Brandmerry Blog Archives
3 Ways to Stand Out in a Saturated Market
Does it feel like everyone is talking about the same thing? Do you wonder how you stand out in a saturated and crowded market? I’m sharing three ways to stand out in your marketing, attract your dream clients and own your space online.
3 Ways to Stand Out in a Saturated Market
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
The saturated market.
The crowded marketplace.
If you’re anything like me, in my first year of business, you probably felt (or feel) that there are a lot of people talking about the same thing as you!
Maybe you’ve looked around at your competition and felt like a tiny fish in a big sea of successful entrepreneurs.
You might see someone post something similar to you and get more engagement and question if you’re doing anything right.
I see this happen the most in the niching down process, typically in the very beginning, when we're like, “Alright, what is it? What’s my market? What do I call myself? What’s my title? Who do I want to work with? How will I introduce myself?”
This feeling can also come up when you're creating an offer.
I see entrepreneurs who really get wrapped up in the fact that somebody already has this offer that they want to create.
The reality is there are a lot of offers out there, but just because someone has a similar offer doesn’t mean they teach it in the same way as you will, or serve the same audience.
What I’m trying to say is no matter what stage of business you’re in you’re most likely going to experience this feeling that there isn’t space for you.
So today, I want to share three ways to stand out!
A SATURATED MARKET
Having done this for four years, I have seen this fear of fitting in or this fear of not being able to stand out, keep women that I have been in programs with from building successful businesses and I've watched it keep my students from it as well.
Because the reality is, this isn't a strategy thing.
If you don't believe that you have space in your industry if you don't believe that you belong here, that you can be successful in your niche that you can attract the people that you want to attract - it won't matter what new cool strategy or course or thing that you implement.
So you have to believe that there is space for you.
Because there is space for you.
I mean, statistically, there are a lot of people in the world. There are so many people that need your services, that need your products, that need your offerings, that haven't found their person yet, haven't found their brand, yet.
This happens to me daily, I get messages from women that say, “I've been looking for branding advice. I've been all over the internet, and I haven't found somebody that resonated with me. And then I found your website.”
This is why it’s so important to show up and own your space, even if there are a lot of people!
It’s not about the people already doing the work, they don’t dictate your success!
YOU DO and so does your marketing!
3 WAYS TO STAND OUT IN A SATURATED AND CROWDED MARKET
1. IDENTIFY AND OWN YOUR STORY
There are so many reasons why I love story work and incorporating storytelling into your marketing, but one of the reasons it’s so powerful is what it gives you.
Identifying and owning your story allows you to tap into who you are, what makes you different, what you value, your mission and ALL of this is what sets you apart from others.
Owning these parts of your story and incorporating them into every aspect of your business, especially marketing, which is essentially where you want to stand out is key.
At the beginning of my business, storytelling was all I had.
I’d share stories as they happened, as I built my business, as I made mistakes.
I’d share more of who I was to build trust with my growing community and it worked.
I’ve said it many times but the thing that separates you from someone with a similar audience, similar offer is your story. This is why the first module in my program Roadmap to Freedom is all about your story and niche.
If there's one thing that sets you apart from somebody else in your niche, somebody else in your industry, it's your specific experiences.
It's the things that have happened to you, for you in your life, the journey that you've been led on because no two people have the same story.
And yet so many entrepreneurs miss out on this golden opportunity to share their story as a way to separate themselves from the “competition.”
The beautiful thing about your story is it’s already inside of you, you don’t need to do anything special to start sharing it, except take the time to identify the key pieces that are relatable to your audience.
2. IDENTIFY YOUR AUTHENTIC VOICE
86 percent of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support. (Stackla, 2019)
People want to buy from authentic and transparent brands more now than ever before.
Why? Because the market is crowded.
We think the markets are crowded as the one selling, think about what your ideal customer thinks as the one who is purchasing?
They start looking for something to solve their problem and then they have all of these options and they're trying to figure out who to choose.
Who do you think they're going to be pulled to?
The person that is going to solve their problem of course, but more specifically the person who seems relatable, trustworthy and authentic, right?
I was having a conversation with a Roadmap to Freedom client the other day on our group call and she was expressing this feeling of not standing out, of just contributing to the noise.
We chatted about her methods, framework and ultimately who she was.
Finally, I said, “Why did you decide to work with me?”
She and the other ladies rattled off a bunch of reasons why each of them decided to invest in my brand and program, each of them saying something different.
That’s because it’s not one thing that gets everyone on board; it's the combination of you owning your story and sharing your authentic voice with the world and your ideal customers picking up on the pieces that resonate most with them.
It comes from understanding your story, but it also comes with time.
You're going to step into your authenticity, the more that you show up and create content.
The more that you show up, the more those pieces of your personality will start to shine.
When I started my business, I was doing live video from the very beginning.
I’d read all kinds of resources that told me how to say hi, when to make the pitch, how to prepare, how to write my script, what lighting and background to use.
And every time I’d feel like something was off and not ME.
I started to worry less about the script and the background and started showing up when I was inspired. I’d go live in the car, on walks, with a kid on my lap, whatever I needed to show up for my community and not worry about what it “looked” like.
This style still serves me today! I know I have something to share, I’m excited and I let that speak for itself and my audience doesn’t need a perfect background with perfect lighting to get what they need from it.
Is it for everyone?
Nope.
But it’s for my people and ideal customer.
One of the best things that you can do in finding your authentic voice and finding your authenticity is to show up consistently, find the quirks and things that make you...you.
But consistently showing up you’ll start to see what people are responding to and you’ll give more of that.
