The Problem
Your brand is forever evolving, and it’s pretty good…
You just know it could be so much more.
Your business is doing pretty well, and you have a manageable number of clients, but sometimes a few not-quite-soulmate clients slip through the net.
You’re good at sharing your message, but sometimes struggle with being consistent.
Your visual brand is getting there. Maybe you have a good website, but your photos are letting you down, or you have great copy, but your graphic design is letting you down.
It feels like you’re ready to level up, but hooooo baby, you’re not totally sure where you want to go.
Actually, scrap that, you’re scared. You’re fucking terrified. because you KNOW that this brand could be amazing, that you barely let yourself dream how big it could go.
Let’s be honest: the fear is keeping you at this level. But how can you overcome it?
Become a pro-brander
Hire out
You know what it is that you need to elevate your brand to becoming a pro-brander.
And by that, I don’t necessarily mean that you are the person with all the insights, although you absolutely could be.
You know something’s off, but you’re working hard spinning all the other plates, that sometimes it’s hard to take that step back and make the bigger picture.
One main thing stopping you from going pro isn’t the website or photos or copy, but it’s the fact you are at the entrance to the next level, and it’s scary and big and AAAARGH overwhelming.
You need to learn to trust the fuck out of yourself even harder than you have done – and you know you must have done at some stage to get to where you are now!
But with your branding, there’s an element you’re not totally sharing, or amazing work you’re hiding behind somewhat less-than-professional visuals or copy.
This is where it’s important to get in someone who can help. You don’t need to be operating on all areas of your brand, you just need to know enough to be dangerous. Then? You need to be delegating the areas that aren’t your zone of genius by employing someone who can expand that area far beyond what you ever believed you could.
ONE ACTION YOU CAN TAKE IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS?
Take some time to really assess your brand honestly.
Are you sharing your brand message to the deepest, most honest level you can?
Are you consistently sharing your message?
Are you hiding some elements of yourself behind parts that could look more professional, visually? Old websites, no photos, poor copy?
Pick one area to focus on, and ask around for some recommendations for people who could help you, and do some research on how they can help you.
Looking for photos? I offer packages for your brand from basic headshots, to annual subscriptions and stock packages. Find out more here.
Get ready to uplevel the complexity of your marketing, but simplify the visual brand
One thing that most people neglect to understand is that as your visual brand grows, it should start to take on a sleeker, simpler look, but conversely, the way you share your message needs to become more complex.
If you look at larger companies, you can see how this works – Instagram, for example, went for a much neater logo a few years ago. The whole world was up in arms about it, but when you see the logos side by side now, you can see how dated and clunky the old version looked. The simpler, sleeker version works so much better. Instagram usage has DOUBLED since 2016 when the new logo was introduced, and while this wasn’t down to a logo alone – better engagement, Instagram stories and IGTV have all helped here – it perfectly illustrates the need to simplify the visuals while adding complexity to the way their message is shared.
Now is the time to be more on-purpose with the way you share your message, and yes, you might need to hire people for this. Could you use Messenger bots, for example? Create a nurture sequence on your email marketing platform? Could it be time to quite the stock images, and start streamlining your photos so they all relate to you?
ONE ACTION YOU CAN TAKE IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS?
Where can your visuals be simplified? A great way to look at this is running a quick visual assessment of your website:
– are there areas that feel cluttered?
– does your logo look fresh, unique and powerfully recognisable?
– Are your colours carefullly curated, or simply smashed together?
– Are your brand photos telling the story the way you want to tell it?
And with your messaging – not just email, but every aspect of sharing your brand message:
– Are you understanding the stats of how people consume the content you put out there? Are you capitalising on this?
– Do you have more in-depth marketing to strategy plans to reach bigger goals?
– Are you innovating the way that you share information, for example trying out newer techniques like Messenger Bots, or adapting your current content to be more directed and personalised to individuals, perhaps tailoring content to a segment of your email list?
Want more?
YOU GOT IT!
Looking for even more to up your branding game? Here’s how I can help you show up even more:
Anorak Cat Web Design branding photoshoot at the Mercury Hub in Clevedon
Rich and Amy from Anorak Cat, a boutique website design and branding agency based in Clevedon near Bristol, signed up with me as part of my Uncorporate Annual subscription package, and after a Zoom call to finalise the details for the shoot, I knew they'd be a great...