Getting clear with your brand message Branding

How to Get Clear on Your Brand Identity

Are you having a brand identity crisis? A lot of people, whether just starting out or not, reach a place where they question their brand identity. They aren’t sure what their message is, or they feel “all over the place.” Here is a quick exercise to help you get clear on your brand message and identity.

how to get clear in your brand identity
Getting clear with your brand identity can be simpler with the right questions

5 Steps to Get Clear on Your Brand Identity

It’s not always easy to see the big picture, and not everyone has the tools necessary to create the brand they envision in their head. Many times they are so busy building their products or service that they neglect the other aspects of their brand. Or, maybe they just aren’t sure how to get there. So how do you get crystal clear on your brand?

When working with clients, there are multiple stages we go through, but the FIVE main questions I always recommend asking yourself are this:

1. What is the overall message you want your brand to convey? In other words, how would you like your audience or the general public to perceive you upon first impression and as a continued experience?

2. List 3 attributes you’d like associated with your brand. For example, youthful, hipster, cutting edge, educational, fun, informative, entertaining, laid back, Southern charm, clean, simple, etc. Only list 3, any more than that and your brand message may get garbled or confusing.

3. What need are you filling in the market, or your market segment? Be clear and very specific on what you’re bringing to the table. What solutions, skills or service do you offer? What value are you giving to them?

4. Who is your #1 ideal customer? Think about who your ideal customer is and make sure your brand identity and voice is speaking to them, specifically.

5. Where do you want to go? In other words, get a mental picture of where you see your brand in 1-3 years. This will help you narrow down and focus your branded content. It will also help you to build a more solid roadmap and marketing plan.

I personally struggled with brand identity when I first started off as a consultant and freelancer. Even with a strong brand building and design background, I was struggling to see and manage my own brand. Crazy, right? Not really. Sometimes it takes another set of professional eyes to help you see what you can’t see.

Branding is built the same way across any widget, person, product line or service. Once I made that connection and translated what I knew about building apparel brands into my own brand, it got a lot clearer.

One client I worked with struggled with branching out beyond her yoga class business. She wanted to embody a full mind, body, spirit and wellness brand and position herself as an influencer of such. Once we knew where she wanted to go, we were able to tailor her content, posts and even website to point toward that message and goal. By creating a professional brand identity package and doing the work associated with her end goal, we were able to position her brand seamlessly.

The five questions exercise above is part of my branding methodology and will definitely help you get really clear on your brand message and goals. It will also help you to create a consistent brand message across your social platforms, and create your value proposition in the market.

Getting clear with your brand will also help you to achieve consistent and cohesive messages with your social media posts and ad creatives. Once you know what content consistently lives on your platforms and within your brand house, you won’t stray from it, and your audience won’t be confused and “tune out.”



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Branding

How to Find Your Brand Voice

First of all, what is a ‘brand voice?’ Every company and brand has a brand voice. It’s the personality, mood and intention distilled into a company’s communications (ads, copywriting, blog posts, video scripts, etc.) A brand voice includes everything from the words and language you use, to the personality and image of your marketing assets. That being said, does your brand voice match..you?

Once upon a time, writing copy meant you had to be formal, use complete sentences and fancy words you wouldn’t actually use in your daily conversation. And it was acceptable. Until it wasn’t.

What happened is, more everyday people became their brands. And those brands started kicking ass and connecting with other real people. And the need to keep the brand voice real and consistent became imperative.

As audience members, we’ve decided ‘formal’ isn’t real, or even necessary. We’ve taken a more forgiving road, accepting smaller words and even grammatical errors for a more authentic voice. We are in an age where transparency is what we want. Show us your warts and back hair!
Ok, not really.

Seriously, though, we’ve moved beyond reality TV and want even more of the authentic side of everyone. Why? Because humans like to connect with real people. We are wired for connection and empathy. We are repelled by dishonesty.

Marketing has evolved and (thankfully!) the manner in which we speak to our audience has evolved, too. Marketing, for most of its smarmy life, was seen as deceiving and greasy. It doesn’t have to be like that. You and your brand don’t have to approach marketing like that.