When I would live stream with Cal, all my mompreneurs loved it, so I kept going. Something I was scared would make me look less than professional, ended up being one of my greatest assets.
3. FILL THE GAP IN THE MARKET
One of the best things you can do in a crowded market is to fill the gaps.
If you see everyone is talking about the same thing and doing the same thing, how can you offer an industry disrupt?
If you see people are asking for something and it’s not getting delivered, how can you create something for them?
For example, branding. That's my specialty, and there are a lot of people who teach branding, it’s a very big market.
When I first started teaching branding, I was trying to do all the things that everyone else was doing, and what I felt so many people needed based on the offers currently in the market.
But there was this group of people who are talking specifically about personal branding. They wanted to know how to show up, how to share their story, how to be the face of the brand.
So in 2019, I created You! Branded, a course specifically centered around personal branding and helping female entrepreneurs build their personal brand. I filled the gap and owned the space.
When I knew I wanted to revamp my program Roadmap to Freedom, I started to think about the industry and all the people who have programs and courses supporting new and aspiring entrepreneurs in building their business.
I thought about the gaps, specifically the marketing gaps, where people were tired of showing up in Facebook Groups or relying on social media to grow their new business, so I filled the gap.
Roadmap to Freedom offers support with SEO, Pinterest, just to name a few that serve the business owners who are looking for a more streamlined and simple approach to marketing.
So it doesn't mean that your course, program or your offer has to be completely different. It's finding those little holes and filling them.
Filling in the gap gives you the marketing advantage.
So when you're thinking about your offer, your system or how you solve the problem for your audience, think about the gaps.
Are there any gaps in your industry that you feel confident in filling? Because it will pay off.
Then if you can communicate to them, why this gap is there, and how you fill it, even better!
CONCLUSION
What’s so cool about focusing on these three pieces first is that they're already inside of you.
Take the time to identify them, find the gaps and share your authenticity with others and then add in all the fun marketing strategies (because there are a lot)!
Inside my program, Roadmap to Freedom I teach female entrepreneurs how to set this strong foundation for their business, own their story and authenticity and build a revenue-generating business around it.
Roadmap to Freedom is a live 90-day program for the new and aspiring female entrepreneur who is ready to simplify the process of building an online business that allows her to make money on her terms and create a life of abundant experiences and impact.
And doors are opening on October 18, 2020.
If you’re interested in learning more about Roadmap to Freedom and joining the waitlist, where you’ll be the first to know about special bonuses, including 1:1 coaching from me, you can visit brandmerry.com/freedom.
P.S. Take the NEW Business Roadmap Quiz. Discover your next three strategic business moves and customized business roadmap at brandmerry.com/roadmap.
WATCH MONDAYS WITH MICHELLE EPISODE 27: STANDING OUT IN A SATURATED AND CROWDED MARKET, BELOW
Mondays With Michelle happens every Monday at 4 pm CST. Sign up for notifications so you don’t miss any future episodes at MondayWithMichelle.com
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- 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.
Relationship Marketing (or Human-to-Human Marketing) in 2020 and Beyond
There’s a new and improved way of marketing. Old traditional strategies and tactics are out, it’s all about relationship marketing in 2020 and beyond. What is relationship marketing? Why is it important? How do you use it in your marketing strategies? Let’s dive into it on today’s blog.
Relationship Marketing (or Human-to-Human Marketing) in 2020 and Beyond
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
Relationships.
Not only are they essential to our everyday life, but also our marketing.
When is the last time you thought about the relationship you were building with your online audience?
Is relationship building a part of your everyday strategy as an online brand and business owner?
If not, it needs to be!
Relationship marketing is the goal as an online brand, it’s not about the instant purchases although those are amazing, it’s about the recurring customers, the loyal fans and the audience members that need a little bit more before buying.
If we’re only worried about the instant and single sale, we miss out on a lot of money!
Bain & Company found that increasing customer retention by just five percent can increase company profits by a whopping 25 percent.
And that acquiring new customers is estimated to be 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining current ones.
Relationship marketing plays a role in new client onboarding, client retention and the overall success of your business.
Let’s explore it a little more!
WHAT IS RELATIONSHIP MARKETING?
Relationship Marketing, also referred to as H2H (Human-to-Human marketing) is focused on one thing, building a relationship between the brand and the consumer.
It is the new age of marketing if you can call it new. It’s no longer acceptable to rely on traditional marketing setups like B2C (Business-to-Consumer) or B2B (Business-to-Business) and has moved to a Human-to-Human marketing approach.
Relationship marketing builds on the idea that every transaction comes down to a human buying something from another human, when you think of marketing and specifically selling in this way it shifts the way you go about sharing your products and services to a more emotional and empathetic approach focused on connection.
Added bonus not only does this increase conversion rates, but it also increases client retention!
In relationship marketing your strategy becomes 100% about building trust.
It’s about the emotional connection your audience has to your brand, it puts an emphasis on Brand Affinity and as the brand and marketer, it puts more emphasis on storytelling.
This switch is much more effective than the “traditional” way of advertising and marketing your products and services, which can sometimes feel disconnected and inauthentic to your audience.
86 percent of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support (Stackla, 2019)
WHY RELATIONSHIP MARKETING IS IMPORTANT AS AN ONLINE BRAND
As we’ve already covered a million times, relationship marketing is about relationships, so with that in mind, there is a two-fold approach.
Can you guess what it is? You probably guessed it...relationship marketing comes down to you and the consumer or potential client.
