Joanna Gaines, Tory Burch, Betsy Johnson. What do all these women have in common besides great hair and a fat bank account? They are the perfect example of how to create and brand your business the right way.
When you think of Joanna Gaines; farmhouse, shiplap, family, clean aesthetic comes to mind right? Anything that has the Magnolia logo on it, it’s truly branded.
I read a quote somewhere, “Don’t just have a business build a brand.” Life changing. I want a legacy. I want Lola Celeste to live on and have my daughter someday take it over and continue building with what her life passions are. My brand, Lola Celeste will evolve because I’m working hard at laying the brand identity framework in place.
These celebrities certainly have a team behind them, but before the team, it all started with the individual. Their personalities, passion, and expertise.
How to create a brand not Just a business
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1. Define Your Purpose
Most likely, none of us are 100% in knowing what exactly we want to do or accomplish with our hobby or business. I sure wasn’t. But I bet you do have a clue about WHY it brings you joy or contentment.
Take a moment and grab a piece of paper and write down those words and values that resonate within your soul and describe why you enjoy doing what you do. These words or phrases are the foundation of your mission statement. It doesn’t get any more authentic than this.
2. Create a Brand Identity
Creating a brand identity is one of the most important things that you can do for your blog or business. It’s the difference between looking like a hot mess express or polished and reputable to your audience or buyers. Most people think branding yourself is just picking a logo and a catchy little tagline, but it’s much deeper than this. A brand identity is what makes you instantly recognizable to your audience or customers. Your brand identity is the message the audience receives from you, your product or service. Brand identity should be a consistent message. How do you accomplish a consistent and professional message?
If you are unsure about the ins and outs of what a brand board is and how to create one, make sure you read my post about how to easily create a brand board. You will also find a template ready and waiting for you to download and use for your own project. For free!
3. Craft Your Elevator Pitch
Have you ever heard of this? An elevator pitch is a brief, persuasive speech that sparks interest in what you do all in the time it takes to ride an elevator. Your speech should be interesting, memorable and obviously to the point.
I admit, struggling to come up with mine over the years. But it really does help you develop a clear focus and prepare you for when the time comes when someone asks you to tell them about yourself.
Here’s mine….
Hello, I’m Celeste. I’m a brand and social media strategist who helps those creative women who weren’t made for the 9 to 5 with their online presence. I develop and share life-changing tactics and resources so they can dive into their passions and make a living from it.
3. Write a Bio
After nailing your verbal who I am and what I do, creating your written bio will be easy. Have an updated one, ready to go on hand. A professional bio is a necessity for networking events, freelance work, or any other gig you may be interested in. Include all the education, work experience, awards, volunteer work etc. Don’t forget to give it some spice and include your personal interest.
4. Hone in On Your Uniqueness
Determine what makes you unique. What do you love or take part in that others may not know about you? What’s that special something that you can constantly mention to help your audience remember your name or what you do? I’m a huge fangirl of Jenna Kutcher. She is a podcaster, photographer, and marketing badass. She mentions that she’s a mac n cheese lover and it has stuck! That one little added difference instantly made herself memorable. Create an impression people will remember. It can be as small as mac n cheese or as visual as the way you package your items. The point is STAND OUT and keep it consistent within your message.
5. CREATE A BLOG OR PERSONAL WEBSITE
There’s no better way to share your message or product than by blogging. It’s like inviting visitors into YOUR space, and there you can showcase your creativity and really express YOU!
Not comfortable at writing posts, then outsource it. You can still create a personal website, using your name as the domain name and highlight your skills and expertise there. Just have someone else do all the heavy lifting. Try Fiverr to find freelance website designers and writers. The important part is to take control of your online identity by claiming your name as a domain.
6. Rock Your Social Media Platforms
Please listen to me when I say you do not have to be on all social media platforms. Only sign up for the networks that you feel most comfortable using. Sign up and secure your name with whatever floats your boat, but make sure to develop a professional online presence with it. Make sure you are showing up there regularly and sharing valuable images and posts. This will definitely help build a credible brand and establish yourself as an expert. I’m a Pinterest and Instagram girl personally. I use them regularly, so it makes sense for me to extend my business profile there.
7. Show Your Face
It’s easy to allow brand identity to do all the talking for you, but every now and then people want to see a real face behind the brand. How would we feel if Jo Jo didn’t step in front of the camera to talk about her design? It would feel like there was a missing piece to the puzzle. That piece is you by showing up visually in your work.
I am the first person to admit to struggling with this. The introvert in me fights it every day, but I’m working on it. I’ve always said, if you are over 30 years old then, please leave the selfies up to the youngins. I recently purchased an $11 phone stand to help take more hands-free shots of myself. It makes a huge difference in the quality of your pics I share with my social media audience. It even came with a wireless remote control that’s fun to use! You can check it out here.
8. Don’t Worry About Saying NO
The minute you realize that you can not be everything to everybody is when you really begin establishing a brand voice. Now that you know your purpose and have provided a framework for your business, it makes it easier to say no to affiliates, people or products that just don’t align with your brand. Always, stay true to your purpose. Your audience is smart and they will recognize if you do not. Now that you have a personal brand in place, protect it.
9. Stay in Your Lane
Keep your head down and focus on your personal brand. It’s easy to want to emulate what others are doing because it looks like they are killing it. Remember don’t do the compare game. It’s a time and energy suck. Now that you know who you are, what you represent and an overall brand identity keep your head down, stay in your lane and work at showing and serving your audience.
10. Evolve
Remember that quote to not just have a business but build a brand? A brand is something that never ends, it keeps evolving. And that’s the exciting aspect of it! Recognize moments that are opportunities to further your brand. We as humans sometimes resist change, but your brand can live on and on. Forever if you treat it right. Evolve and don’t be afraid to branch out in different directions. As long as you have your framework as your navigation, change can only further your personal brand.
Branding is the one part of my business that I love teaching others about! Your creativity can really come out and play and that’s what is going to separate you from the rest.
If this post got you motivated to begin your branding process, I would love for you to share this post with others or even comment below. It would make my day 🙂
