Like most entrepreneurs we are constantly bombarded with how to brand. How to brand yourself. How to brand your business. How to brand to attract your ideal client. This can be SUPER overwhelming. I have spent so many years working to create a brand that accurately expresses me and what I do. And I am still not done, but I have learned some amazing skills along the way and I am happy to share them with you.
First of all, what are you selling? Are you a product or service based business? Knowing this will help to define how to advertise and attract your ideal client and following.
Being consistent in your message is very important. Your audience wants to enjoy your feed and message, but they don’t want to feel like they are being ‘sold’ too. With all of the ads that we are bombarded with on the daily, We dont want to be sold to from business/influencers too. The best way to attract business is to advertise, without advertising. This can be done by sharing your recent products/services and a story behind it.
You are inadvertently advertising without feeling like a sales person. Your audience is able to view your work and see it being used or enjoyed by others. If your audience is interested in purchasing your product/service, they will contact you. This takes away that ‘sales pitch’ feel from your posts and will actually promote sales.
EDIT CONSISTENT IMAGES
You know those instagram feeds that you stumble upon and the feed is so beautiful you cant help but scroll through for a good 20 minutes? Yup, these are the types of feeds we need to be creating. There are a few points that you need to remember when posting to instagram:
- Post consistent images, by this I mean posting similar work. (for expample: if you are a florist and are always posting photos of your beautiful bridal bouquets, and then start posting photos of your meal you had last night with your girlfriends. Your brand is not staying consistent. That is not to say that you can only post photos of bridal bouquets, but making sure that each photo has a tie in to what your business is and what you are selling. This can include a feed that looks like this.
- Colour, colour stories are quickly becoming very popular. Check out some of your favourite big influencers and you will see that the images that are posting are all edited and composed with the same colour palette. If you are not a photographer like myself and are looking at having some consistent images. Perhaps look into purchasing some presets. These can also be purchased for your mobile device. By choosing a colour palette and posting photos that fit into this aesthetic you will be creating a very pleasing feed for your followers to enjoy.
- Having a message. Your followers want to hear about your story, want to be told stories, and want to know what you are up to. Using the same approach to the colour story, perhaps start sharing photos of yourself creating, working and cultivating your business experience. By having photos of yourself showing up in your feed you are inviting followers and perspective clients into your life and allowing them to get to know you. This is essential, especially when you are a service based business. This is what will set you apart from every other person in the same field.
SHOWING UP
As mentioned above it is really important to be showing up on your feed. Photos that are welcoming, happy and aesthetically pleasing will attract individuals to you and your services. This is something that I have definitly struggled with in the past.
As a photographer I am so used to being behind the camera at all times. So to be in front of the camera can feel very vulnerable. But don’t let that stop you! Your followers want to hear from you. I am also very intentional about what I post. While being on social media representing myself and my brand it is also important to keep some privacy. I will typically not post personal events or vacations in real time. This is just something that I have chosen to do. It helps to protect my family and myself from being vulnerable to having the world know where you are at all times. Now, don’t get me wrong, that isn’t to say that you cant do this. I have just chosen to not share those parts of my life in real time. That being said, you need to be showing up. Showing up in your feed, showing up in your stories, and just getting out and about interacting with your community.