Not Just Pretty | Building An Effective Small Business Brand

Let's Talk About Designing Your Very First Inviting Brand

After all, this is where all my experience comes from… I started out as a graphic designer, helping very-first-timers design their first business brands.

Along the way, I learned many, many valuable lessons about designing your first brand… so I thought I should share.

Many first-time entrepreneurs consider designing their brand a “first order of business” -  they think that before they launch, they’ve got to design their logo, business cards and their website.

I get it… there’s a lot of not-fun stuff to do when you start your business. Setting up accounts. Creating contracts. Dealing with your business entity choice (whether you’ll be a corporation, sole proprietor or LLC).

This is important stuff, and at the same time, it’s really not the creative adventure you set out to have in your business.

So you avoid it… and try to have some serious fun by commissioning or creating your business designs

And you’re counting that fun towards the cause of “advancing your business”.

That’s oh-so-wrong. For many reasons.

First of all, it’s a stalling tactic that nervous entrepreneurs use to avoid selling their services. Selling freaks them out, so they say, “I just have to have this website put together… then I can start making calls.”

That’s straight-up crazy… you don’t need a website, or a logo, or really any graphics at all. You just have to start having those first conversations with potential clients and start selling and delivering your services.

It may seem that having a logo will make that transition easier, and the truth is… it’s more likely to hurt you than to help you.

And reason #2 will show you why that’s so important: because a brand is a two-way discussion. You have to design your brand to speak to your ideal clients. To show and tell them what you stand for in your business.

If you haven’t had any clients yet, how can you possibly design your brand FOR them?

You’ve got to create your brand for your clients. They’re the ones listening in and watching you. And so your brand has to be meant to communicate with them.

Because they’re completely serious about a picture saying 1000 words… and you want to make sure they’re saying the right 1000 words to the right people. Right?

Your brand designs should communicate all of that meaning and emotion behind your business.

So, before you design, you not only have to figure out who you’re communicating with… but also what you’re trying to say.

How to figure that out? Answer these questions:

What is your business all about?
And how do you want your clients to feel when they work with you?

In your brand,  you have the opportunity to tell your clients all of that, and even more, about your business.

Your brand is powerful because you can show, not just tell.

A gorgeous brand can do so much more than communicate.

• Gives your invisible, intangible service a face and makes it more real and less abstract.
• Turns heads and opens doors for you.  Clients will say, “have you seen this?” and pass your marketing along for you.
• Sticks in peoples’ minds, making a memorable, lasting impact.
• Moves your clients from “know” to “like” quickly... and ease the transition into “trust.” You’ll know this is happening when you hear them say, “wow, I love that! Tell me more...”
• Raises the perceived value of your services, cut back on sales objections and speed up your sales cycle.

So, it’s imperative that you put the effort into figuring out what you want your 1000 word-picture to say, and who you want it to say that to. That’s the only way you’re going to make the gorgeous impression you want to make.

Fresh Ideas For You Brand (That Won't Freak Your Clients Out)

Now, that sounds just like exactly what you need to get your business fired up and moving along! But then reality creeps in…

There’s the pressure of creating a fresh, interesting and new idea. You can’t just reach into a magic hat and pull that perfect idea out. Sitting and waiting around for that genius to strike doesn’t seem action-oriented enough for you. You’re ready to get started on what’s next... but you need the idea to begin with, plus the insurance and assurance that it’s a good one.

Then there’s the danger of introducing fresh ideas into your brand. You’ve worked long and hard to build your brand and nurture your fans and clients. So, naturally, you’re worried that you’ll come up with an idea that’s fresh, exciting, new and different, pour your heart and soul into developing it, and do all the incredible work behind getting that idea out into the world... and after all of that, your clients and fans won’t like it. 

That they might freak out. What if they don’t like the idea you worked so hard on? Wouldn’t it be terrible if clients who were going to hire you decide, based on your new idea, not to? 

Or, worse yet, that your chatty, happy and engaged clients and fans clam up, withdraw and become uninterested and disengaged. Clearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, and a sure sign that you’re on the wrong track. 

Why are new ideas so tricky?

Introducing new ideas takes a special mix of ingenuity, bravery and finesse.

