Establishing a brand requires a great deal of time, effort, and strategic thinking. You have to create a brand story, craft compelling messaging, and put out content that is valuable to your audience. It’s literally hours and hours of time that could be spent landing sales and working with more clients.
So what if you put in ALL of this work and you get nothing but crickets? 😳
Branding is an area of business that’s easily misunderstood. And all the uncertainty is enough to make already tapped-out solopreneurs avoid it altogether. But if you’re strategic in your branding strategy, it can make a world of difference in your business — and your bottom line.
Read on to discover the biggest mistakes people make with branding so you can avoid them.
#1 They Fail To Think Strategically
Branding is part of your overall business plan, so you need to think strategically about it. It needs to connect to your “why” and your broader business goals.
Go back and review the reasons why you’re running this business. Take some time to clarify what you hope to achieve and how your branding will help you do this. Then go through your current branding elements and see where things align and where they fall short.
#2 They Believe Their “Brand” Is Just Their Logo
Many solopreneurs make the huge mistake of thinking a brand is a logo or a set of design features. While consistent design is an important part of branding, what it’s really about is your messaging and the image you’re creating in the minds of your target market.
This message tells people how your offerings uniquely benefit them. It shows them what problems your services or product will solve and how it will make their lives immensely better.
#3 They’re Being Generic
The whole point of your brand is to differentiate your business from others in the market. If you can do this successfully, you can compete with bigger companies that have more resources to spend on marketing and advertising.
Focus not only on what you do but what you do differently than the competition.
#4 They Build Their Brand On Assumptions Instead Of Facts
Thinking you know how people see your company isn’t good enough. You need to conduct thorough marketing research and base your decisions on facts and feedback from your audience.
Use real data and current information to create your strategy.
#5 They’re Sending Mixed Messages
If your branding is giving people mixed messages by being inconsistent or all over the place, it won’t work to engender trust.
The message needs to be consistent wherever you have communication with your audience. The design features, the tone, and the unique benefits of using your products all need to be consistent.
#6 They’re Clever, But Not Clear
While it’s nice to have a message that’s unique and clever, the most important thing is for it to be clear.
Branding is a form of communication. People should understand your message easily at a glance. Don’t get so creative that what you do and who you serve becomes hard to understand.
#7 They Make It All About Them
While you’re talking about your products and services, the real message of your branding should be what using your products does for your customers.
Nobody wants to hear every single detail of your story or how great your life has become since you discovered X, Y, and Z. Focus on their needs and how their lives will be improved by using your product.
#8 They Forget To Update
The needs of your market and the competitive landscape change over time. Your business might also change, offering a new product line or reaching out to a new segment in the market.
When this happens, your branding needs to reflect these changes. Sometimes, you need to assess and update. If it’s been a few years since you’ve tweaked your brand, it might be time for an update.
Do you want to learn more about getting your branding right? Check out my course, Market Research Mastery System, which teaches you the A to Z of target market research and how to use it to create a brand your audience will relate to.
