Here’s how to build a timeless, memorable, true-to-you brand. Have you ever felt those jeans that used to be oh-so-comfy are getting a little snug? Or regretted that haircut you had as a teen… even though it felt SO GOOD at the time?

Sometimes, you outgrow things. (And that’s not necessarily a bad thing!)

The same goes for your brand. What worked for you in the past may no longer be serving you. As your business “grows up,” so should your brand.

Now, that doesn’t mean that you need to get a new logo designed every 3 years. Your brand is so, so much more than that! In fact, if you remove your logo from your website, your product, and your ads – your clients should still know that it’s you. 

It’s time to give your logo a break and focus on delivering a beautiful, cohesive customer experience from start to finish. 

Clarity is crucial to every successful brand – and it’s impossible to effectively run a business without it. It’s in every convo you have, every caption that you write, and every image that you style. If there’s a part of you that gets nervous when someone asks what you do (and maybe you’re not quite sure exactly what motivates clients to work with you), this workbook will help you suss out your spot in the marketplace and help you craft a brand that blazes with what is special about you!

Here are a few signs that it’s time to breathe some life into your brand – 

1. You find yourself attracting the wrong types of clients. If folks are contacting you for an aesthetic or service that you don’t offer, it might be time to revisit some of your brand materials.
2. The visual appearance of your brand doesn’t match up to the quality of your product. If potential clients think you’re cheaper than you actually are, this is probably the case.
3. You’re embarrassed to pass on your card. You have only a few seconds to make a great first impression and you should feel excited when you pass on your card or direct people to your site.
4. You’d like to raise your prices. If you find yourself trying to undercut your competition, or if you’re stuck at a certain price point – it’s time to reshape the way that your customers perceive you.

Every touchpoint that a client has with you is a part of your brand – from the time they  discover you, right through to the first sale, and beyond!

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSISTENCY ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS

The fact is that people buy from those that they know, like, and trust. Consumers are savvier than they’ve ever been before – and at the end of the day, that’s the difference  between your business making great money, and not making money at all!

The more consistently you show up, the more quickly your readers will learn to know, like, and trust you – and of course, transition into customers.

A quick way to get the ball rolling is to jot down 2-3 adjectives that describe how you want your brand to feel. Then choose fonts, graphics, illustrations, colours, and tone of voice that convey that feeling to your readers.

TIPS TO STAY ON TRACK

1. Showing up consistently is not the same as showing up constantly. Find a frequency that you can keep up with over the long term, and start there!
2. Keep your ear to the ground for content throughout your days and have a place to jot them down. (We love Asana over here!) That way, when you need to come up with some content, you’ll have all of your brilliant ideas right at your fingertips.
3. We have to hear the same thing 7+ times before it sinks in. So don’t worry about repeating yourself! If you feel like a broken record sometimes, you’re doing it right. 
4. There’s no shame in using templates for your visuals! Have a few go-to’s so that you can create knockout graphics in a snap.

They need to be able to recognize in an instant that this business is you, and that comes down to consistency.

MAKE SURE YOUR OFFERINGS ARE COHESIVE IF YOU’RE A MULTI-PASSIONATE ENTREPRENEUR

When you’re a multi-passionate creative, things can get hairy fast. Here’s how to get out of the fog and move ahead with a clear, purposeful brand!

1. Don’t worry about looking for a common thread in all of the things that you do. You can get into a real spin about how to connect your knitting projects with letterpress and coffee roasting and styling services! The common thread is already there – it’s YOU! Create a brand around your person.
2. But, narrow it down a little bit. Dig deep… what is it that you really, really love about the work that you do? Is it creating something tactile out of an idea in your brain? Is it putting a little sunshine in someone’s day? Spend some time with this one.
3. Talking about allll the things in your life can be a lot, so it can be helpful to create a handful of content themes so that readers know what to expect from you.
   Example: Elise Cripe of Get To Work Book chats about DIY projects, gardening, home décor, goal setting, and of course… the Get To Work Book! Despite being varied, she has a remarkably strong brand.
4. Stop overthinking it… and start creating content! Overtime, you’ll see themes emerge – and you’ll naturally lean into what feels good to you. That’s key in building a genuine, sustainable brand.

YOUR TOOLKIT FOR KNOCKOUT VISUALS

You don’t need to hire a designer to have knockout visuals for your brand. Here’s a quick list of tools that’ll help you create polished graphics on the fly!

1. Canva – a free, user-friendly, web based image editor. It’s so much less intimidating than Photoshop! Plus, there are lots of templates you can start with.
2. Creative Market – a dream to work with for fonts and graphics. Start here, and use Canva to make those templates your own!
3. Unsplash – stock photos. They’re great to mix in with your personal brand photos and their library is phenomenal!
4. Font Squirrel – a gold mine for basic fonts. The first rule of thumb with fonts is to keep them simple… fun fonts are, well, fun – but use them sparingly! Visuals that are easy to read will help you be taken more seriously.

Creating a strong brand is a long term strategy, but it’s one that can truly elevate your business. It’ll help you stand head & shoulders above your competition, build your credibility, and work with the dreamiest of dreamy clients.

To your sweet success!

Doreen & Carolyn

(We’d love to see you on Instagram! Head on over to say hi! Or if that’s not your thing, we spend endless hours on Pinterest and would love to see you there!)

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Sometimes you’re just too dang busy bringing home the bacon to sink hours upon hours into your social media. Meet our handy dandy marketing toolbox!