Authentic and Strategic Branding For Female Entrepreneurs
If you’ve been in business for more than 2 minutes, you’ll have come across the term, branding.
Branding is a BIG topic and today, I’m covering what branding is, why you need a brand, and the elements needed, together with some handy tips to style your own brand.
Please remember, I’ve been there and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and ignore the subliminal messages that you’re hearing and instead plod along as you are but this would be a mistake because ultimately, putting thought and action into your brand is going to help you stand out from the crowd and make an impact! Who doesn’t want that?
Ultimately, branding helps your business to shine and stand out from the competition, so that you can attract and convert more dream clients.
I resisted all things ‘branding’ for the longest time. I felt it was only for large corporations but as time went on, I realised that it was vital for any female entrepreneur who wants to grow their business and convert more dream clients.
What is Branding?
First off, let’s clear up some common terms:
Marketing is a product or service that you SELL.
A Brand is WHO you are.
Like it or not, if you have a business, then you have a brand, so it makes sense to put some thought and love into creating a brand that will work for you.
Branding is about telling a story (by using the elements below 👇), that sets you apart from your competitors. Anyone can mimic someone else’s product (not good) or service, but it’s your branding that will help your business to shine 🌟, and people will fall instinctively in love with your offering.
It’s how your customers will know they are in the right place and not only that but they will recommend others who are also the right fit for you.
What Elements Make a Brand?
Branding is the love language you use to convey your brand and can include the following:
Your business name
Logo
Slogan
Brand identity
Brand personality
Brand values
Going deeper:
It’s the words you use to communicate with your audience via your website and elsewhere.
It’s the underlying guiding principles and values that drive your business.
It’s the colours, typography, logo, patterns, illustrations and photography you use for your business.
Great branding is also strategic - it’s about communicating aspects of your business with intention as well as being aesthetically pleasing.
You do this by using colour, white space, words, icons, illustration and photography. Remember, your brand is also the ‘beating heart’ of your business and carries emotion whether it seems obvious or not. Don’t believe me? Think about red - it can represent power, danger, femininity or romance.
Is Branding Really Necessary for a Small Business?
First off, uh YES!
Having a strong brand can help your business to:
Stand out from the competition
Build trust with potential customers
Create a memorable experience for customers
Increase customer loyalty
Boost sales
Attract new customers
Grow your business
Questions to Ask Yourself - Branding Basics
Before even contemplating a new website or website redesign, designing your logo, writing your website copy, or communicating with your audience, it’s critical to get clear on your brand first. Got an existing business? No worries, this applies to you also.
To get started, ask yourself the following questions?
How is your product or service different to your competitors?
If you had to describe your business as colour and overall emotion, what would they be?
Who are your ideal clients?
What are your business values?
How do your customers feel when they encounter your business or, how do you want them to feel?
What do you want to be known for and, not known for in your business?
What is the personality of your ‘voice’ ie. your website copy, social media posts etc?
Is there a client type that you’re not attracting and would like to? How can you tweak your branding?
Learning From Brands That You Love
If you’ve answered the questions above, you’ll soon have gathered a lot of vital information to help you identify some key aspects of your brand.
It’s like going on a treasure hunt and gathering clues as you go along.
It’s also about discarding information that doesn’t fit with your brand.
Other ways to brainstorm your brand:
Gather inspiration by leafing through magazines and gleaning information from brands that resonate with you.
You might want to cut out particular aspects that connect with you and glue them into a notebook. Or, perhaps you enjoy Pinterest and would find it helpful to create a secret board and pin images, followed by pulling together a brand mood board in Canva.
Lastly, click on sites you love and take screenshots, print them off and pop them into your notebook. Pen a little reminder as to why the image particularly resonated. Was it the colour, or, something of the emotion that was being conveyed in the image etc? Remember, you don’t want to copy, you’re just looking for clues to inform your branding.
Next Steps for Styling Your Brand?
As you’ll have gathered, a strong brand is more than just a name, a pretty logo, and a clever slogan. It's a promise to your customers about what they can expect from your company. It's also a way to shine authentically from the competition.
Now that you’re armed with your precious branding clues from answering the questions above, you can begin to carefully craft your brand, and enjoy a competitive advantage that will help you attract new customers and grow your business.
Remember, when styling your brand, it needs to be distinctive and authentically you. So, be brave and be different!
If you’d like help with your website and/or your brand, please book a free discovery call where we can chat through your specific needs and goals, and ensure that we’re a good fit for working together.
Happy branding!
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