Let’s first talk about you (aka the brand). No matter if you work for a company, or more likely have an entrepreneurial business (possibly a personal brand) there is a human(s) running the show.
The idea is that the human(s) become the face, voice and connection between the audience and the products. It’s important to focus on creating content that showcases the values of the brand, connects emotionally to the consumer, and shares great stories.
It becomes more about quality over quantity, tieing every single piece of content back to the question, “How does this build a relationship and trust with my audience?”
The other side of the equation is your audience. Remember, you’re talking to a real human on the other end of your emails, social media posts and videos. This can be so easy to forget as we’re living in an age of automation.
However, you can’t automate human connection!
Think about how you as a consumer hope to engage with a brand, actually take it a step further, how do you like to interact with a friend? My guess is if the only communication you had with them was an automated/ canned response you’d peace out!
We often overlook the fact that our potential customers are real people, with real lives, looking for real connections.
At the end of the day, humans want to be seen, heard, and understood, and as a brand, you have the ability to do just that through your marketing efforts.
From a marketing standpoint when you can focus on building a solid relationship through your marketing efforts you’ll build trust with your audience much quicker than if you're ignoring the struggles and desires of your audience.
Relationships build trust and trust is what leads to sales.
81 percent of consumers said that they need to be able to trust the brand in order to buy from them (Edelman, 2019)
3 WAYS TO IMPROVE RELATIONSHIP MARKETING BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR AUDIENCE
1. BE CONVERSATIONAL
We already talked about the friend element above, but let’s dive into it a bit further. When you’re speaking to a friend, you’re typically casual, you’re more conversational and my guess you sound like a real human.
Yet, so many online brands forget this simple strategy when they are posting or creating content for the internet. Much of this comes from a preconceived idea of what success means or how we should be showing up online, but this facade can be impacting your ability to build relationships with your audience.
“People can smell inauthenticity!” - my girl Michelle Obama
And it’s true, we’ve seen this time and time with large online brands.
Your goal.
Show up.
Be real.
Focus on the conversations.
A great way to do this is by inviting your audience to have a conversation with you. Encourage people to comment, message you, or send an email and then respond - I know what a concept!
And we’re sitting here rolling our eyes thinking, “Of course we respond!” but think about bots for 5 seconds and then tell me that every online marketer gets this concept...they don’t.
Again, so many entrepreneurs are striving for automation over the connection and it’s hurting.
Say no to BOTS!
2. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR EMAIL FUNNEL
Ok, I know I said you can’t automate connection and I still stand by that, but of course, as a growing online brand, we need a little automation.
One of my favorite places for automation is in the new subscriber email sequence. While many entrepreneurs go into building their email funnel/ email sequence/ lead magnet sequence, call it what you want, with an emphasis on selling we should really be focusing on relationships.
Use this opportunity to introduce yourself, your mission, your values and be of service to your audience. This is a great place to provide high-value content to once again build trust.
79 percent of people say that user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions. (Stlacka, 2019)
3. SHARE STORIES IN YOUR MARKETING
Storytelling my love language, but seriously I talk about storytelling a lot over here on the Brandmerry Blog because it’s so powerful as a marketing strategy. It’s one of the fastest ways to build relationships and trust with your audience and is so freaking fun.
If you’re not familiar with storytelling in business, check out this post here.
Storytelling can…
+Introduce the human side of your brand by sharing your founder story
+Give your audience a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of your brand and business
+Introduce multiple dimensions to your brand, so it becomes less about just the products you offer and more about the brand as a whole
+Help your audience remember your content
+Create an emotional connection between the consumer and your brand
And most importantly storytelling is an excellent way to show empathy for your audience and the problem you solve. Empathy is so crucial when it comes to build relationships and therefore is a must for online brands who are excited and eager to become pros at relationship marketing - hey that’s you, right?!
If you’re wondering where to start with storytelling you can check out 5 Examples of Brand Storytelling to Incorporate into Your Marketing here.
CONCLUSION
A note about authenticity.
It’s time we take back authenticity! It’s become such a freaking buzz word and we’re finding so many brands are living outside of authenticity.
Over here at Brandmerry HQ, we believe that authenticity is the alignment of personality, ideals, and appearance in all aspects of your life. If I meet you in person and you’re way different than how you “appear” online there’s a misalignment with your authenticity.
Authenticity might be a buzzword, but it’s important and crucial to marketing!
Remember that statistic from above?
86 percent of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support (Stackla, 2019)
As you’ve seen in this post all of it comes back to authentically showing up online and connecting with your audience on a human to human level.
So check yourself, how authentic are you being with your brand and marketing?
Is there a misalignment?
Are you acting like someone you feel you should be to make money online?
If so, take the steps to get back into alignment with your authenticity and focus on building relationships with your growing audience.
BONUS
So much of this authenticity comes back to the foundations of your brand. How your brand voice was established at the very beginning!
Inside my free Build a Better Brand Method class, I share the top three mistakes entrepreneurs make when it comes to building their personal brand and the 3-part framework to build moving forward.
If you haven’t attended this class, it’s a must listen to. Sign up for the next available time at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.
P.S. If you made it this far, good for you! Let’s take it a step further and dive into your branding as a way to build relationships. If you haven’t already make sure to watch my free class on The Build a Better Brand Method.
It’s a free 60-minute class for female entrepreneurs looking to build a strong personal brand that supports them in standing out online, creating a stream of high-value content, and build a community of fans that leads to a revenue-generating business.
Sign up for the class at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- 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.
