January 12, 2021
January 12, 2021
No matter what industry you’re in, a business’ main goal is to attract clients/customers. The big question is how to do that. While I love an aesthetically pleasing brand, attracting the clients you want goes much deeper than a pretty logo. This is where brand strategy comes into play.
Brand strategy is a hot term flying around the design industry, but what does it actually mean and how can it help you attract more clients? Let’s break it down.
We all want to attract everyone, but your message is going to be much stronger when you’ve clearly identified your primary audience. You can understand what their day to day life looks like, what brands they shop at, what styles they are drawn to. Most importantly, you can recognize their pain points and speak to those. When you truly understand your ideal client, you can make them feel understood in your brand through a combination of visuals and messaging. After all, most decisions are made based on emotion, so evoking the right emotions will lead to more interest in you.
This is one of my favorite parts of the brand strategy process. I feel like it takes the mystery out of where potential clients are going to come from. Once you understand who your ideal client is you can figure out where they are starting and what you need to do to move them along the path from brand awareness to your biggest source of referrals. Where are they spending the majority of their time online? Instagram? Facebook? Pinterest? That’s where you should be marketing. What problem do they need solved that you address with your services? How can you build up enough trust for them to reach out or take a class? Are you sharing helpful information and resources? Or are you offering a free trial to get a taste of your teaching style?
There is no one right path, but people typically need to come across a brand multiple times before taking action. The strategy addresses what they need to see each time to eventually take that desired action.
I don’t encourage you to scope out the competition in order to copy or compare. In actuality, we’re trying to do the opposite. You want to figure out where there is room for you in the market. This is one of the reasons I love niching. There are so many potential niches within an industry and you can absolutely make yourself unique in order to stand out, even as a new brand among more established competitors. But in order to figure out what is unique you need to know what already exists. If a Soulcycle exists a block from where you want to open a cycling studio, I wouldn’t suggest creating a bold, black and yellow brand with a dance-like class atmosphere. Yes, that brand is successful, but it already exists. So what unique experience are you offering?
If you’ve shared anything about your brand already, you have a brand voice and personality. This step is more a matter of defining it so you can remain consistent in the rest of your brand elements and in the case of expansion. To understand brand voice better, it’s helpful to think of your favorite brands. I’m sure you know of one that has a no-bullshit, empowering vibe. Or maybe one that is aspirational and uplifting. Or witty and entertaining. Whatever it is, that tone should be carried across your website to your social media and your visual identity.
Once all of these pieces are defined, THEN we can start approaching the visual aspects of the brand with intention, knowing exactly how to connect with your dream client on a visual and emotional level.
Need help with your brand strategy? Reach out.
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