Is branding about your past, present or future?
The word branding is a very elusive one. We know we might have one - that having a brand strategy might help our business to grow and we probably think all we need is a graphic designer or photographer to help us too. There are so many misconceptions but the main one is the idea that branding is something that happens to us…
No!
If you run a heart-led small businesses, whether it’s a service or product - YOU are the brand! Yes you might well need branding creatives to create exactly what you need to help you express it but these are more the accessories that our business wears like logos, images and colours. Branding is so much more (and might I also suggest so much deeper and authentic than you realise).
But what does branding really mean? Is it really all that important? Even as a branding photographer I find it hard to put into words for my clients and tend to describe and dig deep into it without ever using the word itself. In fact I think the word branding needs a re-brand! Here are a few attempts at describing what branding is really all about:
It’s an atmosphere you create so that clients know what it feels like to work with you
An authentic representation of the unique way you help others
What people say about you when you aren’t in the room
It’s saying what you stand for and bringing it to life
Your intuitive and authentic self that you bring to all you do and the visuals you employ embody your deep truths, experiences and where you are heading
It’s giving your tribe a snapshot and feel of what it’s really like to work with you so that when they do they know EXACTLY what they are getting…
Did those ideas get you a little more enthralled about what your branding could be about and the exciting journey it really is to uncover it and bring it into every corner of your business like my four clients above? And no, this is not just for service-based businesses. With a product, it’s even more important to tell your story and connect human to human with your customers. We are becoming much more conscious consumers and want to join in with heart-led entrepreneurs in their own missions. More on this coming up…
So in response to the question above, your brand is undeniably about all these constructs of time. Let’s time travel and uncover how to utilise all three to help you create content, build brand integrity and create trust with your audience and customers.
Are you ready?
THE DISTANT PAST
First of all branding is about your past. Humans are wired and love to connect and learn through storytelling. Think about parables and fables. And even fairy-tales which I’ve personally studied, researched and written about the importance for children’s early psychological development. My own therapist used to say that metaphor and images bypass the (logical, algorithmic) prefrontal cortex in our brain for a deeper, more emotional connection. (And interestingly colour and emotions are processed in the same part of the brain - but that’s another story for another day). We are primed to connect with humans through narrative and in our businesses we are weaving a story between ourselves and our customers. Our story is also their story…
Since I started my photography business over 3 years ago and after over 100 clients, I see a huge trend of women leaving corporate careers to set up their own business and getting paid just as much. It’s super inspiring! Sometimes in the same field but often a different, more heart-aligned one that gives them the flexibility they desire. Emma Gannon coined the phrase Multi-Hyphen to define this. A lot of us are making career changes or setting up businesses that seem to differ significantly from our degrees or training. We don’t work in one arena for our whole lives and that’s okay in this modern age. We can jump around careers or even do two simultaneously, and the exciting thing is that there is probably a subtle link between them. Even for myself - I trained as a dancer, then worked in interiors and am now a photographer. What does that say about me? How does that make me unique in how I create and capture moments and images? Do I style and compose the rectangle and choreograph the scenes uniquely based on these experiences? Does it enhance my skills and client experience? I believe that it does and create depth to my personality and unique story. Feel free to add other perspectives and thoughts on this in the comments below. I really want to start a dialogue about this.
Let me give some examples here… I was on a Power Portrait shoot with someone a few weeks ago. Even before we met I was already swooning over her natural vegan skincare products. Then as soon as we met I could smell a beautiful aroma, a combination of scents which as our conversation developed it emerged that she had created her own blend of essential oils to create a pulse point. During January 2021 which most of us can probably say has been the hardest January (even month!) of our lives, it inspired her to create a special combination to help her feel grounded and calm and now wants to share this with others. Well straight away I wanted to know how I could get my hands on a bottle. They aren’t out yet but I am already keen!
“Branding is as much about somebody’s story as it is their vision.”