BRAND AFFINITY: WHAT IS IT AND HOW DO YOU IMPROVE IT
Have you ever wondered why some brands resonate with you so much better than others? Or, why you find yourself coming back to a brand over and over again because of the connection you feel? It’s Brand Affinity! Learn what it is and how to improve it for your business on the blog.
Brand Affinity: What Is It and How Do You Improve It?
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
Have you ever wondered why some brands resonate with you so much better than others?
Or, why you find yourself coming back to a brand over and over again because of the connection you feel?
Me too, that was until I learned about Brand Affinity.
Turns out I had been focused on building Brand Affinity for years, just didn’t have a name for it, but this secret sauce is something every online brand should work towards (more on why in a minute).
The beautiful thing about Brand Affinity is that it doesn’t have to take years to build trust. We often think that building trust with our audience takes a lot of time, and for some it does depending on where they are in the buying process, but it can happen within in minutes.
The tips I’m sharing with you in this blog will give you tools to start building Brand Affinity today, so you can get started on your way in building a deeper relationship with your audience.
Let’s start at the beginning.
WHAT IS BRAND AFFINITY?
Brand Affinity is when a consumer believes a particular brand shares the same values as them.
It’s deeper than a knowledge of the brand, brand awareness, and begins to build the connection between consumer and brand on a more personal and emotional level.
This connection is what allows you, as the brand, to not only stand out online but keep your audience coming back time and time again.
Remember purchase decisions come down to trust.
“If someone likes you they’ll listen to you, if they trust you they’ll do business with you!” - Zig Ziglar
Building this trust is necessary when building an online brand in 2020 and beyond because consumers are looking for brands that they can trust.
As more generations become part of movements and make changes in their personal lives they’re looking for brands that share those values and go even further to provide support for those values as well.
When you build brand affinity with your audience you increase the likelihood that they will purchase your service or product, you create a consumer base that sticks around for the long haul (hello community) and your audience is more likely to refer others to your brand.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a sweet deal.
BRAND AFFINITY IN MARKETING
In a few minutes, I’m going to share with you five ways to increase your brand affinity, but there is one strategy that is essential when it comes to marketing your business and that’s the power of storytelling.
The reality is you can’t just post your values every single day on social media, but you want people to understand them.
You can’t share your mission point-blank in every email, but you want your audience to understand it.
This is where storytelling becomes your secret weapon in marketing.
Through strong storytelling, you can showcase your values and mission daily through your brand messaging. Yes, that’s right storytelling should be incorporated into every aspect of your marketing.
Want to learn all the ins and outs of storytelling in business? My Tell Better Stories Mini-Course has your name written all over it. Learn more at brandmerry.com/stories
Storytelling gives you the ability to not only share relevant stories that showcase your values and mission (hello, Brand Affinity) but give you the tools to begin building deeper relationships with your audience.
These deeper relationships and connection are why our audiences trust us, buy from us and keep coming back.
It’s not enough to just have strong Brand Awareness, someone’s knowledge of your brand, you have to go deeper. The truth is, there are a lot of people offering something similar to you, multiple ways for a consumer to solve their problem, but storytelling and specifically Brand Affinity makes your brand...their brand.
5 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR BRAND AFFINITY
I know you’re wondering, “Michelle, aside from storytelling how can I increase Brand Affinity with my community?”
Well, I’m so glad you asked!
I know storytelling can feel complex, I’ve included some resources below to support you with this, but I want you to be able to start TODAY. So, below you’ll find five simple ways to improve your Brand Affinity almost immediately.
1 | SHARE YOUR BRAND VALUES
Seems simple enough right? Well, not enough brands are identifying the values of their brand and therefore aren’t sharing them. How do you expect someone to experience Brand Affinity, shared values, if you yourself don’t know your brand values.
So, if you haven’t already identified yours now is the time to start.
I suggest thinking of the values you personally hold and how those connect to your brand.
What values do you want to share between you and your consumer, it will be a lot easier to build a business you love if you attract the right people.
For instance, some of my brand values are:
+ Authenticity
+ Transparency
+ Care and Attention to Detail
+ Reduce the overwhelm
+ The desire for our living a Freedom lifestyle
I showcase these through my marketing, every email, photo, etc is focused on attracting people who share the same values.
TAKE ACTION: Identify your core values and then share them.
The simplest thing to do is post them on your website, this can be done on your About Me page, but as we talked about earlier you’ll also want to showcase these through storytelling.
2| SHARE THE MISSION BEHIND YOUR BRAND
I started my career in non-profit work so forgive me as a gush over the power of a Brand Mission. As business owners we forget this, not enough business owners are taking the time to identify the mission or purpose behind their brand and this is a mistake.
63% of consumers state they want to buy from purpose-driven businesses.
And although money is amazing, I love it myself, it’s not the purpose. Your purpose and mission need to be deeper than that.
For instance, the mission behind my brand is…
“To empower women to uncover and own their story and share it with the world through their personal brand.”
This mission not only drives every decision in my business, but is also one of the main connectors for my audience.
TAKE ACTION: Identify your mission.
What is the purpose behind your business?
What legacy do you want to leave begin with your work?
Then share it! I love encouraging my clients to share their mission statement on their Home Page, but you can also include it on your About Me page.
3 | SHOW BRAND AFFINITY THROUGH PHOTOS
This is my favorite thing to do as a personal brand and it’s so important. We often don’t think about the effect of Instagram on building trust or the use of seeing multiple photos on a website as a way to build Brand Affinity, but it’s actually a very powerful practice.
Here’s why it’s so powerful. When you showcase multiple photos of yourself, different outfits, different locations, different expressions your audience feels as if they are seeing at different moments in time. It’s as if you’ve met and know each other for longer than you actually have.
