There is something that has been bogging down my mind and weighing on my heart over the past few weeks. Don’t believe me? Ask Rachel how many times she has had to remind me about something mundane or simple and you will know it is true.
The Rebrand. It is basically the four letter word of small, yet rapidly growing businesses born of dreams ready to take on reality.
It’s a process that I threaten to do in a half-assed way every January and here I am in 2016 beating my head against the wall as I pin away at my own inspiration board faster than any of my newly engaged clients. There are blog posts all over the Internet talking you through how to rebrand or asking you all the questions to target your ideal client, but there are a few key points that seem to be missing from so many of these articles!
1. You are probably too close to your business to be objective. And, unless you are an expert, you are not an expert.
You can pin for inspiration, you can play in photoshop, you can curate your favorite portfolio images. But when you design your own logo or website without bringing in a neutral party to critique and support you, you might find yourself to close to your own creative to be objective. And when it comes down to your best images, how often do you find yourself sitting and looking at an image that you’ve taken and refusing to cut it, because you know the moment behind the image. Here is the truth: Your potential clients are looking for a strong cohesive portfolio of work from the second that they see your website. They don’t know how long it took you to choose your favorite font, how many drafts of the logo you made before it was perfect, or the romantic story behind an image you have selected. We are clouded by our feelings and thoughts around our own work, often being our biggest cheerleader and biggest crutch simultaneously.
Why would you want to hire a graphic designer or website designer during your rebrand? For the same reason that your clients want to hire a wedding photographer instead of trusting their friend or cousin who is a “photographer!” We all start out with a mediocre website that we work on and work on (and I’m still working on while I wait for my NEW one!), but then it is time to move out of the beginner realm and start playing game with the big kids. If it isn’t in the budget (you do have a business budget, don’t you?), then sit down with a trusted colleague or two and take in their honest feedback as you work through the process. Build the perfect brand for where you see your company in 2-3 years or beyond, not a brand based on where you’ve already been or where you happen to be. Your brand is not just about a color scheme or logo, it is about a feeling. How do your clients feel about your brand when they see its visual presentation? Does your brand inspire trust and comfort or aloofness and desire? Start with a strong ideal client profile, then illicit the emotional connection you want from that ideal client with your branding decisions.
2. You may not be your ideal client. Don’t confuse what they want with what you want.
When I was getting married, from a budgetary perspective, I was my ideal client. I knew exactly what I wanted to spend on photography and it was enough to have hired almost anyone in the city for at least one of their collections. It’s so easy to think in terms of your ideal client as it pertains to budget. I’ve heard it said, “My ideal client is able and willing to pay my prices for my work.” That isn’t enough. There are so many couples out there in all different price brackets looking to hire a photographer—Budget alone does not make a client fit with you and your brand.
I definitely wasn’t my own ideal client at that point in my life. I was younger, more quirky/offbeat, and needed more ego-feeding than most of my clients. I am building a brand aesthetic that is sleeker, more minimalist and classic. I wouldn’t have attracted myself as a bride when I was getting married. If we are talking cars, I was a red Mini Cooper S. My clients are more like a silver Audi A3.
3. Your brand is not necessarily an extension of who you are. But your brand must be an extension of your work.
There is an incredibly strong vein of very talented creative entrepreneurs out there who have created a perfectly curated public persona that aligns perfectly with their brand. You know their family (how do they always keep their kids looking so clean in those adorable outfits?), their dogs, their love story, and maybe even what they had for breakfast. You KNOW them. There is another incredibly talented pool of creatives out there who have epic work, tons of absolutely stellar clients, and share nothing about themselves personally on their website and social media. You don’t know them for them. You KNOW their work, their brand.
Honestly, unless you actually happen to be friends with either of these archetypes, you don’t actually know either of them. You know the image that they have chosen to present as their public persona or their brand identity. And this brand identity that they’ve created for themselves helps to attract their client base and fuel an appreciation for their work. Behind the scenes, if these are all successful entrepreneurs, they are both savvy, intelligent marketers with a passion for business and a love for success. They both have days where the kids won’t stop screaming, they’ve spilled coffee on themselves, and their hair is a mess. But creative A won’t show you that because it’s not beautiful and creative B won’t show you that because they aren’t in the business of sharing. Neither is right or wrong, but both are great tactics.
Steve Jobs and Apple is a perfect example of the personal vs the brand identity. We all recognize his iconic black turtle neck, minimalist wireframe glasses, and unapologetic work ethic. And we associate all of these characteristics with our favorite products, sleek, modern, minimalist. But by many accounts, Steve Jobs as a person was demanding, unforgiving, and kind of an asshole (bless his heart.) Not too many of us see this as the Apple brand identity. I mean, remember those iPod commercials filled with colorful rainbows and black silhouettes dancing to awesome music.
The #struggleisreal. Creating a cohesive brand for your business without letting your business eat your soul or feeling like you have to be all enveloped in your business at all times is exhausting and overwhelming. Be yourself. And let your company be it’s own separate entity. You never know. . . you might find that you actually like each other in the end.
xo Ashley
