Brand is not what you do, but rather who you are. If the focus is too heavy on what you do, it limits the growth of the individual. As an events industry expert/influencer, I can educate through the things that I do like events (to educate my couples and my team), the productivity workshops I facilitate, the conferences I speak at, and finally through business coaching! I can do all these things with branding; social media outlets, blog posts, word of mouth, etc. offer a platform to make it possible for me to show who I am through my brand.
Your branding is your message to the world, how you communicate your message to your market. All this to say, here are some points I think are essential in branding yourself:
Who are you?
Your reputation is the brand that you’ve built, and it’s the way people think of you. My brand communicates to newly engaged couples that I’m the first person they should go to for all their unique wedding planning and designing needs. My brand also communicates to event professionals I am the “go to” consultant for communication and productivity expansion. Find your passion, find what you’re good at, and make it work! You can’t and should not be everything to everyone. Work with people that appreciate and value what you bring to the table. Your brand will align with your values and what your interested in to communicate to clients how they think of you.
Who is your target market?
The purpose of your intentional branding efforts is to really define who your target market is. Your client avatar. Defining your target market makes it easier to design a website or post to social media because you will have done the research to know what those people respond well to. This is why it’s always great to have a CTA (call to action); utilizing a CTA will help you understand what engages your target market and what does not.
Who is in your community?
While you're building your brand, be sure to surround yourself with your best business pals, like industry professionals and experts you can call on when needed. You'll meet many individuals like yourself, and you'll want to become familiar with the ones who are relevant to your growth.From my experience, having a great community gives me the opportunity to learn, work with people I trust, and get/give referrals. With a strong community, success won’t take long. However, it does take time. And you won’t jive with everyone, which is ok! As you grow your team, you will also learn that you are surrounded by good or toxic energy vampires. You do have a choice.
Word Choice
A key to optimal word choice is understanding clarity. It makes a big difference. I know my audience reaches beyond the wedding industry, so my team and I always are sure to speak clearly to the respective audience. I’ve also learned that a positive, honest reputation can take you a long way. For that reason, I try my best to avoid negative words in my branding (whether it’s on social media or just talking in a meeting). Phrases that just don’t make sense to me, like “no problem”. Those are both negative words. I don’t get it! I don’t perceive cuss words “bad words” as I grew up in a home where my dad cussed a lot! My bad words are “no”!
Consistency
Consistency is key! This mean wearing your brand colors, creating a marketing plan, organizing strategic meetings, planning content, etc. Consistent messages, marketing, and even your website give your audience a clear picture of who you are and what you do well. I’ve learned that the quality and consistency of my branding is best when I do all those things. That way, I’m sure my audience always knows exactly who I am and that I love what I do.
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This article was written by Lauren Ringo
Photo by Erin Allender
