We’re on Day 4 of the Brand Challenge, and you might be surprised that we still haven’t jumped into any of the major visuals like fonts, colors, and logos.
I promise we’ll get to those soon!
But branding (and design, in general) is about much more than making things look good.
The purpose of branding is to catch the attention of potential clients and customers and build trust with them so that they’ll purchase your products and book your services.
In order to do that, you have to know:
Whether your current brand is effective
Where your business is headed
The mission of your business
And what type of clients you want to be working with
You’ve conducted a brand evaluation, set business goals, and written your mission statement in Days 1-3 of this challenge.
And today, you’re going to zero in on the type of clients and customers you want to be working with.
This post is part of Elle & Company’s 4-week Brand Challenge. Click here to see more details, sign up, and access the free workbook.
DAY 4 ACTION STEP
Create your ideal customer profile
Years ago I had a design client who was starting a wedding planning business geared toward southern brides.
A navy and blush color palette and delicate feminine details swirled around in my head as she explained her target audience, but the conversation took a turn when my client told me that she wanted to use her favorite colors - purple and teal - for her brand.
This is a common mistake that I see a lot of business owners make as they approach their brand.
Instead of making brand decisions based on the taste of the clients and customers they want to attract, they make decisions based on their own personal taste.
I carefully explained to my client that while there were definitely ways to infuse her personality into her brand, the primary goal of branding is to attract potential clients and customers.
The same is true for your brand. Instead of focusing on your own tastes, you need to understand your potential customers and make brand decisions based on what would appeal to them.
A helpful way to do this is to create an ideal client/customer profile.
I’ve included a profile outline on page 7 of this week’s workbook.
Will every client or customer match this profile? Absolutely not.
But it’s helpful to summarize these important qualities about the clients and customers you want to attract and keep them in mind, because you’ll refer back to this outline as you make decisions about font, colors, and iconography in the weeks to come.
When you’re done with your outline, take a photo and share it with me in the Elle & Company Facebook Group! I would love to see your progress.
P.S. In the end, my client and I went with navy and blush, along with some soft pastels for accent colors for her brand. The end result was beautiful, romantic, and very, very southern.
