Let’s Get Clear On One Thing – Branding

print from Work In Progress on Etsy

I feel like this is something I need to clarify.

In several of my videos & posts I talk about branding & how it’s a basic part of your marketing. A basic, foundational part…which is true.

I also talk about some of the things you need to focus on when you’re thinking about branding for your business such as your core message {your why, your purpose, your big idea}, your target market & ideal customer, your competition, your visual branding/graphics, so on & so forth.

These are all really important pieces to think about not only once, but as your business continues to grow & evolve.

Here’s where I want to clarify.

When I talk about knowing what the purpose is in your business or the reason why you do what you do or make what you make…I don’t mean that you only need to know those things so you can have a boring ole’ “mission statement” & “tagline” because it’s something you’re supposed to do & because every “real” business has them.

NOT AT ALL

The importance of those things is so you can make sure you’re marketing is reflecting your core message. You don’t HAVE to have a statement written somewhere on your blog or Facebook page that tells why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s a good idea to do that for those that come across you & want to get to know your biz a little better, but there’s no set-in-stone rule that it has to be that way. And it especially doesn’t have to be boring. – My mission is to provide….. blah, blah, blah!

Get over that mess! Interject some personality into that “mission statement”. Vamp it up! Make people believe you & join you in your cause!

And one more thing…speaking of boring.

When I tell you the importance of knowing your ideal customer & I direct you to my little ideal customer worksheets, I don’t mean for you to fill in each space & then leave it that way. That’s just a starting point. I want you to take the answers you put on your page & tell me a story with it.

Let me make this clear.

A good ideal customer profile is NOT:

• Name: Jordan
• Age: 35
• Occupation: Dental Hygienist
• Income: 35,000
• Family: Married, 2 kids

A good ideal customer profile IS:

Jordan is a 35 year old who lives in Seattle, WA. She works a day job as a dental hygienist, but in her spare time you can either find her with her family {husband, Ted, & 2 sons, Alex & Cole} on their houseboat or working on her quilts. She loves taking scraps of vintage materials & piecing them together to make new, beautiful, modern quilts that are hand-stitched with love sewn into every single one…..so on & so forth.

Do you see the difference?

#1 – BORING!

#2 – relatable & you can definitely get a good mental image of Jordan.

So get away from that blah, boring way of thinking. This is not what I’m talking about. Your business needs to be sparkly & on fire. You want people to notice you, right? Step back & even ask a friend what they think. If it’s boring to them…take a cue & make some changes!

And I’ll make it a point to clarify what I’m saying. I don’t want anyone to think I’m saying “be boring”! Yuck!

xo, Meagan

What are you doing to inject your personality into your branding?

Like this post? Sign up below to get more exclusive content every week!