Getting Back to the Basics of Brand Awareness
One of the things that is always been true for me in business is that as my business has grown my brand focus has shifted. Each year, I gain a little more clarity on who my dream customers are as well as what I want to be known for. And as these shifts happen it's important to take a look at our brand and make sure that it is communicating what supports our continued business growth.
Your brand is more than pretty colors and clever graphics. It is what you are known for as a business. It is your business reputation.
The visual aspects of your business have a place. Your branding colors and logo help make you more easily recognizable to your dream customers, but they are only a small part of your brand.
As Jeff Bezos once said, “A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn a reputation by trying to do hard things well.”
In your business, you offer a solution to your clients that is difficult for them, and when you do it really well you are building incredible brand awareness. This means when your dream customers are ready to act, you are the one they are going to think about.
But brand awareness can go the other way...
If you show up offering mediocre or poor results, you are still building brand awareness, my friend. Only this time when your dream customers are ready to act, if they think of you at all, they will think about how they need to avoid you.
How do you show up in the world?
Okay… it’s time to be honest with yourself. How often do you take a look at how you are showing up in the world? It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of running a business but if we never take a look at how we are perceived by others, we risk never truly connecting with our dream customers.
Key Questions to ask yourself…
How do you want to be perceived?
This is more than simply delivering your services. It is how well you deliver your services and how well you treat your customers. It is the reputation of your business.
- If you deliver quickly, yet offer mediocre service or results your message is that you offer fast delivery to those who don’t care as much about service or results.
- If you deliver slowly without good communication between you and your customers, your brand message is that you are slow and don’t care about your customers.
- If you provide high-quality results, yet your communication is lacking your brand message is that you offer good results, but are terrible to work with.
These may not be true to how you feel, but it is how you will be perceived, and that matters more in the eyes of your potential customers.
What do you want to be known for?
Again, this is so much more than the services you offer. It is the feelings you invoke when working with your customers.
- If you are an interior designer helping people realize their dream homes, shouldn’t you make your clients feel welcome and at home in your presence?
- If you are a coach helping people accept who they are and be more confident, shouldn’t you help your clients feel understood in your presence?
- If you are a professional organizer helping people live more stress-free lives, shouldn’t you help your clients feel at ease in your presence?
How we make those we serve feel is a large part of the brand awareness we are building.
Brand Awareness begins with the first impression
First impressions may not be everything but they are pretty darn powerful. And often times the first impression a potential customer has of you and your business is your website. This is why the words, imagery, and layout of your website matter.
- If you want to be known for delivering excellence but your website is a hot mess your branding message is less than excellent.
- If you want potential customers to know that good communication is at the core of your business, but your website wording is confusing or lacking in key details, your branding message isn't communicating well.
- If you want people to see you as welcoming and friendly, but the written content on your website is abrupt and direct, your website visitors won't feel very welcome.
Branding Exercise
Spend a little time looking back at your recent marketing efforts whether this is on the pages of your website, social media, or in-person networking, and ask yourself…
- Does my branding message capture how I want others to see me? (friendly, resourceful, professional, creative, reliable, etc.)
- Does my branding message communicate what I want to be known for? (quality, luxury, confidence, accountability, etc.)
- Is my branding message attracting the clients I dream of working with?
If you cannot offer up a resounding YES to these questions, then it is time to do a little refresh and offer a little focus to your brand awareness. In my course Building Brand Awareness I help you focus on creating a solid foundation that is authentically yours, to build your Brand and Business upon. This course is 100% free and available instantly! Simply sign up below to get started.
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