Photography overall is one of my favorite investments as a brand. It’s not about spending a bunch of money or posing for all your photos, but it is about elevating your brand by showing different sides of your personality and if you’re not a photographer then hiring one can be one of the best investments in your business.
TAKE ACTION: Hire a photographer if you can and make sure you clearly articulate your brand values, ideal customer and the emotional connection you want to portray. More on prepping for a Brand Photoshoot here
But, even if you can’t invest in a photographer right now, you can use a tripod or a friend to take photos of you. Make sure you’re sharing different moments in time to achieve the Brand Affinity. Then share your photos on your website and of course on social media.
Take a look at my Instagram to get a feel for this!
4 | BUILD A COMMUNITY
There are a lot of different ways to build community outside of a private Facebook Group, even though everyone is telling you that you need one. The truth is you can build community on social media and through your email lists just as effectively.
When we think of community we think of a central location for everyone to hang out, but what you’re wanting to do is just declare your brand as the community.
For example, inside of my first email when you sign up for my email list I welcome new subscribers to the Brandmerry Community.
I’m always referring to the Brandmerry Community on my live streams, blogs and on social media. There isn’t a specific jacket we all wear, but we know. The women inside the community know I’m speaking to them and about them and that builds connection.
You could even go as far as declaring a name for your community.
This sense of unity makes someone feel as if they are part of something bigger. It’s not just about buying your product and peacing out it’s about belonging, which we as humans want.
TAKE ACTION: How can you use the tools at your fingertips to build a community? Will you give your audience a name? Determine some of the fun ways you can create a community that allows your audience to be part of something.
5 | EXCELLENT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
It’s no secret that as consumers we want to be cared for. We don’t want to work extra hard to get the products and services we desire and once we make the decision, i.e. commitment, we want it to be easy.
This is where your customer service comes to the next level.
We often think the customer service is the sale, and while that is important, what comes next is what builds further Brand Affinity.
For instance, when someone purchases one of my services or courses they receive instant confirmation that their purchase has been received. Then, they receive an email with all the information they need, including login, how to access the materials, the next steps and where to start.
I take the guesswork out of getting started and right away my audience feels taken care of and trust is increased.
TAKE ACTION: How can you improve your customer service? If you have any holes in your process, post-sale, fill those now!
CONCLUSION
I hope you can see the importance of Brand Affinity and why every single brand, no matter what you sell, should be focused on building this deeper connection and trust with their audience.
As I mentioned before I know sometimes this whole branding and storytelling thing can feel like a lot. If you’re wanting to build more of a foundation with your brand, understand how all the pieces like storytelling fit together and what you want to avoid when building your brand then I’d love to invite you to watch my free class.
In this free class, I’ll share the Build a Better Brand Method. Sign up for the next available time at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.
And if you’re looking for those resources on storytelling, sorry to keep you hanging, you can find those below.
Where and When to Share Your Brand Story can be found here
The Art of Storytelling in Business can be found here
5 Examples of Brand Storytelling to Incorporate into Your Marketing can be found here
How to Attract Your Dream Clients Through Emotional Branding can be found here
I hope these resources will support you in understanding storytelling in marketing on a deeper, it really changes everything!
P.S. If you made it this far, good for you! Let’s take it a step further and dive into your branding. If you haven’t already be sure to watch my free class on The Build a Better Brand Method.
It’s a free 60-minute class for female entrepreneurs looking to build a strong personal brand that supports them in standing out online, creating a stream of high-value content and build a community of fans that leads to a revenue-generating business.
Sign up for the class at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- 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.
3 Mindset Shifts That Helped Me Double My Monthly Revenue to $20k
If you want to increase your revenue, sign your first clients or celebrate your next big launch you need your head in the game. I’m sharing the three mindset shifts that have supported me in doubling the monthly cash revenue for my business.
3 Mindset Shifts That Helped Me Double My Monthly Revenue to $20k
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
I know why you’re here.
You’re ready for the next level. Maybe for you, that means doubling your yearly revenue, monthly revenue, hitting your first $5k cash or $10k cash month, or just signing your first client.
No matter what brought you here today, I’m thankful you are here.
Over the past three months, I’ve doubled my monthly cash revenue from consistent $10,000 cash months to $20,000 cash months. And while strategy played a major role, what’s interesting is that many of my strategies from $10k to $20k months didn’t change, but my belief in them coming to fruition did.
And now that I’ve seen, thanks to numbers, that this is consistent for my business and growing, I want to share them with you in today’s blog.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MINDSET IN BUSINESS
I am a strategist. I am somebody who loves numbers, analytics and data. I LOVE goals.
So mindset, even from the very beginning of my business has been something that I've had to actively work on.
For some people, the belief of the mindset behind their work comes very naturally to them, and they have to apply more energy and attention towards the strategy.
Some people like myself, the strategy comes very, very natural, and they have to put a lot of attention to the mindset.
Since the beginning of my business, I have focused my energy on my mindset, and my resiliency, because at the end of the day, you're the CEO, you're the boss, you make so many of the decisions, if you are an entrepreneur and a solopreneur, that your mindset has to be in peak performance.
Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t have times where I’m like, “I need a freaking break!” Or have times where I’m like, “Oh my gosh, this isn’t working.”
But, as entrepreneurs we have to treat our bodies, our minds and our souls like an athlete would. We have to make our mindset and our health a top priority, because in the beginning if we aren’t there to show up and put in the work the business will not grow.