Then to take the narrative even deeper, it turns out that this inspiring maker is from St Lucia and her family and ancestors were all herbalists so the desire and knowledge for this subject literally runs through her veins. All this makes me care that she set up her business and I want to support it. I love that there is depth and knowledge to her products but I would never have known this if I hadn’t probed her on the shoot. These are the stories that help us connect to our ideal clients and collaborators, making our businesses thrive and ideas soar. But we often forget to tell them and as a result we are missing out on something special.
Cara Bendon, Brand Consultant for female entrepreneurs with vision, is aware of this tension between the past, present and future. She says that, “Branding is as much about somebody’s story as it is their vision. I always ask clients where they want their business to be so that I can help position them in a way that will help them achieve their mission. But the first thing we do is work out their story - how they came to run this business as it usually covers their USP and something that is distinct and unique to their brand.”
So there are two lessons to draw on here. Firstly, consider the pre-existing or older elements of your identity, it can encompass your career, heritage or upbringing. Secondly incorporate the closer past - the motivation of how you’re developing your product or latest service or parts of your life story that are relevant that people can resonate with. Whether you run a service or have a product, this brand narrative will draw people into what you do. Try it and see what happens! I bet it will strike up some intriguing conversations and get people talking about your work…
Ben, an exceptional pie-maker and also a kids clothing designer
TRY THIS…
Create a social media post about your previous career and how it links to what you do now. Or if you’re feeling brave, post a short video talking about why you care about what you do so much or behind the scenes of how you make it. What happens before your product reaches your customers hands or the learning or reading you do to provide the best service for your clients. Check if this is also clear at relevant permanent places online such as being woven into your website or social media biographies if appropriate. This is important information that your ideal audience want to know before investing in you.
This now resides on my website so clients can imagine what a shoot with me looks like and feels like.
RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
Who are you right now? How do you help people at the moment? What products or packages do you offer? How do they meet a need or fix a problem? (Remember your business is the paracetamal to someone’s headache). Here is where you and your ideal customer or client meet.
As Aimee Stammers, Brand Storytelling Expert explains, “Branding is 50% who you are and 50% what your customer needs and wants to see from you. How do you really help them? What brought you to this point, made you want to do what you’re doing now and how does that impact your present? What’s your back story and why are you perfectly positioned to do or offer? Why do they need you NOW? How do you want them to feel after working with you? It’s part your story and part their story. Your past joins with their present to work together to create their future.”
“Your past joins with their present to work together to create their future.”
There is something about a clear brand that helps us focus our energy in our business and our attention for example content creation for social media or blog posts. It can also be quite grounding - reminding us of our mission, and so also helps us be more productive.
Carly Keighley, Personal Brand Strategist, Copy Queen and Podcaster agrees with this idea too. “Personal branding embodies all that we’ve been (brand stories), all that we are (our values and vibe) and all that we will become (our mission)... It’s showing the world a glimpse of who we are and the journey we are on, which in turn inspires and supports our audience with their own journeys too. Branding is a way to bring it all together in an insightful and meaningful way. It is EVERYTHING when it comes to how we show up.”
Try this:
What are you doing right now? Show the day to day of your business - it’s normal and possibly mundane to you but interesting and insightful to others. Showing behind the scenes of your business is an amazing way to create intimacy and get in on the action. But how do you help them now? What do you offer NOW? This is a great reminder that you have to tell people who you are and what you do? Perfect your elevator pitch and create some content so people know how they can work with you. Also check in that you’re creating content on your past, present and future to create depth and interest to your brand story.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE…
Branding is hugely about the future. Not in a crystal ball, Mystic Meg kinda way where we’re trying to guess the future and make the right decisions around colour or design. It’s more about intention. In my short branding guide (which you can download here right now) we consider what magazines you dream of being featured in, or the ideal organisations or people you want to collaborate with with. This is a great indication of who you want to grab the attention of (branding is a wizard at this) and who you want to take you seriously.
It might be an editor from the perfect magazine, or even others in your industry so you can gain respect and collaboration as with my coffee-roaster client Ian below. Or maybe you’re a filmmaker wanting to work with bigger agencies and you want to have a slick website that really shows your artistry and amazing portfolio so they know they are in trusty hands.
