Brandmerry Blog Archives
4 Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering a Rebrand
4 Questions to ask yourself when considering a rebrand
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
Have you caught on that June is totally Branding Month around the Brandmerry HQ? I'm freaking pumped for all the exciting info I have coming your way.
Today's episode is for all my ladies who are considering a rebrand or just looking to spice it up a bit. I've put together a video training on my go to six questions to ask when getting ready to embark on the branding process.
4 Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering a Rebrand
However, just like with anything with your brand it has to start with you! You are your brand and everything else is just an extension of that. If you want to learn how to escape the cookie cutter and create a distinct brand so you can stand out and sell out, then my 5-week program Your Brand New Adventure is perfect! The cart is now open - Learn More >>
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Meet Michelle
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
I'M MICHELLE KNIGHT
I was just a new mom with an ambitious dream to start my own business. That dream turned into a multiple 6-figure business and the ability to travel full time. Now, I teach women how to brand and market their authentic voice online and take bold action to create a life better than their dreams.
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TOOLS I LOVE
KAJABI
Grab a 30-day trial of Kajabi and test out their website, email, landing page and course platform.
HONEYBOOK
Save $200 off this client management tool! Save hours with streamlined workflows and onboarding.
CONVERTKIT
The ultimate email platform for simplicity and deliverability.
SMARTERQUEUE
Save time by scheduling your social media in one place and extend the life of your content with evergreen scheduling.
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4 Things to Have in Place Before Your Brand Photoshoot
4 THINGS TO HAVE IN PLACE BEFORE YOUR BRAND PHOTOSHOOT
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
I can't speak highly enough about what a well-branded photoshoot can do for your business and brand. In fact, a few months ago I wrote a blog post on the 7 Tips For a Well-Branded Photoshoot, you can read more about that by clicking here >>
This blog will serve as an extension of that post, for the female entrepreneur looking to make a major impact with her brand photos and to carry her personal story and style into her photos.
Before we dive in I want to mention the importance of having a clear image of your brand! A photoshoot can amplify your brand to new levels, but if you aren't clear on the foundational message behind your brand, including the aesthetics, then you are basically throwing money down the drain. You can always learn more about developing your brand on my YouTube channel >>
Alright, let's talk about the top five things to consider when preparing for a brand photoshoot.
Brand Photoshoot tip #1:
the EMOTIONS OF YOUR BRAND
One of the foundational pieces I teach when it comes to branding is knowing how you want people to feel when they see or hear your brand, so you can only imagine how powerful this is when preparing for professional photos. Before you even start creating your Pinterest Inspiration Board you want to know what emotions, preferably your top five, that you want to communicate with your photos.
This will also support you in the overall branding process so if you want a deeper dive into why this is important and how to identify your brand emotions read this post here.
It doesn't do anything to have a nice-looking brand, you have to make people feel something if you want to grab their attention. So start with identifying your brand emotions, then use those emotions to find images on Pinterest to share with your photographer. Bonus points if you also tell your photographer the emotions you are going for - they love that information!
Brand Photoshoot Tip #2:
a photographer to match your brand style
This might be one of the second most important things you do for your brand photoshoot. Seriously, your brand photos have the ability to have you standing out online in no time (I know I keep saying that, but it is true) and because of that, you want to find a photographer that can capture the true essence of your brand style.
Remember the emotions I talked about beforehand? Well, I highly recommend researching photographers by looking at their past work and pay attention to how you feel.
Do you feel anything, or are the photos falling flat?
Do your brand emotions come through when looking at their work?
Do you feel their current work reflects what you’re going for with your brand photos?
Photographers tend to have a style they stick to regardless of what they are photographing, making sure their style matches what you envision for your brand!
brand photoshoot tip #3:
Take into consideration your brand colors
You have your brand colors right? Well, your brand colors are rooted in your brand emotions (see this full circle happening). If you don’t have your brand colors sorted out then check out this post here.
Knowing your colors is an important step in the photography department because you are going to be using these photos to show up online via social media, Pinterest, your website and more. These photos are going to become your quote templates, your cover photos, your Instagram feed and so much more.