So no matter what area you feel is your strength, be it mindset or strategy, you have to work on finding a harmony between the two and giving whichever needs the most attention at the moment the attention it needs to move your business forward.
LAYING A STRONG BUSINESS FOUNDATION
When it comes to elevating your business there’s a beautiful blend of strategy paying off and mindset being at its peak.
It’s important that before I share these shifts with you, the same shifts that supported me in doubling my monthly revenue, you understand I’ve been putting in the strategy for about seven months prior.
I put in the work to set up a funnel that brings in new leads and sales daily.
I made the decision to cut back on my 1:1 coaching and rather offer limited-time ways to work 1:1 with me.
I also show up every single week, multiple times a week, including live videos for my audience.
These practices allowed me to sit at $10k cash months for over two years and the foundations were working, but when I was ready to step into the next level that’s where the mindset kicked in.
You can’t skip the strategy.
You have to have it.
That’s why having a strong business foundation is so important. You need a solid brand to move forward with fancy marketing and all the perks that come with that.
If you’re looking to build a solid brand foundation you can learn more in my upcoming masterclass at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.
Ok, now that I have all my disclaimers out of the way and you understand that mindset shifts aren’t the only thing that is going to carry you we can jump into it!!
MINDSET TIP #1
CHOOSE YOUR CELEBRATION (VISUALIZE)
In 2017, I discovered this technique for the first time. My coach at the time introduced me to the concept of visualization as a way of goal setting.
I’d always had a vision board, seriously since I was a kid, but this was about truly stepping into the moment when you achieve your goal.
In 2017, I decided that when I hit my goal of signing 10 new 1:1 clients I would fly to NYC to see my favorite Broadway show. I’d visualize every single day what it would feel like to walk the streets of NYC, after watching the show, wearing my black maxi and singing the songs. I saw it so vividly.
And do you know what happened? That exact scenario played out. After hitting my goal, I invested in a mastermind and our first retreat was in NYC.
Since then I’ve used this technique multiple times but recently took it up a notch by investing early.
In May of 2020, I knew I was ready to double my monthly revenue. While shopping I picked up a bottle of champagne, more expensive than I would typically buy and I put it in the fridge with a post-it that said, “$20k Cash Month!”
Every day I focused on the celebration of my goal, I couldn’t avoid it because it was where my food was! I took just a second to feel into the celebration I would have to open the bottle and share it with my family.
At the end of May, I opened that bottle.
I had the strategy in place, I knew what I was going to do, but now I fully trusted that it was going to happen and I knew just how I’d celebrate my goal coming to fruition.
There’s something powerful about focusing on the celebration as you’re working towards your goal. It puts the excitement and joy into your daily actions and raises your vibration.
It doesn’t have to be a trip to another country to be a celebration, it can be as simple as a bottle of wine or dinner at your favorite restaurant ordering whatever you want, but one of the most fun things you can do is choose how you’ll celebrate before you even start taking action.
ACTION STEP: Decide how you’ll celebrate your next goal. If you can invest in it now do that, but at the very least tell everyone about it, print a visual out and put it on your desk and every day imagine the celebration.
MINDSET TIP #2
WORK ON YOUR MONEY STORY
The second thing that I did, and I've been doing this since January, is I have been working so hard on my money story.
If you're not familiar with a money story, it is a combination of the beliefs that you carry around money. What you believe having money means, what you believe not having money means, what you believe debt means, what you believe working hard for something means.
It’s rooted in how you viewed money or were told about money as a child and young adult.
The beautiful thing about having a money story is that you can always uncover, own, release and write a new one, which is something I’m constantly working on.
I've been doing work on my money story since 2016 when I started my business, but this year I knew to reach a new bracket I needed to dig deeper.
As someone who is a minimalist and travels full-time in a 36-foot travel trailer, I don’t NEED a lot. I’ve often associated having money with having stuff, a belief I’ve carried since I was young, so the idea of having more stuff is not a driver for me to have more money.
But the truth is, I absolutely am worthy of having a lot of money and having more money will allow me to not only grow my business but provide more to my team and community.
Going through this story work allowed me to better understand what having more money would mean. For my personal circumstance it included:
Increasing my salary
Increasing the pay to my team and bringing on full-time team members. This is a ripple effect because it impacts their ability to create wealth as well.
Adding more team members which allow us to help more women in my community.
Adding more coaches under Brandmerry to support my clients at a higher level.
Invest more money on ads so I can attract more people to my brand and therefore help more women.
Adding new programs and offering more support.
Donating more money to the causes that are important to me.
There's a ton of things that I realized, going to this next bracket could allow me to do. Without doing the work on my money story I wouldn’t have realized this and therefore wouldn’t have the same energy and drive to make more money.
You’re probably holding on to a lot of beliefs that are keeping you from making the money you desire. Doing the work on your money story is important and as an entrepreneur, I believe a non-negotiable.
So really think about what you're telling yourself around money, what you're telling yourself about what you're worthy of having and think of what you're going to do with that money when you have it, give it a purpose.
ACTION STEP: Begin to work on your Money Story. If you’ve never done this work before, I recommend The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein.
MINDSET TIP #3
DON’T TIE YOUR PRODUCTS TO YOUR WORTH
Giving a purpose to your money is important. Understanding what you’ll do with your money is a great way to do just that.
However, it’s important that your money and more specifically your products aren’t tied to your worthiness.
You are worthy just as you are, at this very moment.
Hitting the next income bracket doesn’t improve your worth.
Selling your products doesn’t improve your worth.
In order to receive you need to understand that you are worthy of doing just that, every damn day.
