“Design is the silent ambassador of your brand” by Paul Rand

Building a strong brand identity is critical in marketing today. When you’re running a business online, especially a service-based business, your brand identity as the quote from Paul Rand says, silently communicates to your ideal client that your brand is the best fit to help them accomplish their goals.

The name of your business can have a big impact on your success and is a critical part of your overall brand image. If you are not sure on whether your business name is right for attracting your ideal clients, get my Free Ultimate Guide to Naming Your Business by clicking this link. Having a brand name will act as a guide for developing your magnetic brand image.

Your brand image includes all the visual elements of your brand, including your logo, colours, website, social media, photos etc. These visual images act like codes and filters. Codes to the ideal client that this brand is aligned to my own style and values and filters attracting the right clients to your business.

 When that doesn’t happen, when you are not sending the right message or reaching the right people, it may be time to consider up-leveling your brand image. Before you make any phone calls to your graphic designer, here is how you can tell that your brand image is hurting your business:

#1 Attracting the wrong clients

So you have spent time building a new website, logo and social media and all the wrong clients keep showing up? You’ve got the skills you’ve got the tools but no one is showing up for them? At this point there can be several factors playing out, one of which could be related to your brand image.

Have you ever walked pass a store and just by the look of the sign outside or the colours and design you were drawn in or may be repelled? This is what brand image is meant to do, qualify and disqualify clients.  If you are attracting all the wrong customers it may be an indicator that you have not understood your ideal clients and have not created a brand image that will attract these people.

The symbols in your brand image may be sending the wrong message and by default attracting the wrong people. This is why in my Style Your Brand with The Creative Brief program, the first two modules are all about defining your ideal clients and connecting this to your signature brand image. This is a critical step. If you understand your clients, you can create the right image to attract them.

#2 Competing on Price

Philip Kotler said “If you don’t have a brand you have a commodity.” The point of investing in a strong brand image is to create strong points of differentiation for your products and services compared to similar options on the market. Your brand image has the ability to send out a unique vibration that your ideal client is aligned with and will magnetize them to it. If there is no clear distinction between your brand and other similar options on the market, your clients will have a hard time not only connecting with it but seeing where the value lies.

People are not always looking for the cheapest option. When a client can see a clear value proposition, price becomes less important because they understand that no one else will be able to give them the results you can offer. If you are competing on price, this puts you in a vulnerable position and you may find yourself struggling to stay in the market. Having a high quality brand image can add perceived value to your products and services.

#3 Clients Don’t Spread the Word

Often when a client feels proud to be associated with a particular brand, they spread the word and share it with friends because they feel good having used these products and services. There is the ego element; where an association with certain brands make us feel special, gives the impression of status or shows that we are “in the know” or “on trend”. If you have a hard time getting referrals or clients are not talking about you and your work and referring it to other like-minded people, then you have some work to do on both your brand image and perhaps the quality of your products and services.

Investing in a high-quality brand image can change the game in your business. It can assist you in attracting the right clients to your brand. It can convert your products and services from mere commodities into cultures. If you are thinking of re-branding or just getting started on creating your high quality brand image, learn more about Style Your Brand with THE CREATIVE BRIEF program , which is a step by step program on building a world-class brand image that is totally YOU and that your ideal clients will love.