Why do you do what you do for a living? The 3 letter word, “why”, will make or break your business. You can’t market your business without understanding your “Why?”- your brand messaging.

Brand messaging is your brand’s “promise”, the value that you add to your audience, and all the words and imagery you use to communicate that message. And being an entrepreneur means your why is a little personal too, amirite?? So that means it’s also understanding what you and your business stand for.

Get your brand messaging right girlfriend and you’ll make bank. Get your brand messaging wrong and none of the marketing knowledge in the world will be of use to you.

Brand messaging allows you to:

• Click with your target audience so you can make sales
• Choose what content to  create with ease, saving you time and money
• Set yourself apart from your competition (or blend in)

So how the heck do you create a brand message that converts to dollars in the bank?

Great question!

Step 1: Identify your ideal client.

So cliche, but so crucial. You can’t (and won’t ever) please everyone so know exactly who you’re talking to. You and your gifts are not created for everyone and the sooner you acknowledge this, the sooner you can start triggering those “me too” moments from your tribe and get them to push “buy now!” and hop on every wait-list you throw their way.

Get clear on what their hobbies are and where they shop. Understand how they FEEL and what they struggle with. Imagine a single person, get all up in their biz, name them, and talk to that ONE person on the regular.

Step 2: Clarify your promise.

What’s the end result of what you offer? What value does your audience walk away with? Why are you any different than anyone else?

Tip: Don’t confuse features and value. Features are like the latest megapixel camera on an iPhone but the value is capturing life moments and creating a high quality, frameable heirloom.

Your brand promise is not your brand’s features.

For example, Dove’s brand promise is “attainable beauty”…not “extra moisturizing ingredients”.

Step 3: Infuse your personal why.

Why is your brand promise important to you? It’s basically your mission statement and seems silly to ask, but your personal why and why you started this business to begin with, will be your guiding star for all those days you feel stuck, overwhelmed, and exhausted. And trust me, as an entrepreneur, you WILL have those kinds of days…probably frequently if I’m being honest. Refer back to this to reconnect with your why and push through the inevitable overwhelm and regain focus. Use your about page and bio to let people know why your business exists so they can get on board and champion you throughout your journey.

For example, my personal why and why I offer marketing strategy is because I’m crazy passionate about women who share the Gospel in their brand messaging (because I’m crazy passionate about sharing Jesus and the life change that’s possible with Him🙌). Using the internet, my analytical gifts, and passion for these women I teach them how to grow their income and impact by sharing what I know and empowering them to spread their/His message.

Step 4: Write out your brand voice and tone.

I’m no copywriter or wordsmith by any means but I can tell you this: boring doesn’t sell, sounding like everyone else doesn’t sell, and not being able to clearly explain what you’re trying to sell doesn’t sell. I highly recommend Ashlyn Writes, a copywriter for creative entrepreneurs.

Her site and Youtube channel are slam packed with all the ways you can use words to make sales and she even has a free “voice vibe” quiz you can take to jumpstart a word bank that’s best for your brand. Just do whatever she says, it’s worth it.

Also try to write yours out in third person, like Ashlyn did for me: “It sounds like a girls’ night feels: full of brilliant work-related comments, coupled with both sermon podcast AND Lil’ John references … it’s a little bit fancy and a lot a bit real.” 💁

There’s something about seeing your brand message on paper alongside your own voice–it was an a-ha moment for me that empowered me to blend the professional and personal all together so I could really connect with my ideal client. Cha-Ching.

Step 5: List your values/categories.

What do you want to be known for? What categories make up your brand? On Instagram, I have my clients list out their “categories” so they know what to post about at all times and so that when someone stops by their page, they understand what their brand is all about.

For example, mine are: marketing, faith, motherhood, fun, creativity, and entrepreneurship. 

Knowing your core values and categories will guide the topics and content you create and keep you “on brand” for all your upcoming content.

Step 6: Make it a story.

From an elevator pitch on your about page and why your whole biz started, to bringing them along your whole entrepreneurial journey throughout all your messages…we all know that social media is 90% about the story you share that causes people to turn to raving fans and clients, but you have to open up and be willing to share!

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make but the stories that you tell.” – Seth Godin

I’m not saying document everything you ate for breakfast, but do share the real deal moments your celebrating, behind the scenes projects your working on,  and some of the moments you’re struggling with. People LOVE relating to other people and their stories. Shocking right!?

Using the Dove example again, you’ll notice they don’t showcase their individual products and just ramble about all the features but rather showcase a series of “real women” of all shapes and sizes and their stories of what makes them feel beautiful. Hello relatable!

So please share your story and be less robot/business-y.  #realtalkplease

 

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Knowing who you’re talking to, how to talk to them, and why you’re talking to them…all while bringing them alongside your story/journey is how your brand messaging is going to make you dolla bills (or not).

Because when your brand resonates, it sells.

And in case you missed my “why” earlier- it’s YOU. Your message is my mission and I want to make marketing easier for you. You can access the full version of my brand messaging template (including a mood board template to keep your imagery on point) below. Make sure to sign up to get on the wait-list so you can get first dibs on the exact templates I use with clients…fo’ free. 

#truestory

 

Happy branding.