Here’s how they work together:

The ingenuity to generate an idea - OK, this is more like “a bunch of new ideas”… so you can have the freedom to create a bucket full of many less-fantastic ideas on the way to one fresh, new, interesting idea. And then you need the foresight, common sense and client-understanding to sort out the good from the not-so-good ideas.

The bravery to launch that idea and incorporate it into your brand and marketing. After all, your brand is precious and you’ve worked hard to build it. Launching a new thing can be both exciting and scary – exciting because you’re proud of your new idea and can see the possibility in it, and scary because you’re not quite sure how your clients and contacts will react to it. You can cut down on the scariness by selecting a few of your clients and unveiling the idea early, to see how they feel about it and what questions they have. That way, you can fine-tune your idea with their input, to make it make the most sense and impact possible.

The finesse to introduce the idea to your clients in a way that doesn’t freak them out. This is the part that takes the most discipline. You have to roll out your idea in a way that brings your clients along with you and your excitement over it – instead of making them slam on the brakes. That means keeping them comfortable before, during and after your launch – and letting them know whether this is a whole new direction or if you’re still offering the things they’ve gotten used to.

When you bring ingenuity, bravery and finesse along on your quest for new ideas, you’ll find yourself creating the kind of innovative, interesting and engaging ideas that keep your clients coming back for more.

Love pretty pictures? Last minute gift from me, to you!

Merry, Happy everything to all of you! Whatever you're celebrating this time of year, I wanted to send along a last-minute gift I made for you.

I wrote a complete how-to guide called "Invite Brand Engagement with Free and Low-Cost Stock Images", and it's yours for the downloading.

You see, I've been doing some testing and have found that photos significantly increase brand engagement in blogs, websites, sales letters and on Facebook.

I'm guessing you have personal experience with this. Aren't you more likely to read copy when it's accompanied by an expressive image? I know I am.

I also have been hearing so many small business owners express frustration over all thetime wasted searching for that perfect image, or spending a fortune on premium photos.

So I went ahead and put together this handy and info-packed report. It's a complete guide to finding great photos for your brand, at no- or little-cost to you.

You'll LOVE this if:

 

• You've ever wasted time searching for the "just-right image"
• You've ever spent a small fortune on premium photos for your site and marketing materials
• You know your images need an upgrade, or you just don't have enough images
• You want to find unique photos that the rest of your industry isn't already using!
  

And this is a real gift - no strings attached, no opt-in, no nothing!

Just click the link below to download your copy:

http://www.brandstyledesign.com/stock-photos.pdf

p.s. I also invite you to give this away freely to your people. Go ahead and attach the report in an email, or send them directly to the link to pick up their own copy. You have my permission to share the love freely, in any way you like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lessons About Warming Up Your Brand . . . From Parties

Do you ever feel like your brand's a little bit chilly? Like it's too professional or boring? Or you're distant... not as cozied up and close with your clients as you'd like to be?

Why not warm it up a bit? Warmth in your brand can make it seem more alive, open, passionate, and even both interesting and interested. The warmth is a sign that your small business is run by a real person and that you care about your clients.

A warm brand also does a lot for your client relationships. Warmth will create a better connection with your clients, make nervous, shy or hesitant clients feel welcome and at home buying from you, encourage engagement and conversation around your brand, foster goodwill and up your likeability factor. It can also increase your client attraction significantly, because people are attracted to warmth and openness - instead of feeling shut out in the cold.

In this season of open houses, holiday parties and rekindling relationships... you can learn a lot about warming up your brand from the parties you go to. The best holiday parties create a natural, easy "warm and fuzzy" feeling in everyone's hearts. 