There is another side to think about here too. Word of mouth marketing is the most reliable and trustworthy form of promotion as other people are shouting from the rooftops why they should work with you. So it’s important to remember that your future is also about how you want people to feel after they’ve work with you.
Rebecca founder of Bloc + ROSE , has so much to say on this. “In order for people to shout about you and your work, they need to know they will get something out of it - they don’t want to look stupid so knowing, trusting and loving your brand values is so important. A clear brand identity and strategy helps people talk about you down the line and spread your message. You want people to say a certain things about you -who you are, what you stand for and what you want to be known for. If you don’t know then how the hell will anyone else? At worst they will say nothing and at best people will get mixed messages about you. Make sure you are telling other people what to say about you - through your brand.”
That’s real food for thought isn’t it? Our future opportunities are really in our own hands…
Try this:
It’s time to get your journal out! I want you to take some time to dream about your future. Who do you want to grab the attention of - magazines, organisations, dreamy clients or just other business owners? What do you need to do to create that - updated more authentic images, more aligned content or a more cohesive website - so you are proud to share it. And to really get you motivated - write down some testimonials that you would love to receive from your client. Imagine how you want them to feel after working with you. Write it down the best detail you can. And then reverse engineer your content and business from there so there is a good chance that can happen. Your imagination should flow! What tweaks can you make so that you clients feel like this after working with you?
CONCLUSION - THE TIME IS NOW
Well how was that? I hope you’re excited and overflowing with ideas of how this clarity on your brand can infuse your business with energy and ideas that take you to the next level. Remember your brand should intuitively and creatively weave together your past, present and future with your client’s experience, struggle and eventual transformation.
“Branding is really exciting and is the glue that holds together the personal fulfilment that your business needs to be for you, how you solve a problem and provide exciting solutions for your audience and the actual business model that it will transpire to be. With brand strategy and clarity this 3-way relationship can ebb and flow organically and flexibly. It’s a joy when these 3 things blend seamlessly!”
Before I go I wanted to share where the bigger picture of branding is heading. Karolina, owner of Studio Estila explains how, “Branding in future will have a much bigger value in the overall brand story as an asset. As we move to more personalised and community-based communication with our customers, brands will have to capture their values, purpose and mission in branding in order to align themselves with the needs of their customer base. How brands use branding will not only set the tone of conversations they have with customers, but also it will help them to stand out, or to slip in the sea of sameness. The most successful brands will recognise the power of branding (as an important investment) and will be able to therefore build brand equity and market positioning at a much faster pace, giving them a significant competitive advantage and brand story longevity.”
I hope that all these ideas might inspire your social media content creation or website copy and inspire you to up your visuals where needed. No one wants to slip into the sea of sameness and a great place to start is your website. We know that our websites are our shop window but it’s not just random signs placed in the window. It’s about creating a curious journey for your customer or client to enjoy being in that space. It’s about atmosphere, visuals, colours and much more. Keeping your customer in the shop is called making your site sticky, where people keep clicking from page to page as they desire to hear more about you and your work. Like being in a nice boutique store, it will smell nice, have good music and a friendly face. You need to find a unique way to create this on your website.
Well done for reading to the end 👏 and please let me know your thoughts or questions in the comments below or send me a DM on my Insta. And if you’re keen to get started on some serious branding work which will really propel your ideas forward, then get in touch with me about a brand shoot (my affordable short one-hour session dates are now LIVE) - these never fail to infuse your business with new energy and get you excited about sharing what you do.
Even branding experts, like all of us, need an outside eye to draw all your important elements and facets together - we all need to reflect and communicate to brand professionals to really craft, hone interpret our brands with clarity. So if you need some help check out all the wonderfully talented contributors here to get some ideas and started on your journey. They have all inspired me on my own discovery of my brand so you will be in good hands. Cara has a brilliant Brand Spring Clean offer on at the moment and you can join Carly and I every Wednesday at 1pm on Clubhouse for branding chats. Or get on any of their newsletters for regular tips for the journey ahead.
Remember you are the brand and the world is ready for you…
D x
P.S. - Did you notice all my paragraph heading were song titles (Everything Everything, The Chemical Brothers, Paul McCartney and Moloko)? 🤔