Understand what colors compliment your brand from the beginning so you can pick out clothing, locations and lighting that fall in line with those colors.
Now, I'm not saying you can only wear black and white if your colors are black and white, what I'm saying is if your colors are deep orange and green (cough cough**) then you might not be rocking hot pink and eating cotton candy, catch my drift?
brand photoshoot tip #4:
Create an authentic style to match
I hope you can see how each of these tips is building on the next - it only seems natural that once you've considered your emotions and your colors that you make sure your authentic style is in alignment with all of the above.
This is an easy one to get lost in because so often we think we have to dress a certain way or look a certain way to be taken “serious” as a business owner. Well, I'm here to tell you F that, no seriously F it.
Your photoshoot should be an extension of you, I mean that's what your personal brand essentially is. So if you don't wear dresses, like ever, don't go buy a fancy dress cause someone else did. Stick to what makes you feel confident and shows your true personality, just elevate it up a bit.
Spend a few extra dollars on some new items, new jewelry, some new makeup and possibly a stylist who gets you - all of these elements will help you carry your personality into your photos and to your ideal client.
Here’s a peak at some of my brand photos and how my personality comes through!
After having my first photoshoot in August 2016, I watched my brand really start to take shape! I started standing out more online, my brand had a consistent feel across social media platforms, my audience began to grow and my message became clearer to those I wanted to reach - all from a photoshoot.
Not to mention photos are a great way to build Brand Affinity with your audience. Don’t know what that is? Check out this blog post here.
However, just like with anything with your brand it has to start with you! You are your brand and everything else is just an extension of that. If you haven’t started working on your personal brand, here’s a free guide to support you with your next steps.
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
Become a Content Machine and Stand Out on Social Media
BECOME A CONTENT MACHINE AND STAND OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
When starting my online business I had to learn pretty quickly how to get my message and voice seen by others without spending hours and hours creating my content.
Why? Because not only was I working a 9 to 5, but I was raising a brand new baby (seriously, he was just one month old when I started my biz).
Working for long hours every single day or even wasting precious moments staring at a blank screen were just not an option.
What I created was a content planner and strategy that allows me to map out a month’s worth of content in as little as 30 minutes.
No more guessing what to write!
No more wasting time coming up with “new and exciting” ideas!
No more feeling super overwhelmed with the thought of showing up on multiple platforms just to sign a new client!
Seriously it is time to be done with all of that. It’s time to create a plan that is streamlined, efficient and dare I say effortless.
But honestly, creating a plan is just the first step. I've included my top five steps to Become a Content Machine and Start Standing Out Online.
1) Plan Ahead (Like 30 Days Ahead)
Mapping out a month of content doesn't have to be difficult (see above), but it does need to be done. Planning ahead and strategically theming your weeks better prepares you to create content that your ideal client REALLY wants and makes it easier on you in the process. No more staring at a blank screen trying to come up with ideas.
2) Create Attention Grabbing Headlines
It doesn't matter how amazing your writing is, if no one opens your email or reads your social posting. My favorite tool to analyze my headlines is the Headline Analyzer from CoSchedule. When writing your headlines remember you want to get people to say "I just have to know!" so tease them a bit about what is to come.
3) Understand Your Audience
It is so important that you know exactly who you are talking to with your content, in fact if you've skipped Market Research or Surveying Your Audience I recommend you go there now. By understanding your audience and what they need to hear at this stage of their journey you can easily create 30 days of content that is exactly what they need to hear.
4) Time Management When Writing
Raise your hand if sometimes you go to write an email or draft a social media post and suddenly hours have passed - ok, maybe not hours, but you get the point. When writing your content I recommend you batch schedule, which means you carve out a chunk of time and create all your content for the week in one sitting. This allows you to stay in your creative zone of genius for an extended amount of time. Another tool I love to implement is setting a timer for each of my emails and my social media posts.
