Am I a brand?
If you’ve read my stuff before, you’ve probably seen me banging on about ‘brand’. Who your brand is. How they sound. And how you can write better for your brand. But brand is a bit of a weird word. And you might be sat there thinking, “What is a brand? Am I a brand? Is this even for me?”
Maybe you’re a company of one and you’ve been told that brands have to have a team. Maybe you think brands are for creatives and that if you don’t have big ads or flashy signage you aren’t a brand. Maybe you think that if you designed your logo on Canva and work from your living room that you aren’t a brand. Or maybe you’re a bit freaked out by the word ‘brand’. After all, it can feel a bit cringe. Maybe your inner critic is whispering: “Who the hell do you think you are calling yourself a brand?”
Well, I’m here to tell that inner voice to pipe the hell down. Because whether you’re a jewellery maker, personal trainer, accountant or podcaster. Whether you work from your basement, your bedroom or your granny’s bedside, you’re a brand. Whether you’re a company of one, got your cousin to build your website, founded your company with your redundancy cheque, work part-time or still have to self-medicate with Jaffa Cakes during your tax return. You are a brand. Your greengrocer grandfather wouldn’t describe himself as a brand. But we live in a different time. And technically he did have a brand. He just didn’t know about it.
Don’t believe me? Check this out. Brilliant brand strategist @brandstrategysarah describes a brand as: “the associations people have in their minds about a business”. You want people to think good things about your business, right? So, you’re a brand. And there’s more.
Sarah cites studies that say the stronger and more connected those mind associations are, the more likely people are to choose your brand. So not only are you a brand, but having a strong brand is going to help your business succeed. So even if the word brand feels a little scary, you are one. And strengthening your brand is a proven way to make your business bulletproof.
Now, here are six things that big brands are doing that you can do too to get those all-important mind associations off to a stonking start:
Make your About page a personality fest
Learn how to make your About page pop from a fellow small business.Learn from your competitors
Take some time to look around the market and set yourself up for success.Name your products or services
Learn how to give your product or service a name that’s original, memorable and catchy.Talk to your customers
Use what you learn from your customers to make your copy better.Have a tone of voice
Translate your brand’s personality into an attention-grabbing tone of voice. These five quick tricks are a good place to start.Find your brand values
Figure out what you stand for and what you’re going to do about it with brand values.
To chat more about writing for your brand, get in touch
If you’ve read my stuff before, you’ve probably seen me banging on about ‘brand’. Who your brand is. How they sound . And how you can write better for your brand. But brand is a bit of a weird word. And you might be sat there thinking: “What is a brand? Am I a brand? Is this even for me?” Here’s the answer.