Out of all the things that make up a good brand, how it relates to the people who love it is probably the most important goal to reach.
If you can create a brand that resonates in the right way, to the right people, then you my friend, have struck gold.
Sure – we could plan out colors and fonts and a name and some imagery, but if the people you want to work with don’t see it and don’t relate to it – what’s the point?
Branding isn’t so much about your own desires, style, or even professional opinion. Yes – you should connect with your brand, but it should also be connecting you to the right people.
Here are 5 ways I’ve interacted and provided for my tribe within my brand.
Listening Well
First off, if you want to listen well, you have to make a space where speaking is easy and safe. This happens in our Wake To Make Tribe Facebook Group because I’ve intentionally curated the space to provide that. Potential clients and fans can ask questions, enjoy community, and feel loved and supported right where they’re at. In a lot of their lives, I’ve become The Branding Person They Know and so I’m first in their mind when they require my services.
Listening also makes it incredibly easy for me to produce content and build educational resources for our Maker Library and Branding Courses. I can see a question posted in the group and come up with a resource the next day, therefore providing incredible insight into where my current and potential clients are right at that moment.
Intentional Visuals
One of the main ways I’ve built the visuals of my branding is to look at the visuals of the people I want to hire me. I see what they like, what styles they enjoy, what their homes look like. I draw upon the textures, the colors, and the feel of their spaces, so that they feel right at home when they come to my site.
Investing Wisely
When I hired my first business coach, Dana Malstaff, I wasn’t just thinking about my own improvement. I was thinking about how she could help me to better communicate and provide for my people.
When I purchase fonts or imagery, I’m thinking directly about the people in my sphere of influence and how those things will affect them.
So think of the ways that you can invest, in yes, your own growth, but also think about how you can score a double whammy by also investing in your business to promote your tribe’s growth.
Hiring Inclusively
I haven’t had to go farther than the Wake To Make Facebook Group to find my team. They already know my brand, they love my work, and a lot of them have been there since the beginning. I can easily find anything I need – for work or my personal life – within the tribe my brand has attracted.
This also gives me insight into what types of things I want to hire out and creates a great cycle of give-and-take within our community.
Being Generous
Lastly, I give away a lot of stuff for free. I’m always trying to think of new ways to provide value to my fans and clients. I want to take people from interested in my work to raving about it and this only happens when I willing give to them generously.
This doesn’t mean give away your services or products for free – not all the time anyways – but it does mean having a giving heart and not hoarding the talents and resources that you’ve been provided with.
If you can implement one (or all!) of these things into your branding, you will begin to stand out and people will start noticing the amazing things that you can offer them.
To download my free guide for engaging your people and growing your business, My 5k Month, click here.
Lilah Higgins is a Brand Designer to Creative Business Owners & Coaches. When she’s not chasing around her babies or working alongside her techie husband, she is providing her clients with logos & branding that converts and design consultation. She drinks her coffee iced and enjoys opening her home to people and telling the stories of Makers & Creatives. She’s also the founder of the #waketomake hashtag on Instagram and the recently launched Wake to Make podcast. You can find her at www.thehigginscreative.com and www.waketomake.com.