However, when you’re an entrepreneur and specifically a solopreneur it is very easy to think, “This isn’t working, this isn’t selling, it must be me!”
When in reality it’s probably just your messaging, but that’s another conversation to have.
Rather than tying your worthiness to your ability to make money, I encourage you to tie your products, services and money to your purpose.
I made this shift deeply in 2020, this year has been the year that my mission became, even more, my driving force and as a result, the products, videos, posts, coaching, etc that I’ve put out into the world are in alignment with that mission.
It has attracted the best people.
It has brought in the money and will continue to do so.
It has felt dang good.
And tying the products to my mission over my worthiness allowed me to continue to work at a higher vibration and never once question my ability to make the money I desire.
If you’re at a place where you want to create an evergreen funnel and get paid while you shower or sleep, or you’re wanting to raise your prices it can be scary because we’re making it about us, make it about your purpose and watch the excitement explode.
ACTION STEP: Catch yourself; become aware of how you’re valuing yourself. How important is your time? How important is your energy? Are your products and services tied to your purpose, or still closely connected to your personal success?
CONCLUSION
At the end of the day, after all the work is complete and the strategies are implemented you have to so deeply trust yourself and that you can do this.
It’s like what we said about the celebration at the beginning if you’re focusing on reaching your goal, then in your mind, you’re already there. You’re fully committed and invested in that happening.
Because as a business owner you have to put yourself out there, but once you've put the stuff out there, once you’re showing up, once the plan is in motion, so much of the success comes down to your belief and your energy.
This work needs to be done and there are so many ways to get started including purchasing Gabby Bernstein’s book, The Universe Has Your Back.
In fact, I have an entire list of books that I recommend when it comes to mindset and belief.
These shifts, especially with your money story, can be as simple as getting a book and when you’re ready there are so many programs out there to support you, including Roadmap to Freedom which includes an R2F Mindset Coach with monthly calls and trainings on money mindset and worthiness.
If you’re looking for more support around your strategy, so you can feel confident moving forward with your goals you can learn more about working privately with me through my Brand Intensives. Learn more and apply for a limited spot at brandmerry.com/intensive.
P.S. Here are some additional blogs related to mindset that can support you on your journey.
3 Mindset Shifts for Entrepreneurs. READ IT HERE
Mindset Techniques for Female Entrepreneurs (Create a Mindset Routine). READ IT HERE
WATCH OR LISTEN TO THE CONTENT IN THIS POST BELOW.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- 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.
Don’t Make This Mistake With Your Brand Storytelling
Avoid this #1 mistake that most brands make when it comes to storytelling in business. Learn what the mistake is and what you need to do to make sure your stories sell in business.
We are wrapping up the four-part series on Storytelling over here on the Brandmerry Blog and my weekly show Mondays With Michelle.
Over the last couple of weeks we’ve covered:
+ Sharing Imperfections in your Personal Brand Storytelling
+ Why You Should be Repeating Your Brand Story and Messages Online
+ 5 Examples of Brand Storytelling to Incorporate in Your Marketing Strategy
And today, we’re wrapping it up with the #1 mistake you might be making in your brand storytelling and how to fix it!
Because by now you know how important storytelling is for business and if you don’t here’s a recap.
So here we are talking about the mistakes so you can avoid them.
If you prefer to watch or listen to this blog post, scroll down to access the full video.
Storytelling in Business
It’s important to understand that telling a story for business is different than just telling a story to your friend.
At the end of the day, when you are telling stories in business, and as a brand, you're doing so to make money. The goal is to sign clients or to sell a product, but at the end of the day, you want to incorporate storytelling to increase your revenue.
So, your stories need to be strategic and calculated to lead to the sale.
It doesn’t mean you lose out on authenticity, it just means you take the time to do the prep work to share a story that sells.
One of those pieces, which happens to be a mistake so many brands make, comes back to their audience.
BRAND STORYTELLING SECRET WEAPON
When you are telling stories in business they are for your ideal customer, they are for your audience...they are not for you!
You're not buying your own stuff, so the story is not for you.
The ultimate goal is to attract your ideal customer and dream audience, build trust, build brand recognition, brand affinity and ultimately tell stories that sell.
The beautiful thing is that you can use stories at every single level of the buying process. Whether someone isn't aware of their problem.
They're aware of their problem.
They're aware of a solution to their problem.
They're aware of products but haven’t made a decision, you can incorporate stories to move them along.
So no matter where your ideal customer is in the buying process stories are an excellent marketing strategy.
You might tell a story about your situation…
You might tell a story about your transformation…
You might tell a story about your values…
But if you're not tying that to your audience, it becomes a cool-story-bro situation.
It becomes a “that's nice” situation.
WHY YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE THIS STORYTELLING MISTAKE
The cool-story-bro situation is not a situation you want to be in.
It results in a little heart and maybe a comment, but nothing more.
It doesn’t lead to sharing your content or saving it and coming back to it as a top resource.
It doesn’t lead to DM’s and authentic conversations.
It doesn’t lead to sales.
Because when we’re talking about engagement on social media, hearts and likes don’t tell us anything. It doesn’t necessarily translate into sales and revenue for your business.
The goal, as a business owner, is to inspire your audience to take action and that’s what you want your stories to do.
You want your audience to take action, to subscribe to your email list, to visit your website, read your blog, buy your product, or sign up for your high-level program.
We want our stories to motivate our audience to take action.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR BRAND STORYTELLING ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE
Entrepreneurs and business owners tend to write their stories about them and struggle to tie their message directly to their audience.
They don’t take into consideration if the story is relevant to their audience and if it’s valuable...this is where the mistake is made.