Here are a few ways that you can create that feeling in your brand for your clients:

• Focus on how you want your clients to feel. Parties create an emotional experience - they create happiness, celebration, closeness or even reflection. Instead of trying to tell your clients just what's happening, or how it happens... use words and images in your brand to evoke a specific feeling.
• Design your brand to create conversation. Whether or not there's great conversation at your party depends on a few factors: lighting, music, whether you have games or dancing, and how comfortable your guests are talking to each other. If you want to create conversation in your brand, design opportunities to start and encourage conversation. To make this happen: ask questions. Create open-line teleconferences. Hold a "fireside chat" where the focus is more on talking and less on teaching. Introduce and connect your clients to each other to create community.
• Bite-sized nibbles (of information) are the way to go. Unless you're at a sit-down dinner party, maneuvering with a plate full of food can be tough - and it's even harder to enjoy what you're eating. In your business, how are you filling your clients up with information instead of breaking things down for people so that they can enjoy it one bite at a time? It's tempting to show off all of your expertise and information, but that can make it harder for your clients to learn. One of the greatest ways you can serve your clients is by breaking things down and making it easy for them to learn, understand and use.
• Be upfront about what you expect your clients to do. When you're invited to a party, it's natural to ask, "what can I bring?" Clients want to know what they need to bring, too. For example, when I design a website, I let the client know what they're expected to bring to the table - like website copy, website hosting, their headshot. I even provide a handy checklist so they can work through it and make sure they're organized. How can you do the same in your business?
• Welcome a new client warmly in their first moments with you, and let them know what to expect. When you show up at a party, the host says hello, tells you where to put your coat, shows you around and makes sure you've got your first drink in-hand. How are you settling your clients - and even your subscribers - in? And how can you make that part of the experience better?

These are just a few of the lessons you can learn from a holiday party about warming your brand up. As you go to parties this season or reflect on those you've been to, what lessons do you see that you can implement now in your brand?

2 Traits to Create Relationship Through Your Brand - With People You've Never Met

Are you "marketing at" your precious potential clients or connecting with them? In other words, do your marketing efforts feel more like you're shouting at them with a megaphone, or like you're having a two-way conversation?

We all have a craving for connection and conversation - for that rich, recognition-filled two-way exchange of thoughts and information.

That goes for both YOU and your potential clients... in fact, the effect can be multiplied many times over for your clients.

Feel into how much you want to be in conversation with your potential clients. How much you'd like to be on the phone with them, or talking face-to-face.

Now, imagine how much they want to be in conversation with you. After all, they're already listening to you. I suspect many of them are yearning to be heard, to have their questions answered and to really talk to you.

Here are two traits you can use to open the conversation in a refreshing way...

Curiosity:

Have you ever really stopped to wonder about, listen to and ask your potential clients about what's going on for them?

This goes beyond a casual, "Hi, how are you?" at the beginning of your newsletter - where you're not actually expecting an answer. 

It's time to think about who your potential clients are, ask about what they're up to, and explore their thoughts and feelings.

Look at them as more than just a potential project. Open up a conversation with the full intent of simply learning more about them and getting to know them - not seeing how you could help them, or looking for a need.

What you can do - ask real, specific questions in your newsletter and assure people that you really do want to know the answer. Offer opportunities for your potential clients to speak with you on Q&A calls, during call-in "office hours" or even by appointment for a short, focused session - where you're asking them questions.

Generosity:

When was the last time you gave your clients a truly free and fantastic gift?

People love presents - when they're real, useful, desirable gifts. Too many "free gifts" in the internet marketing world are not really gifts at all, but thinly veiled sales pitches that people have to sign up for.

I realize this has become common practice... and there's certainly a time and place for that in a marketing strategy... and, at the same time...

Why not give a valuable, amazing free gift that they really want, that they can use immediately and digest fully, and get deep value from? They'll really notice and be impressed by a gift that fills a real need - that doesn't simply open them up to a new need or shine the light on some gap or deficiency in their approach.

And, when was the last time that you gave something away that was really free? I mean that there's no hoops to jump through and no forms to fill out. That you are giving to them with the true energy of gifting. Because you have created this gift especially for them, and you want them to have it - not because you want anything in return.

Try this - create a short and impactful free report. Tell your clients all about how to do one small, specific task. Give them resources or point them to tools. Package that gift lovingly. And then send it to all of your clients and invite them to send it to everyone they know. Include a two-line invitation to learn more at the end, plus a one-paragraph bio so that new people can get to know you. See what happens!

There is one final thought I'd love to leave you with - both of these traits need to be backed by genuine interest and attention, of course.

3 Ideas to Ick-Proof Your Brand

Do you ever feel like your brand is out of alignment with your values system? Like you have to do things in your marketing that you wouldn't want your mother or your mentor to see?

