I invested in a brand designer but nothing changed. What went wrong?

Can branding really increase the value of my business?

Are you in this situation right now? You've invested in a brand designer who promised to increase the value of your business. But after receiving your brand guidelines and a new logo, nothing's changed and you have no idea what to do next.

What you actually need to know is how to use your brand strategy and start attracting all the right people. A pleasant brand experience will only help you with the first impression but not in the long run unless you are using it the right way.

Using brand strategy the right way

01 Know your audience inside out

Revisit your audience persona section. Look at their problems, personality, and habits. Make sure it's comprehensive, right down to the details of what they like and dislike, their relationship with their family, what kind of house they live in, etc. It may seem tedious at this point, but it's there to help you imagine what kind of audience you should sell to.

Next, think about these questions. Do you have the right skill set that will solve their problem? How would they discover your brand and eventually become your customers?

02 Be at the right place all the time

Does your audience prefer shopping online or at a brick and mortar store? Are they cautious and would like to try out a product first before committing or will they take the leap with people's recommendations?

These are signs of how you should design your marketing funnels. If they love social media, show up there and solve their problems! If they prefer trying out a product first, give out free samples or have them get on a free discovery call.

There is no right way to meeting your audience. You have to be in the right place all the time and gain their trust. Remember to be ethical and don't promise things that you can't do.

03 Stay consistent and give value, lots of value

Give people lots of value and don't hold back. Come from a place of being genuinely wanting to help and not just trying to turn them into paying audience. People will trust you, and they will convert when they are ready. Just remember to align whatever you do to your brand values and your own! Don't do anything uncomfortable to get the money. You wouldn't last long this way.

Stay consistent and keep going. You can't build a brand or establish trust in a day. Don't go around stealing people's content, though.

04 Optimise for success!

There's no limit to the way you do your marketing. Try out different combinations and find the one that works best for you and your audience. Even if it's a flop, you will learn something too. Observe trends, look at the numbers, talk to your audience and find out what they think! Numbers don't lie. Get those insights, combine with what you already know and start again.

It's a never-ending ground for testing. Your business will evolve, and there will be new marketing methods and tools. You can only change your ways to get on the same page as your audience. But your learnings about your audience will never change. Take them and adapt. It will only be an upward trend from here.

Should I still invest in branding?

Yes, you definitely should! Your brand is the foundation of business; without it, your marketing efforts would be futile. You will not know who you want to attract and how to market your business to them.

Having a brand strategy will help you align your business with your ideal audience and show up in all the right places. It would save you lots of time and effort without burning out. Start with brand strategy, then brand identity and finally move on to marketing to establish your presence.

So, what's next?

If you already have your brand and website in place, get to know your audience, start appearing at all the right places to solve their problems. Establishing a brand presence is a long process, but the sooner you start, the earlier you will get there. Consider working with a marketer who knows your audience well. We have an in house marketer who might be able to help. Book a free consultation call, and we will leave you with actionable steps.

If you plan to start a business, consider our Signature Experience. Designed to help you create and scale your business with ease, we will tackle strategy, brand and marketing. You will be attracting all the right people with a strong brand identity and continue to raise your value through a data-driven marketing approach. We will leave you with all the necessary skills and knowledge to continue your marketing journey yourself.