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What IS branding?
So often these days, especially in the online business industry, people use the word branding to mean different things so it’s common to not fully understand what branding is.
Your brand is the foundation in your business. Your branding is what people think about your business, the perception. It’s your logo and other visual pieces in addition to your brand strategy.
When it comes to marketing, you take your brand and turn it into your marketing message.
What is the difference between brand design and brand strategy?
Many business owners focus solely on their brand design. It’s natural because you want things to look good and you think, “Okay, I want my brand to look really good and people will be attracted to it just because it looks good.”
But there’s a complete other side to your branding called your brand strategy. And really the brand design is not going to work well unless you have the strategy there to back it up. So your brand strategy is where you’re going to dive into things like your target audience. You’re figuring out who you’re serving, what their problem is, how you’re going to solve their problem, and what kind of offerings you’re going to offer.
When it comes to design and strategy, you want to ask yourself, “Who am I trying to reach and how is this design going to do that?” Designing a logo and focusing on building a beautiful website can be fun but you need to have that foundation to land clients.
What do people get stuck on as they work on their brand strategy?
A lot of people will get stuck because they want it to be perfect. When you first lay out your brand strategy, you should see it as a starting point. Everything in your business is going to evolve including your brand strategy. If you have a strong foundation then you can focus on refining your messaging and branding as your business grows.
“There really is no finish line in business. You just keep growing and evolving”
How does brand strategy help us to land more ideal clients?
Brand strategy helps you to land more ideal clients first in the clarity that it brings you, the business owner.
Having that clarity and the confidence to know who you are serving and what their problem is is very powerful. Having a clear brand strategy allows you to focus, speak better on what you do, and attract exactly who you want to help.
When you pinpoint who you’re serving, you can then figure out what their specific problems are and how you can help solve them. Your messaging and design follows that.
What if I don’t know who I want to serve?
Don’t be afraid to start broad. Just start and refine who your ideal client is over time as you work with different people.
What advice do you have for new business owners?
If this is what you love and you’re passionate about what you’re doing, keep working through the ups and downs. Start, take it one step at a time and try to just focus on one thing at a time. Success won’t happen overnight and that’s okay.
How can service providers find their ideal clients?
I heard great advice recently that was, “Fill your Instagram feed with your ideal client, not your competition.” So go find your ideal clients on Instagram. See what they are talking about, what is working for them and what problems they have. Engage with them and start to build a relationship with them instead of waiting for them to find you.
About Rachel Green and Intentionally Designed:
Rachel Green is a brand strategist, designer, and educator, dedicated to helping you build a brand that allows you to stand-out in the crowd, make consistent sales, and build a business that supports your life well.
She helps online personal brands elevate their brand for more growth and impact through strategically built and well-designed branding, websites, and digital marketing that get real results without doubting themselves or wondering what steps to take next.
For the last 8 years, she has helped build over 100 brands and generate 5+ million in sales for those businesses.
Resources and links mentioned in this episode:
- Connect with Rachel on Instagram and Pinterest
- Take Rachel’s quiz here!
- If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend and write a review on Apple Podcasts here!
- Don’t miss last week’s episode on how to avoid losing clients!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we receive a tiny commission from the seller at no additional cost to you, if you purchase from them. We only share products and services we have used, tested, and love ourselves!
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