If you said "yes", I'm curious: why is your brand icky?

Your brand is made up of the look, the feel and the experience of doing business with you.

Does it look like a mess? Is your design all over the place? Have you outgrown them and become more sophisticated and evolved?

Does it feel pushy or sleazy? Are you using tactics that you think you need to use to make sales? Do you find that when you market, you wind up feeling like a slimeball?

Is the experience in your brand one where your clients feel comfortable, cherished and welcomed? Do they understand what's going on every step of the way with you, so that they know how to make the most of their time working with you? Or do they feel like you're just trying to get them to buy, and then rushing through the deliverable so you can move on to the next client?

In any case, an icky brand is no fun. It's gross and uncomfortable, for both you and your clients.

Join me in stamping out ickiness in branding.

Your brand should represent you with integrity and make you proud. Your marketing should make your precious, ideal clients feel special, honored and seen. And once you welcome new clients in, they should be made comfortable and really taken good care of - throughout the process of working with you.

What if you could move away from the icky energy of trying to "make" them click this, opt-in, buy from you, or rush through your service delivery, and create a brand you're proud of and that your clients love?

Here's 3 ideas for how you can create your ick-proof brand:

Brand from your values. There's a lot of talk about creating a brand that "targets a niche" or "stands out". While those are both things to consider, they're certainly not the place to start from in your brand.

With standing out and branding for your clients, then you're reaching outside of and shining the light on things outside yourself. Which are both important perspectives to consider in your brand, this leaves out the most important part of your brand of all - aligning your brand with your values.

Your values - what you think is right and what you think is wrong - show up in your brand in a lot of ways. They show up in your:

• Core positioning: What you and your brand stand for.
• Words and tone: How you speak about your beliefs and the level of passion and conviction you convey.
• Consistency: If you're not in alignment with your values, your brand will be inconsistent and all over the place. Once you're aligned, consistency becomes easy.
• Affiliations and recommendations: Are you promoting for profit or because the people you recommend will help your clients?
• And, really, everywhere and all throughout your brand.

Know that you're not strapped into your brand's look forever. If your brand's look has gotten messy, your business has outgrown your brand, then never fear! You can always evolve and change your brand to make it look as good as possible, and to match the current level of sophistication in your brand.

There's a common belief about branding - that when you design your brand, you're stuck with it for life. There's nothing that could be further from the truth.

In fact, here's the thing... when you're an evolving, growing, learning entrepreneur who's always going deeper into how you serve your clients, I don't think that it's possible to design your brand at the beginning and then have it be relevant for the life of your business.

You're learning, growing and changing. Your clients are becoming more sophisticated as they work with you. Your brand needs to grow and change with you as you evolve, and as they grow with you - to keep up with how awesome you've become.

Your charge is... to evolve and stretch it with care and in a way that keeps your clients comfortable.

Take excellent care of your clients after they buy. The emphasis in branding is on marketing and selling. This approach doesn't take into account the most important part of your brand - the experience that your clients get with you after they buy your services.

There's a statistic that 20% of your clients will make up 80% of your business. That's a comfy place - where you're serving a small, close-knit group so well. You can really transform them!

In order to make that magic ratio happen, you've got a responsibility to your clients - you've got to induce mutual comfy-ness. Make them feel welcome and secure, and like they know what's going on throughout the process with you - so they can surrender their trust to you.

These 3 ideas will give you a solid, non-icky start to creating a brand that's inviting and welcoming.

If you want to get your hands on 10 more ways to create an ick-proof brand that invites your clients in to work with you, head over to http://brandstyledesign.com to download a free party favor.

Inciting or Inviting? Why Most Marketing Doesn't Work

Sometimes one little letter makes all the difference.

This is a story about a typo. A simple typing mistake, that's so wonderful - I have tears of gratitude in my eyes from the relief it's brought.

Let me explain... it's all about the difference between inciting and inviting.

I've been trying to be "A Marketer" for years. Instead of being a design innovator, a creative thinker, a break-the-mold genius like I'd set out to be when I started in on this business extravaganza; I thought I had to market and convince people to do business with me.

And, somewhow, I thought I had to do marketing in the standard way. Because I thought that was the way that things had to be if I was going to be "in business". Especially in "this economy".

