As we learned last week, your brand and your branding are different. 

Your brand is the message, the identity, the definition. Your branding is how you go about communicating that message to your audience. Head here if you missed the post!

Today, I’m going to overview the 2 pillars of branding: brand voice and brand visuals. Essentially, these are the two different ways of reaching your people and defining your brand. 

Brand Voice

The first, and most important, is your brand voice, which is all the content you create that is spoken or written. Blog posts, website copy, instagram captions, instagram stories, YouTube videos, etc…

When I say “voice”, I don’t just mean your tone (or sass) behind your message, but I also mean the message itself.

You should absolutely spend some time identifying a tone that feels authentic to you, and in a future post, I will share some tips for doing this.

But the real value here comes in your messaging. What are you contributing to the conversation? Take a hard look at what others in your industry are saying and sharing. 

Then, spend some time reflecting on what you can add. Search for the YOU-sized hole in the market – in other words, what is missing that YOU can provide? What void can you fill?

It doesn’t have to be revolutionary. Maybe you will be the wedding planner who connects DC couples to environmentally-friendly vendors for their big day. Maybe you’re the life coach who focuses on building a profitable business on a foundation of faith.

There needs to be a differentiating factor that makes you different from everyone else. Whatever you do, don’t just label yourself “DC Wedding Planner” or “Business Coach”. 

Look back on the responses you got last week from your survey and use those answers to help you draft some ideas. What common themes are you seeing? Where do your talents and your passions intersect?

There’s a LOT that goes into developing your brand voice, but it starts with your business values. I would recommend establishing 3-5 values for your business that will be the root of everything you post, say, promote or do as a business owner. 

I’m going to go a bit deeper into this process next week as we workshop through developing your brand voice, so stay tuned for that. 

Brand Visuals

While design is not as important as your brand’s message, it is still a crucial part of reaching your ideal clients. 

Having cohesive brand visuals for your portfolio & marketing will go the farthest in first impressions. The visuals will capture attention and your message will make them want to actually open their wallets and invest in you. 

In creating a strong visual identity for your brand, you’ll want to do the following:

1. Create a brand color palette (check out this blog post for more tips on brand colors)
2. Identify typographies that align with your brand
3. Create or hire someone to create a set of logos (and stamp them on all of your platforms!)
4. Create or hire someone to create collateral that uses your colors, typography, logos & motifs – this means business card, welcome guides, pricing packets, product packaging, Facebook cover photo, Instagram highlight covers, Pinterest templates, media kits, etc. 
5. Build a beautiful website that seamlessly merges your brand visuals with your brand voice. 

I know this sounds like a lot. It may even feel overwhelming. Stick around over the next few months, and you will receive a whole lot of coaching, resources and templates to help you do this well. 

Long term plans are to create an actual ongoing community where we can uproot our brands, replant them in our core values, and grow together. Keep checking in if this is a community you’d like to be a part of!