You hear the word Branding ALL the time, especially if you're NEW to business. You've probably even heard it if you're not in business, because that's how important it is.

I see it all the time: people equating Branding with just logos, colors and business cards, when its about WAY more than that. 

SO then WHAT is Branding?

Branding encompasses multiple things such as:

• The Heart of Your Brand
• The Messaging of Your Brand and
• The Visuals of your Brand

I see people doing it wrong ALL the time and I can't tell you how much it bugs me! Here's what you're probably doing wrong as well:

1.  Your logo is TRASH. That's right, I said it. Your logo should represent your brand. And if it's trash, people are only going to assume that your business is trash! So get that logo fixed and get a PROFESSIONAL ONE.

         And nobody wants to see one you created in Canva! Do yourself a favor             and get you a logo that no one else out there has. Hire a professional                graphic designer who has some insight into how to create a logo.

         The logo you use should showcase who your brand is in visual form. 

       2. You haven't identified your Target Audience. WHO are you trying to                 reach? If you don't know, then no one else will know that you're even talking to them! Get your Target Audience identified. Need help with that? Click here. 

       If you haven't defined your Target Audience, you're basically taking stabs in the dark when it comes down to you're marketing efforts. Your Target Audience is a part of your branding. 

 

      3. Your Brand has no Mission. If you haven't taken the time to define your business' mission, then you're doing it completely WRONG. Your business' mission is a place to define what your business stands for. Your mission statement should be clear and to the point.

And don't make it cheesy and unbelievable. Use as much detail as possible. Take a quick peak at Jet Blue's Mission:

"To inspire humanity - both in the air and on the ground"

Think deeply about your mission and why you exist in the first place. And if your mission is "To Make Money", I guarantee you won't make any. You must stand for something, whether it's helping the homeless get jobs or beautifying the world one face at a time with your vegan skin care smoothies. 

 

4. Your Brand has NO personality 🤦🏽‍♀️ . Having no brand personality is like being that kid in elementary school that nobody liked to play with because they were sort of weird and didn't socialize and play well with other kids. He was boring and had a monotone voice and nothing excited him.

Don't be like that kid. People like excitement and entertainment. Entertain your audience. Give them something different and something exciting. Something they can talk about and share with others. Everyone likes to be or at least be around the life of the party, even if they're lives are meek and bland and they have nothing going for themselves. Deep down inside, you wanted to be them.

 

5. You Don't know HOW to Connect to your audience. This is one of the worst mistakes you can make. To have all the tools and products at your disposal and NOT know how to execute to get them to hit that BUY button. It can be so frustrating. Especially when you KNOW they need it and they know but there lies a language barrier. Some kind of blockage.

When it comes to branding, you've got to invoke emotions. Get them to laugh, get them to cry, get them to want to change their lives. THAT is what's going to get them to run to your offer like you're low on inventory and it's the cure to their cancer. 

Gone are the days when businesses had dry humor and standard marketing practices. If you want your brand to stand out, DON'T DO THAT. Be different, creative and unique. But whatever you do, don't follow the norm, because all you'll do is blend in with the rest.

 

6. Your branding isn't cohesive across all channels. Your branding has to be cohesive within your messaging, your visuals, your vision and your story. If you're all over the place, your brand won't be received well. The biggest brands out there have a cohesiveness that cannot be challenged.

They know their positioning, their values, their voice and tone and all of it is cohesive. If you're just starting out, it's easier to get all of that in order because you can plan it out to be cohesive.

If you've already opened up shop, then you may just have to do some tweaking and fixing to get your brand on track.

 

7. Your purpose is Making Money. Money is all good and well BUT if you're going into business with a lackluster purpose or mission, you'll lose every time. When you focus too hard on the money, you chase it away. 

Focus on the mission, whether it's boosting people's self-confidence one smile at a time or helping bring healthy food to low income neighborhoods, you HAVE to have and define your mission and purpose. Why do you exist? What was the purpose of forming your business? Who do you want to help?

Before you start your business, these are the things you need to have sorted out before you can begin to sell like:

• Your Brand Mission
• Your Brand Vision
• Your Brand Values
• Your Brand Purpose
• Your Brand expression
• Your Brand Voice
• Your Brand Tone
• Your Brand Story
• Your Target Audience + Buyer Persona
• Brand colors, logo, + Tagline

If you'd like more help with branding on a 1:1 basis, schedule a 1:1 Branding Consult with me and I'll help you map out your entire brand strategy.

Here's a quick checklist: