5 steps you can take in 10 minutes or less that will have a huge impact on your brand

Many of you share my desire to want to own something of your own creation – to have a business built around something you absolutely love to do. Either you are on that journey now or you are preparing to start on it.

The excitement of bringing our ideas to life can be enough to fuel us forward. Yet, once we get going it’s not long before obstacles cross our path and threaten to hold us back. For instance, how many have you have had the thought, “how the heck am I going to stand out and start attracting customers??”.

 

The answer is your brand

Here’s what I want you to take away from this post – The difference between getting lost in the shuffle and standing out in the crowd is your BRAND. Your brand is what makes you uniquely irresistible to the people who you’re the best set to serve.

When we talk about your brand, we’re talking about more than just a cute logo or pretty pictures. The simplest way to think about it is that a brand is the combination of all of the tangible and intangible assets of your business. It’s the products or services you sell, your visual identity, the content you produce, and the stories you tell. Even the people you work with are a part of your brand.

The culmination of all of these things establishes what your business stands for in your soon-to-be-customers’ hearts (how they feel)  and minds (how they think). It’s this mindset that will cause them to choose you over someone else.

So the question now is, how do we go about building a brand that gives our customers all of those good feels?

 

Here’s our plan…

Building your brand is not something that happens overnight. However, there are steps you can start to take today that will have a big impact on how well your business is received.  Even better? They don’t take a ton of time to do. Music to your ears, am I right?

So, are you ready for ‘em? Let’s go!

 

1: Really get to know your customers

Building a brand is about creating a community with the people we serve. That means getting to know them as friends, not just as a set of stats about their age, gender, and income. What are their deepest desires? What keeps them up at night?

It might seem obvious, but people want to buy from brands they know, like, and trust. Just like in real life, when we don’t  take the time to get to know someone it’s hard to invest our confidence in them.

We’ve all been on the receiving end of bad marketing at some point.  When we really know our customers our communication with them will feel genuine. Rather than pushing people away by trying to sell them, your customers will come to you because they’ll know you’re there to serve them.

10-minute action item:

Look up and join 5 Facebook groups that you believe your target customers would belong to. Once there, spend time reading through the discussions. Make note of what questions and concerns are being raised. This will help you learn how you can be of service in the best way possible.

 

2:  Talk about how you help people not what you sell

There’s a common pattern you’ll find in great marketing. They talk to you about the benefits you get from using a product and not about the product itself. “Fall asleep faster, dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less, hair with twice the shine”.

People buy end results, not the things that get them there. What do your customers really need from you? More fun, less guilt, more energy, fewer concerns?  When you talk to them about how you are going to help them achieve those things they will feel like you are on the same team.

Remember it’s not about you, it’s about your customers. Instead of telling people how great, faster, smarter your product is,  tell them why or how those things are going to be good for them.

10-minute action item:

Go to your website’s homepage and read the copy. Are you telling your customers about what your brand does or how it can help them? If the former, rewrite the copy to talk about the bigger benefits and see how that helps turn website browsers into buyers.

 

3: Let your personality shine through

Brand building is a two-way street. We need to get to know our customers but we also need to let them get to know us. Your brand like any person should have a personality. You should be able to describe to someone what they like, how they talk, and the quirky things they do.

What are the words people would use to describe your brand? Is that person someone your customers would want to know in real life? Until they can get to know you they’ll have a hard time wanting to work with you.

10-minute action item:

Imagine your brand has been invited to be the keynote speaker at a big event. What would her bio in the event brochure read? Take time to write that down. Consider how she would be introduced, what her outstanding qualities are, and what things people have come to know and love about her. Use this bio when writing copy and creating images for your brand. Ask yourself, is this something she would say or post?

 

4: Spend the extra time and money on your branding

As human beings, we’re prone to make decisions on subliminal cues or “unconscious bias” as the author Malcolm Gladwell puts it. In fact, research has shown that we make an initial judgment in as fast as 8 seconds. This means we need to make an awesome first impression any time someone encounters our brand.

Creating that awesome first impression begins with your brand design. Great branding can help create an immediate sense of trust and authority while poor branding can detract from even the best products.  

What does your brand design say about you? Are you creating an amazing first impression or do you have some work to do? It’s worth investing in getting help to make sure you knock this out of the park.

10-minute action item:

Look at your brand and ask yourself, “Am I proud of the way I am showing up?”. If the answer is no, ask yourself, “What 3 things could I improve to create a stronger first impression?”. If you aren’t comfortable fixing things yourself, head to Fiverr and find a freelancer who can help you make some quick improvements.

 

5: Show up consistently online

Think about well-known brands like Starbucks, Apple, and Target. Their branding is the same in their stores as it is on their website and every other place you’ll find them. The consistency creates credibility and also helps you remember them. The same is true for your brand.

In fact, brands that show up consistently are 3 to 4 times are more likely to experience brand visibility. (Lucidpress)

It can get tempting to mix things up especially when it comes to colors and visuals but save that creativity for another place. When you aren’t consistent you risk confusing your customers and losing their trust.

10-minute action item:

Conduct a quick audit of your brand website and social media feeds. Do you use the same brand name in your URL and handles? Do you use the same logo in each place? Are your colors and font consistent? A very big part of having beautiful branding simply comes down to be consistent.

 

On to you…

Which of these steps are you going to take in your brand?  What follow up questions can I help answer? Let me know in the comments below! And, if you want even more tips, get a hold of my brand building cheatsheet. It outlines the steps that will help you bring your brand to life in the best way possible.