How to Find Your Brand Voice

What does your brand voice currently sound like? Is it authentic to you and how you speak to a friend, or is it some stuffy version of your voice filtered through the ‘I fart in a wine glass’ persona?

The first thing you need to know is this: You are your brand. If you are not speaking to your audience (your tribe!) as you would at a dinner table, then you either aren’t using (or haven’t found) your brands’ voice.

So the key to finding your brand’s voice is just be real. You can’t be everything to everyone. But you can be everything to the ones who will matter most. So, write your copy like you’re writing to a friend.

How to Write When You Hate Writing

Writing emails, blog posts and copy are one of the biggest groans I hear from my clients. They hate to write. They don’t know what to write. They don’t know how to put everything in their head into an easy-to-consume body of text. But they’re screwing themselves by not taking the time to just connect. The whole point is to connect. If you’re personally attached to your business products and/or service, you can’t sell anything until you connect with your audience.

Not sure what to say? For starters, you can take all of that information sitting in your head and turn it into snippets of information for a newsletter or blog post. It doesn’t have to be written perfectly. It just has to be real and consistent. Even better, create several snippets of video for your YouTube channel.

The truth is, I don’t love writing, either.

I don’t consider myself a writer, but I am a communicator. And I’m big on thoughts and feelings. And getting those thoughts and feelings out. If you can approach your writing like journaling, sharing or writing a letter to a friend, I think you’ll find it a lot easier to just sit and write for 15 minutes a day. Look at it as your own form of therapy, also.

“Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed. It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader.” -Paul Gallico

Speak about what you know, about what you’re passionate about. Speak with respect and consideration. Share, laugh and as Paul Gallico said, “open a vein.”

Use your authentic voice. Don’t be afraid to storytell a little bit, share some insider secrets with your people. Don’t feel like you need to hide behind anything. Let your words flow. The right people will love you for you. Once you remove all of the unnecessary filters and expectations, you will find your voice.

Business

What is a Brand Builder?

We hear the phrase often, but what, exactly, is the definition of a ‘Brand Builder’?

The term “entrepreneur” should be reserved for brand builders. These folks endeavor to add value to a new branded product or service through marketing, sales and distribution. They work toward developing a positive reputation and brand image that results in a loyal clientele. They have the potential to monetize that brand equity -Michael Houlihan, Consumer Brand Builders

 

The 6 Traits of a Brand Builder

1. Vision: They can see their industry in a different light
Brand Builders see their industry in a different way. They’re not stuck in the tried and true approach their competitors have taken. They can see the opportunities and can see where their industry can be changed.

2. Ideas: They relentlessly search for new ideas
Brand Builders both originate and find ideas. They have an innate ability to connect disparate concepts and information to generate new ideas. They are constantly taking in advice, stories, ideas, knowledge, and expertise — and they distill all that information to create new ideas to apply to their business and brand.

3. Execution: They make ideas happen
Brand Builders make things happen. They are action-oriented, and they revel in bringing ideas into reality. They’re not dreamers. They are doers. And they not only drive themselves to act, but they also drive everyone around them to execute.

4. Impatient: They make things happen quickly
There is a fire that burns within Brand Builders. They are constantly restless and considering the next horizon. Where their company sits today is not an acceptable badge of honor, because there’s always a new horizon or a new opportunity to chase. This restlessness is what causes Brand Builders to really disrupt and change their industries.

5. Ambitious: They are driven to succeed
Brand Builders want their brand to change their industry, make an impact, and become instantly recognizable. They have a personal ambition to work harder than anyone else, take bigger risks, and push for what they know is possible. Their ambition drives them and their team to grow their company into a Sticky Brand.

6. Team Builders: They know how to make an impact
Brand Builders are not only talented, but they are also talent creators. They surround themselves with other smart, ambitious, impatient people who bring in skills and expertise they don’t have. Brand Builders develop teams that embody the brand and hire people who are equally committed to taking it even further.

 

Sources: Consumer Brand Builders, All Business

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