5) Repurposing is Your Friend
Mapping out a month of content can be very easy when you aren't focused on creating new content every single day. Yes, it is possible to show up on multiple platforms! Yes, it is possible to post daily in other FB groups! Yes, it is possible to email your list three times a week and write a successful blog! The trick my friends is repurposing. The best part of repurposing your content is you are driving your point home, but getting your content in front of your audience multiple times.
Repurposing is just one of the tools I talk about in my Content Creation Video and Planner and with this strategy I set aside 30 minutes at the end of the month to map out the next month’s content and just a few hours a week writing ALL my emails, ALL my social media postings and my blog - that’s it!
When you grab the complete training you will get:
✔️ The EXACT content calendar I use to organize a complete months worth of content is as little as 30 minutes so you no longer waste time staring at a blank screen.
✔️ A complete training video on HOW to use the calendar to get the very best results and save you time in organizing and developing content that attracts your ideal client.
✔️ The NUMBER ONE strategy I use to streamline my content and effortlessly create a uniform message to share across all platforms and engage my target audience.
Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>
Stop Doing What You Think is "Right" in Your Business and Start Doing This Instead
STOP DOING WHAT YOU THINK IS "RIGHT" IN YOUR BUSINESS AND START DOING THIS INSTEAD
No matter where you are in your entrepreneurial journey it's so easy to get caught up in what you "should" be doing or what you think is "right!"
I took a break from strategy this week to talk about how to get back in touch with yourself and your purpose when you sense resistance around doing something in your business.
Today I'm sharing Episode 10 of the web series and it's all about Learning to Do What Works for You.
The first step is recognizing when your purpose, you know that feeling inside, is throwing up red flags and giving you the hint that there is another way.
Tap into that inner voice and start paving your own path as a business owner.
Looking for more real talk and accountability? Join the Authentic Brand Builders community here >>
Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>
Part Two: My Top Tools For My Business That Allow Me to Automate More and Work Less
PART TWO: MY TOP TOOLS FOR MY BUSINESS THAT ALLOW ME TO AUTOMATE MORE AND WORK LESS
I'm all about being able to work from wherever - in fact since launching my business I've been able to travel to Europe and California all while still being able to run my business from afar.
In fact location freedom is just the third part of the Freedom Trifecta (copyright coming soon ;)) When you have all these pieces: Time Freedom, Location Freedom and Financial Freedom, you are golden.
One of the key pieces to achieve location freedom is automation! Today I'm excited to share with your Part Two of My Top Tools For My Business That Allow Me to Automate More and Work Less. (Did you miss Part One? Check it out here)
**Disclaimer: I've marked the tools that I am an affiliate for with a little *, so I can be super transparent with all of you. However, I totally use these tools for my own business and love them, hence why I'm an affiliate.
Ok, now on to the tools!
later - INSTAGRAM SCHEDULING
Although there isn't a tool out there that allows you to post directly to Instagram, I love Later's simplicity and ability to schedule all of my content ahead of time. Later also has an amazing tool that allows you to rearrange photos based on how you would like your feed to look and feel and also do a simple search to find photos to share. When it's time to post, I get a notification on my phone and simply paste the description right into Instagram - easy!
Google Drive - client folders, content and trainings
Google Drive is my saving grace! I love using it as a place to store all my content as well as keep private client folders for each of my clients audio recordings, worksheets and in-between session work. My favorite part of Google Drive is that I can access my materials from anywhere making it easier than ever to travel and work :)
Canva - branded content
Oh I love me some Canva. It is such an amazing resource for creating all your branded material to get visible online. In terms of automation, I love to make templates for my Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube channel, making it easier than ever to change out the photo and text. I personally use Canva for work in order to keep all my branding materials in one place and easy to access.
ACUITY SCHEDULING** - SCHEDULING
Acuity has been a saving grace for my automation process, because it allows me to bulk schedule my coaching clients, create client profiles for easy scheduling and allows my clients to reschedule themselves. I also love that it is easily integrated with Squarespace (another favorite business resource of mine) and gives you the option to take payment when someone schedules. Since switching to Acuity it has saved me almost 2 hours a week and it's only $10 to start!
Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>