It’s a fesh new year! You have your logo, website and social media channels set-up and ready to go, you may be tempted to just dive in and start posting and creating content. You have a Canva account and you can create just about anything! LET’S GO!
Beware! The cohesiveness of your brand can quickly fall apart if you are not intentional and thoughtful. If you start creating random content with no purpose, you can get yourself into a cycle that can spin out of control, chew up valuable time, and get you nowhere.
Hopefully, you have invested in a flexible brand identity and have done the up-front work to define your purpose, the problems you will solve for people, and who your ideal clients are. If you have done this foundational groundwork, you are well prepared to put your brand into service.
Here are 5 great ways to improve your awareness of your brand:
One.
Visual Consistency. Use your logo or mark, brand color, and font palette to create a consistent look across platforms. This way when people see a blog or social media post, advertisement, or any printed material that is yours, there will be recognition of your brand and what you stand for. This is developed over time. Consistency is the key.
Example: There are some brands you recognize immediately because of the color palette or Fonts that they use. CocaCola, Tiffany & Co. and Starbucks are just a few.
Two.
Choose Photography wisely. Whenever possible hire a photographer and create real photos for your business. If you are planning a campaign and can hire a photographer to help you plan out the shots needed – you can get them all at once for a better price. There is nothing worse than a website or post that uses bad stock photography of generic-looking people smiling at the camera to say “FAKE” or worse “I DON’T CARE”. If you find that you need to use stock photography, choose images that have more of a “real world” feel. Sometimes this means the color or lighting is more natural, sometimes it means the people are interacting in a natural way (not looking directly at the camera and smiling)… If you are using several images for a campaign, you may want to get images that have a similar look or feel to tie it all together.
Example:
Three.
Brand Voice. Be aware of your brand voice. Who are your ideal clients and how do they relate to you? Is humor a draw, or is it important to be serious? If you have defined your brand well you will have a good feel for what your brand voice should be. Honest, authentic, casual, relatable, authoritative. Don’t leave it to chance, be thoughtful about what your customers need from you. Thinking about what problems you are solving for them is a good place to start. Always think about this from the customer’s point of view.
Example: Each of these companies have a unique “voice” that is projected throughout their marketing, packaging, and even structures and environments to give the customer a targeted brand experience.
Four.
Have a Purpose. There is so much pressure to create non-stop content these days. But people are inundated with information. Be sure you have a purpose. Be helpful. Offer tips. What are the daily issues your clients are dealing with and how can you help? Even if it is not a service that you offer, helping clients find solutions to their problems or challenges will establish you as someone who is thinking of them and their business. You are putting your customer first in your thoughts.
Example: This can include anticipating needs that the client may not even know they have yet. Offering content that solves a problem and expects little to nothing in return. What questions are people asking and how can you turn that into a video or blog post that helps solve the problem or answer the question.
Five.
Choose your Channels Wisely. There are so many social media channels to choose from. But you can’t be all things to all people. Find out how your ideal clients digest their information. Where do they look for answers to problems, for products or services they need. Choose one or two of those channels to start. Then you can add channels if you feel it necessary. Maybe they use Twitter more than Instagram, or Facebook more than LinkedIn. If you concentrate on just a few, you can focus your energy to be more helpful and effective in your communication.
Example: If your business is mainly with other businesses you may want to consider LinkedIn, if you are a news related business Twitter may be a good platform, and if you are a coach you may want a Facebook group.
It takes time
Once you implement these 5 steps, you will find that your brand is more recognizable and you will begin to attract your ideal clients. It takes time to build awareness and recognition, but the effort is worthwhile. You will find that the people who reach out to you are already more aligned with your business purpose. These high-quality leads can not only bring you more business, but these people are more likely to become loyal customers and possibly brand ambassadors who spread the word about your great work to others!
I hope you have found this information valuable. If you have thoughts, success stories, or challenges, I’d love to hear them.
Find Your Why | Make an Impact | Get Noticed
