand.
I refer to them as your “personality words” and they help define how you interact and how your potential clients perceive you. They help define the overall brand experience and are the common thread that runs through the visuals, messaging and interactions you have with your clients.
Your brand words can reflect what your brand aspires to be or how it has been described in the past.
For example, you could describe yourself as approachable, passionate and minimalist or creative, vibrant and edgy. Client feedback can be instrumental in determining how you are perceived and can strategically position you as an authority in your field.
Once you have your list of brand personality words that describe who you are as an Entrepreneur, you can capitalize on them with the right visuals, interactions and messaging to help you attract the “perfect fit” client. I refer to these as Brand Messaging, Brand Visuals and Brand Experience.
Brand Messaging
Have you ever met someone and felt there was a disconnect? You can’t quite put your finger on it but you don’t fully trust something about them. You may have been expecting someone who was inspiring and guiding and yet when you chatted with them they were bossy and telling you what to do.
On the other hand, have you ever met someone and felt like you have known them your whole life?
When clients see no disconnects between what you say and how you portray yourself, your clients will believe that you can deliver the results that you promise.
Your messaging builds on your personality words to describe what you offer and how it will enhance your customer’s life. It needs to clearly convey what aspects of you make you the perfect solution for this client. And it needs to do so in a tone that embraces your personality words so your brand is in alignment.
When your messaging is in alignment with your brand words, prospects can picture themselves working with you and get excited about the possibilities.
Brand Visuals
We’ve all heard the old adage “A picture is worth a thousand words”. I would go as far as to say that a picture is worth more than a thousand words, it could be worth one thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars if it creates a deep and compelling connection with your audience.
Combining images, fonts, colours, patterns and layout help emphasize the personality of your business and form an identity that customers will recognize. Your visual brand amplifies your brand message.
People buy from you when they can pictures themselves working with you and experiencing the results you promise.
One of my clients, Louise LeBrun, offers “a powerful new context and framework for personal evolution and change that expands awareness and awakens potential”. As such, we were looking for elements that create a sense of intention and empowerment that visitors could identify with.
We chose an image of a woman in a power pose enjoying her success and imagining the possibilities for her future with an inviting and personal font to convey a message of personal responsibility. The lime green colour signifies new growth with a sense of adventure.
All elements were intentionally selected to create a certain vibe and connection with our visitors. Simply, beautifully and intentionally.
The visual elements you use on your website give your business a unique vibe and create an emotional connection with your visitors. They are authentic to you and amplify those parts of your personality that will enhance the life of your clients. They are designed to captivate the clients you dream of working with.
And yesss … it is possible to have a brand that is both beautiful and strategic when you take an intentional approach to web design.
Brand Experience
Your brand words also help define your brand’s engagement style which is a key piece of the unique experience you provide to your clients. This experience amplifies what makes you special to the clients you want to attract. In other words, what about you makes you the perfect solution for this client?
Will you gently inspire them to take action or will you push their boundaries to accelerate their transformation?
Will you collaborate with them so that they feel like they are contributing or will you simply tell them what to do so they don’t have to worry about the details?
There is no right or wrong answer! It is simply a matter of amplifying how you naturally interact with people that resonate with that type of experience. Some people like to be told what to do and yet others need the gentle nudging that moves them forward without feeling pressured to do so.
When you build a brand around how you naturally interact, it’s more authentic and your clients are going to notice the difference.
You will get better clients. You will get better experiences. You will get better results.
Imagine attracting more of the perfect client to your business…
What if it were possible to have a brand that is perfectly aligned with your business right now?
Engaging clients that value what you have to offer and trust that you will deliver the results that you promise.
When your branding is in alignment, you will attract the clients you dream of working within your business. It is that simple. And it’s what I want for you.