And it's always felt icky. Because being "A Marketer" asks you to incite your ideal clients: meaning to goad an individual or a group to take some action or to express some feeling.

”To goad” means, literally, “To prod or urge with or as if with a long pointed stick.”

Ew!

 Seriously, that just feels kind of slimy.

Yet, I want to be heard. I want to be seen. I want to be understood. So that my thinking and my message can get out into the world. And in the world of business, that means marketing – in a different way.

I don't want to get what I want by inciting. It doesn't work for me.

 I want to invite. To ask my wonderful, perfect clients and future-clients to come over and play with me.

Just look at the gorgeous things that "invite" means:

1. To request the presence or participation of in a kindly,courteous, or complimentary way, especially to request to come or go to some place, gathering, entertainment, etc.,or to do something: to invite friends to dinner.

2. To request politely or formally: to invite donations.

3. To attract, allure, entice, or tempt.

I suspect that I'm not alone. Not by a long shot.

If you want to leave the icky energy of inciting behind, and start inviting your ideal clients to work and play with you, then please join me!

Stop goading and poking at your precious, lovely clients-to-be in your marketing. Start inviting and encouraging them to come.

Pretend your business is a party and ask your clients to come be your guest and enjoy themselves. Make sure everyone feels welcome and comfortable, and that you’re being charming and engaging. Talk “with” them instead of “at” them. You’ll see the energy turn around and I’d be willing to bet that you’ll all start having more fun in the process.

3 Easy Steps To Stop Spinning Your Wheels With Your Brand And Start Making Sales

Do you ever feel like instead of moving forward with your brand and your business, you’re stuck you’re going around and around in circles with your confusing brand?

That your brand doesn’t communicate, doesn’t convert sales and is a bit of a mess?

What if I could show you how to easily get unstuck and create a brand that works? One that helps you get more clients, make sales and makes your business profitable. 

The first step in creating a brand that converts is to get clear. Without clarity, your brand is going to be confusing and too complex for your ideal clients to really understand what you offer. And, without clarity, your marketing and promotion – and, even just telling other people what you do - will be way too hard.

Let’s look at the first baby steps towards getting more clear:

1. What part of your brand are you unclear about? Your brand has several distinct parts: your message, your value, your differentiation, your personality and your service offering. Your brand also has to communicate clearly to your ideal client, so you have to know who they are and what they want. Which parts of your brand are you unclear about?
2. How is your lack of clarity showing up? Lack of clarity can show up in several ways: by being confusing, by saying too much and making your brand complex, by being too professional, by not choosing a specific ideal client to work with and by changing too often, so that your clients feel like they’re not sure what you’re doing. Which of these shows up in your unclear brand?
3. How can you start changing that? You’ve identified which part (or parts) of your brand you’re unclear about, and how your lack of clarity is showing up. Pay close attention to the areas you’ve identified, and notice as you see your lack of clarity come through in your marketing and conversations. As you go along, also note when you do feel clear in those areas – or when you’re having a chat with an ideal client and they are understanding you well. Use those improvements in your brand to make “baby steps” towards your clarity.

Even if you get 5% more clear in your brand, you’ll have made progress in the right direction… and you can keep using these tools to make more improvements and getting more clear as time goes on.

Do this "One Thing" For Website Success

If the next person who visited your website could only do one thing there, what would you want that thing to be?
Having one main thing for your visitor to do on your website is a powerful strategy that will help you get better results for whatever is most important on your website.

It's easier for you to do "One Thing" well. Trying to write copy, design a marketing strategy and create a business strategy around way too many things is a lot of work - and if you're doing too many things, you can't do any of them as well as they need to be done.

It's easier to get your visitor to do "One Thing". If you're offering one clear choice of what to do next, then your visitor can see what they're supposed to do, how to do it, and make just one decision - instead of deciding between too many things.

It's easier to get people to talk about  "One Thing". You want people to help you spread the word about what you're doing, right? Giving them one clear thing to talk about can help get the word out farther, faster and to make sure the message that's going out from all of the people who are talking about you is consistent and clear.

And, focusing on one thing doesn't mean that they'll only do  "One Thing" with you. It simply gives them a starting point. You can still offer many things, and serve people in many ways - but you just don't confuse or overwhelm them with that up-front.

