Let's take a second to have some business girly talk.
We want you to start taking yourself & your business more seriously. Not saying “don't have fun with your business”, we are more saying, “don't play small”. We are talking about believing in yourself so heavily, you quit your dreadful 9 to 5 and pursue your dreams. Set yourself up for success, the way you can start doing this is having a strong brand identity. Two things when starting a business we highly suggest you make a non-negotiable is establishing a strong brand identity & having a clear marketing strategy (a website comes close behind that - but we can get to that later!).
What is a brand identity?
Think of your brand identity as the personality of your business (yes, I am aware that brand personality is a thing). Just like if you meet someone who lacks personality - you may not even remember their name, they just fade into the background because they didn't bring anything unique to the table, nothing stood out. Don’t let your business be that bland person.
A strong brand identity includes aspects such as how you communicate with your audience, your values, and how people feel when they interact or just simply see your biz. The four V’s, vision, voice, values, and visuals. Your logo only fits into the small category of visuals but even then only makes up maybe a fourth of that.
Vision
Your brand vision is the home to all your big ideas that will guide you toward the future of your business. Your brand vision should resonate with your target audience and dream clientele, it sets you apart from others in the same industry, inspires you and maybe even your employees, and lastly will help you discover your marketing strategy.
Voice
As discussed briefly before, imagine your business as a person (yourself, someone else - hell, it could be Miley Cyrus if that's your target audience). This is the personality your business takes on whenever it communicates. Whether that is in your DM’s, emails, or over social media comments. This voice needs to be consistent but distinct and reflect the values of your company. Channel this voice whenever communicating directly with your customers.
Values
Now for the part we keep bringing up (a broken record, if you ask us). Values, values, values. These are the foundational beliefs that your business stands for. These values serve as a way to navigate the story of your brand, decision making, actions, and behaviors of your business.
Visuals
Visuals are arguably the most ‘fun’ part of your brand identity - at least to us as creatives. Assets such as your logo, color palette, and typography. Your logo can tell the story and vibes of your business before a client even does any type of digging into your social media. Let’s be honest, we all typically ‘judge a book by its cover’ even if it’s subconsciously. When you stumble upon a business that seems not very put together or consistent you may just surpass it without finding out more. A logo is a very important part to capture the attention of your dream customers before they absolutely fall in love with your business.
Last thing, you can do this.
Don’t let the fear of unknowing scare you away from pursuing your dreams, having the thought of owning your own business is one step closer to actually doing so.
Keep going. If you're not sure where to go, fill out a quick inquiry form with us & we can help point you in the right direction!
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