Anytime you’re writing a story, choosing a photo, writing a social media post, writing an email and more you must consider it from the perspective of your audience and the value it provides.
Donald Miller of StoryBrand introduced the concept of the Hero and the Guide as it pertains to marketing.
The idea is that so many brands and businesses are positioning themselves as the Hero. You don't want to be the Hero, you want to be the Guide. Your audience is the Hero.
The Guide is the person that helps them, that supports them, that inspires them to take action and then leads them on that journey to a solution to their problem.
Your audience is the Hero, but so many business owners are writing stories about themselves and putting themselves in the role of the Hero, this is a mistake.
Here’s an example I made on social media.
4 years...⠀
...4 headshots 😂⠀
When I look at these photos I see the same woman but not really.⠀
I see what really happened behind the scenes.⠀
The tears that were shed and all the emotions in 2016 while in a Target dressing room to find the right dress to hug my 8-month postpartum body and spirit.⠀
I didn't feel ready for that photoshoot, but I did it anyway.⠀
To the woman in overalls who made the bold decision to represent a different face of entrepreneurship and a brand. ⠀
A less polished and more "everyday", simple and authentic brand. I mean who wears overalls in a brand shoot...this girl 🖐️⠀
I've grown over these 4 years and what you see today is lightyears from the woman I was just 4 years ago.⠀
As some would say I'm owning it and IDGAF 😜⠀
It's just a photo, sure, but this is why I love what photos represent.⠀⠀
Growth.
Authenticity.
Moments in time to reflect on and say, "Look how far you've come!"⠀
I encourage you to do the same today. ⠀
See how far you've come and be proud of the growth ♥️⠀
Happy Sunday friends.⠀
- mk
In this post I’m sharing what happened behind the scenes, I’m sharing my story and I’m talking about how I didn’t feel confident to have my first photoshoot, but I did it anyway.
I talked about owning my voice, and stepping more into my role and showing a more everyday simple and authentic brand, something you don't typically see on the internet.
I talked about how I've grown over the last four years, and I talk about the representation of this photo.
Now, I could have stopped there. That would have been a story. But it would have been a story about me, it wouldn't have been a story about anyone else.
It wouldn't have been a story with my ideal customer in mind.
So instead, all I did was add a simple line to the end. I said, “I love what photos represent.
Growth.
Authenticity.
Moments in time to reflect on and say, "Look how far you've come!"⠀
I encourage you to do the same today. ⠀
See how far you've come and be proud of the growth.” And at that moment an entire story that was centered around my experience, turned around and provided value and action to my audience.
Every single word I wrote, in this story, had my ideal customer in mind.
I know my ideal customer doesn't always see themselves in the brands and big mega businesses that they see on the internet.
I know they're looking for something a little bit more real or raw.
I know that my ideal customer is growing and has grown and wants to see this growth in the long term.
And all I had to do was say a simple sentence at the end to bring it back to them.
Do you see how I could have stopped and it would have been 100% about me, but then I was able to position myself as the guide to offer advice to my audience.
HOW DO YOU WRITE BRAND STORIES FOR YOUR AUDIENCE
How can you write a social media post and tie every single word back to your audience?
Two words...MARKET RESEARCH.
Your ideal client research is non-negotiable, please stop skipping it.
The beautiful thing about ideal client research is that it doesn't stop. You don't do it one time. You're always learning. You're always listening. You're always having conversations.
And yes, of course, the more clients that you have, the bigger your business gets, the easier it is because your audience is more accessible. For instance, I can message a bunch of my Academy students and be like, “Hey, guys, really quick question. What's coming up for you? What's a struggle that you have?”
Market research becomes a lot easier when you have the clientele. but there are so many ways that you can do it, in the beginning, using the internet.
You can use YouTube, Pinterest, personal conversations, reading comments on blogs, reading forums, posting in Facebook Groups, searching in Facebook Groups, there are a million ways that you can find out what you need to know about your ideal customer.
And although we are talking about this specifically as it applies to storytelling, you probably picked up already that this applies to every aspect of your business.
You have nothing. If you have no one to buy from you.
You do not have a business, you have a product that doesn't sell because people aren't buying it, and so knowing your ideal client, knowing the language that they will use is so important as it plays a role in all of your marketing efforts.
But when we're talking about storytelling, it will make or break it because it will either put you in in the friend zone (aka cool-story-bro situation) or the relationship zone.
The friend zone sounds like…
… “Oh, she's cool. She tells good stories. I like her, she's fun to follow.”
While the relationship zone (aka business zone) sounds like…
… “I connect with her. I want to buy from her. I want to do business with her and tell all my friends about it”
See the difference?
CHOOSING YOUR STORIES IN BUSINESS
Choosing the stories that you tell in business should be based on your audience.
It’s not just about turning it back to them with your words, including a quick little sentence at the end, it's not just about using language throughout the ties to your audience, it goes back even further with choosing the stories that will resonate most with your audience.
The more that you understand your ideal customer, the more that you will be able to say, “Here's a bunch of stories that I have. Here's how it's valuable to my audience. Amazing. Now, when I write that post, these are the things that I want to tie in about my audience. And here's the call to action!”
It makes marketing and more specifically storytelling easy.
CONCLUSION
Everything in business comes back to your audience.
It’s about growing your audience, nurturing your audience and converting your audience. Those are your three goals. As a business owner, if you do that you will be golden.
And storytelling is an excellent way to do that.
WATCH OR LISTEN TO THE CONTENT IN THIS POST BELOW.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- 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.