Here's an assessment to see if your site is well designed to harness the power of "One Thing".

                How clear is your website that you want them to do that "One Thing"?

                Does that "One Thing" get lost in the shuffle of everything else you're talking about and offering?

                Can they do that "One Thing" from every page of your site?

                Is your offer for the "One Thing" compelling to your ideal client?

                Have you made your "One Thing" irresistible?

                Is the "One Thing" extremely obvious?

                Does the design around the "One Thing" make it stand out?

                Does the rest of the design on the page encourage the visitor's eye to move to your "One Thing"?

How easy do you make it for them to do that "One Thing"?

The 3 Kinds Of Confusing Brands And What To Do About Them

“What do you do?”

Such an innocent and curious question! And in the small business world, it’s where so many conversations go horribly wrong.

As the other person starts to answer, a funny thing happens. The conversation starts spinning out of control. Maybe they’re talking too much. Maybe they don’t really know how to answer. Or perhaps they decide, on the spot, to make up and “try out” a new reply they’ve never given before.

In any case, the person who asked the question in the first place goes from curious to confused, and starts looking, desperately, for the door.

Don’t be the business owner who’s confusing the nice, curious people you’re meeting. Here’s a handy guide to the 3 kinds of confusing brands and what to do about each one:

1. The “Talking Too Much” Brand

We’ve all seen this Confusing Brand in action.

When you meet the “Says Too Much” Brand Owner at a networking event, and innocently ask them, “What do you do”… you get back an entire novel!

They tell you all about the dozens of things they can do. Then they tell you their entire personal story. And their plans for the future. They just keep talking and talking!

And you’re wondering… what are they really trying to say? How can they be good at all the things they’re talking about? Are they just desperate for business? And… most importantly… how can I get OUT of this conversation?

You’re not engaged or interested in what they’re saying. They’re talking so much that you can’t even remember where they started. They’re making a terrible first impression. And you’re both wasting your time.

If you’re the “Talks Too Much” Entrepreneur, you need to focus your brand message down to what’s really important, unique and interesting for your ideal client. Be precise and extremely clear with your message. You need to learn how to say enough to create interest, hunger and desire… and then stop there! (I bet you never thought I’d tell you to stop talking about your brand!)

2. The “I Don’t Know” Brand

You’re unsure about what your business is all about, or what you stand for.

You don’t have a really clear picture of who you want to work with (really, you’d work with just about anyone who’d pay you!). You know you want great clients in your dream business but don’t know exactly what that means to you!

You don’t know what to do or say in your brand or your marketing. You spend a lot of time thinking about what to write or stressing about what to say.

You may spend a lot of time looking at other peoples’ marketing “just to get ideas” or modeling other peoples’ messages or programs instead of creating your own stuff and getting it out there.

You may even try to find a mentor to give you an idea – or even ask them to just tell you what to do. The problem with that is that then you’re running your business based on someone else’s vision, which you may not clearly understand, yourself – and your clients can see right through that. You’ll look fake and phony!

You need to figure out what’s really important and unique about what you do. You need to answer those questions for yourself and own it with confidence so that you can express what their business is all about.

3. The “Reinventing The Wheel” Brand

You’re constantly trying out different things in their brand. Reinventing the wheel.

This is the most exhausting kind of Confusing Brand to have.

You keep changing your message, your offerings, your services, and your title. You change their web site over and over again.

You’re reinventing the wheel because you aren’t deeply committed to what you’ve been doing. You don’t feel like you’ve found “your thing” yet.

You know that you’re supposed to be launching products and marketing things, and you need to make money… so you just keep making up new stuff as you go along.

You feel like nothing’s working. You keep trying so hard and not seeing results. People never seem to buy the stuff you put out there.

And you’re so tired from coming up with new stuff all the time! You’re a little burnt out and crispy around the edges.

To get clear, you need to make a commitment. To put your stake in the ground and claim your space. To choose one direction to go in, make a plan and stick with it for success.

If you confuse your clients or yourself when you try to answer the question, “What do you do?”, then you’ll have a harder time getting clients, doing your marketing and making money. Figure out what kind of Confused Brand you are today and start getting clear now!