Branding & Beyond

STAY HUMAN 👥

The bots are here… so it's more important than ever that we humanise our brands.

But what are human brands?

They're authentic

vulnerable

nuanced

recognisable

Sometimes funny, or a bit outrageous

Everything a human is!

When I talk about human brands, I'm not just talking about the typography or the tone of voice. I'm talking about human leadership and culture; leaning into spontaneity; and embracing imperfection.

People are drawn to people.

How human is your brand? Let me know in the comments.

How to appear intelligent without knowing anything at all:

Ask questions! By asking the right questions, you'll make whoever you're talking to feel seen, heard and understood 🙋

Listen. Make sure you pull out the key problem AND the solution that you hear 👂

Regurgitate. Play what you've heard back to whoever you're talking to. You might not have an answer, but you can then have an intelligent conversation. 🤓

Clever interviewing is key to successful brand strategy. I find most of the gold in my 1-1 interviews. What insightful conversations have you had recently?

5 benefits of finding your niche 😎

- Articulate what you do in a much more compelling way

- Develop more focused expertise, either individually or as a team

- Be invited to contribute to events, podcasts and articles as an expert

- Get known by your audience and develop a loyal community who you can engage meaningfully with

- Develop cool new products and services that serve your audience perfectly

Who needs a brand strategist when I've got Chat GPT?

AI is a robot. Its results depend entirely on the input its given.

Every business is unique, and its brand strategy is built around its unique context. That context is explored in depth by a brand strategist.

Only a brand strategist can feed Chat GPT the right brief to come up with a viable brand strategy. And even then, it's still unlikely to come anywhere close to a strategy created by a clever human.

So, the answer is everyone. Every business owner needs a brand strategist.

Have you tried using AI to create a brand strategy? What were the results? Let me know in the comments.

Q. What's the secret formula to building a brand?

A. There isn't one.

Sorry. But wait! There's good news.

There is strategy.

Q. Oh, okay. What's the difference between formula and strategy, then?

A. Brand strategy is bespoke. It is expertly developed to answer your own business needs, which are different from any others.

So stop with AI, SEO, algorhythihackala. None of it is worth the time and effort it takes to implement, if you don't have a strategy.

It takes effort and investment to develop a great strategy, but it's worth it. Because what’s right for your business, right now, is different from what’s right for any other.

How to Build Your Own Brand?

- Find your space 🧍‍♀️
- Know your purpose 🤔
- Style your brand 💅
- Communicate well 🙌
- Write to sell ✍️
- Get online 👩‍💻
- Stay cool 😎
- Have fun 🕺

Should you niche?

There's a common, debilitating fear amongst business owners that niching will shrink their market.

And in a way, that's a very valid fear. Of course, if you decide to focus on one type of work, you're leaving a massive chunk of the market open to your competition.

But you're also TAKING a sizeable chunk and making that market much more likely to choose you, because you speak directly to their pain.

Just make sure that you're really, really into your chosen niche. Because once you've gone down a niche route, it's hard to go back.

Have you tried niching? Did it work out? Let me know in the comments.

GIVEAWAY: Win your place on the Build Your Own Brand course starting in September... https://eachtotheirown.lpages.co/branding-and-beyond/

This course is for you if you've got an idea that deserves to come to life. Build a brand you love and get it out there, with a community of other new founders (and me) cheering you on.

You know the drill. Like this post, follow my page, and share this post to enter (don't forget to tag that friend with all the great ideas - each tag counts as an entry!)

Why build a brand?

- Make sales 💫

- Find loyal customers 🤝

- Become valuable 💁‍♀️

Introducing the Build Your Own Brand course!

6 modules to building a brand you love and get it out there, with a community of other new founders (and me, Rose) cheering you on.

Branding & Beyond Turn your business idea into a brand you love in just 6 weeks with the Build Your Own Brand course.