Today Lindsey and Evie dive into marketing your brand, and the BIGGEST strategy that will make you stand out from the competition. They give you step by step tools to stop sounding like a professional robot and actually create a long-lasting brand with a loyal audience and client base that will pivot with you far into the future. From social media strategies, to email and website copy, we’re getting into some nitty gritty of branding.

If you’re ready to stand out from the competition, uplevel your social media game, and build a long-lasting brand, this episode is for you.

 

Be Yourself and Screw Professionalism

Connection is today’s #1 motivator. Why are we obsessed with stories in general? Think about movies, books, TV shows, social media, and everything. We want to feel connection. You want to be inviting people into connection and into a relationship with you by actually showing who you really are, not a professional robot. 

No one wants to be or feel alone. We were designed for community. When you are able to build trust, connection, and respect with others through your brand and business before, after, or in spite of them ever needing your services or products, that is when you really hit the go button on your business and brand. 

Here is what you can do to be yourself and screw professionalism.

 

1.Stop the stuffy voice

As entrepreneurs we look at other businesses and think we have to be a certain way to own a business. Here’s the thing: you don’t. The biggest thing that propelled both Lindsey and Evie’s careers is to break down the barrier of what they think “professional” means and to connect with people’s hearts and be themselves. 

A practical way to do this is to talk like you are talking to a friend in all communication whether it is your emails, website copy, or captions on social media. Don’t be  removed and distant. Read your copy out loud before you post it. If it doesn’t sound like something you would say to a best friend, then that’s not you. It’s too stuffy and too removed from who you are. 

Another great way to do this is to record a voice memo when you are writing a caption, blog post, or copy for your website. Then, transcribe this down. This will capture the essence of how you naturally speak. 

A big mistake entrepreneurs make is all sounding the same. Be different and use your own voice, not the voice you think you should be using. 

Be true to yourself in all communication. Don’t change your voice to be successful. Own who you are.

 

2. Make it sweet but meaty

You don’t want to be a person who’s not offering anything substantial to your clients. You need to bring value to the table. The three things to keep in mind is:

1. Serve them with value
2. Solve their problems
3. Reassure their fears

Don’t just share your voice without offering them something of value. Back up who you are with solid information, a wonderful client experience, and real value. Give them a reason to follow you and pay attention. Backup your branding elements with real value first. Once you give real value, then feel free to talk about your cat, your love of chai lattes, or what Hogwarts house you are in. 

 

3. Show up with your face

Stop hiding behind your client’s work, your work, or your logo. Actually put yourself out there as a connectable, relatable, real, genuine human being that other people are able to connect to. They aren’t going to connect with your logo on an emotional level but they will connect with your smiling and inviting face.

The point is, you want to show up. There are so many different places where you can put this into practice such as:

1. Your Email Signature: Put a smiling, inviting photo in your email signature so they feel like they are communicating with a real person, not just a logo.
2. Your Blog: Don’t just showcase your services or products. Invite people into your life and your experience. Engage on a personal level. Share your favorite book, your recent trip, what you learned, etc. 
3. Your About Page: The most visited page on your website is your about page. That is your #1 opportunity to connect with people face to face. Have a close up photo of you smiling with eye contact to the camera. 
4. Your Instagram: Show up a MINIMUM of 1 in every grid of 9. This is an incredible way to build a relationship with people. 
5. Your Instagram Stories: Show up in your stories with your face. Hold your phone up to your face and pretend you are Facetiming your BFF. Just focus on addressing one person to build more of a connection point. Don’t worry about curating it, it’s only live for 24 hours. You can bring people in to another whole dimension to who you are. If you are scared or intimidated just start showing up once a week— it’s not as scary as you have built it up in your head. 

 

Episode Links

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