Brandmerry Blog Archives
The 2021 Brandmerry Gift Guide
THE 2021 Brandmerry Gift Guide:
Support small businesses this Holiday
**This guide has been updated for the 2021 Giving Season.
If you’re like me this Holiday season you want to support as many small businesses as possible.
Maybe it’s the crazy year we’ve endured.
Maybe it’s the desire to be more meaningful with our gift-giving and impact.
Maybe it’s the fact you don’t want to go to any stores.
Whatever, the reason I’m right there with you and decided to put together the first-ever 2021 Brandmerry Gift Guide.
I’ve hand-selected 10 small businesses to share in this year’s gift guide.
The founders of these businesses are part of the Brandmerry Community and are here to expand their branding and marketing so they can reach more people.
It’s an honor to support them through my work and share their work with you in 2021.
When doing your Holiday shopping please consider buying from a member of the Brandmerry community or supporting a local small business.
Cosmetic + Skin Care
SOUL SAFARI NATURALS
Plant-based all natural moisturizing body butter. Made with happiness and smiles for all humankind.
THEIR STORY. “I was a nurse for 23 years and health and wellness is my passion. I am drawn to nature and natural derived ingredients. I began researching and making my own skin care products with all natural butters and oils as a hobby. I shared my creations with family and friends and they felt like they were getting a gift and it lifted their spirits. Soul Safari Naturals began to spread a little joy and happiness at a time when we truly needed it.”
SUGGESTED PRODUCT: Grapefruit Lime Body Butter
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: $20 - $30
HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINE: December 14 (free shipping if on mailing list)
Juniperus Herbals
Juniperus Herbals is a holistic, nature-based skincare brand that integrates modern scientific research with synergistic plant-powered formulations to support your skin goals at each stage of life.
THEIR STORY. “I was studying herbalism and started making my own remedies. I wanted safe skincare products that are planet, and people-friendly, rooted in the people-plant relationship. I am a mother to a beautiful 4-year-old named Juniper (the inspiration behind the name Juniperus herbals), a teacher by trade, an ecologist at heart, an herbalist by practice, and a business owner to fuel my passions and creativity. Everything I have accomplished so far has been started from the bottom, from self-study learning the power of plants, how to formulate effective natural products, to website design sprinkled with a tad of coding, and now marketing.”
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS: Daily Skincare Ritual
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: $10 - $90
HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINE: December 10
Home + Decor
Rosella Woodworks
Rosella Woodworks creates handcrafted wood serving boards, cutting boards, and shelves to bring more warmth and natural beauty into your home from your table to your decor.
THEIR STORY. “My husband began making wood furniture for our home because he wanted to try something new and make things we weren't finding elsewhere at the same quality. Then, this year we were separated for a few months at the beginning of the pandemic as Tyler is a firefighter / paramedic for our local city and we wanted to keep our family as safe as possible since he was transporting patients frequently. During that time, he had space to dream up how to take this woodworking craft, that was also a creative outlet, and make it something more. He started working with large hardwood slabs from local mills and loved the results, making a beautiful artist desk for our house. That quickly turned into more with various cutting and serving boards that showed off the natural grain and beauty of the wood he worked with. We hope these pieces become something special that families can treasure in their homes for quite some time, that inspires them to cook more and sit down for great conversation at their dinner tables with a beautiful meal.”
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS: Live Edge Cutting Board
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: $35 - $150
HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINE: December 10 (only available in the U.S.)
FarmHouse Signs & Co.
Handmade wood signs and home decor.
Creating happy homes, one sign at a time!
THEIR STORY. “It all started with a with one sign... Back in 2014, I made a sign as a gift for my nephew. I was proud of it and flattered when people started asking me to make them a sign, but never really thought it would amount too much. But then I started thinking... what if I did start a business? With the support of my husband and family, I decided to take the leap and start Farmhouse Signs. Using my home and garage as my workspace and spent the next four years raising three kids on a crazy little farm and cranking out signs. When an adorable storefront came up for rent in 2018 I went all in and opened Farmhouse Signs & Co. Now, I not only feature my handmade signs, but a variety of home decor and accessories. I'm still surprised and grateful everyday that people want to buy my signs. I put a little piece of my heart in each one just for you!”
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS: Handmade Signs
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: $10 - $150
HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINE: Most items ship same day
CCTimmerman Art
CCTimmerman Art aims to spread joy through all things watercolor art and paper goods.
BRAND STORY. “I left my elementary art teaching job to became a stay at home mom after having my second baby in December 2019. Although it’s my favorite thing watching them grow everyday, it left me with a personal and creative void. I had a desire to contribute financially to my family, and also continue to create. I started my business CCTimmerman Art in July 2020 combining my love for painting and design. My mission is to provide women with unique, beautiful, and colorful stationery allowing them to spread joy and cheer.”
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS: Heart Note Card Set
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: $3 - $20
HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINE: Standard Shipping
Pritchard & Market
Wooden wick candles with cocoa apricot creme wax for the candle lover who wants something different; a relaxing crackling experience with wonderful luxury fragrances for a reasonable price.
BRAND STORY. “I began P&M as just a returning hobby because I was terminated from my job. I needed something to take my mind off of finding work but relaxed me. I love chemistry and i loved the idea of the different fragrances and products I could develop. I knew I had a great product when I made some for my mother for Christmas and she thought I purchased them from the store. That was a beautiful feeling. I want to share my joy and happiness with others.”
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS: Egyptian Linen and Lavender Buds candle
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: $22 +
HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINE: December 15
Books
Macario's Scepter
Macario's Scepter is a fast-paced pirate fantasy story featuring an unlikely Chosen One, an infamous pirate captain, and a treasure-hunting nun in a world of magic and monsters. We all need to escape the craziness of the world (and the cold!) so there's no better way than to dive into a page-turning read.
THEIR STORY. “I'm a single-mom, die-hard Marvel fan, and a woman who gets to tell stories for a living. I wrote my first story when I was in a 3rd grade and writing has been my passion ever since. Now I want to help women find their escape, their strength, and their sense of humor through storytelling.”
SUGGESTED PRODUCT: Macario’s Scepter
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: $4.99 for the ebook; $9.99 for the paperback
SHIPPING DEADLINE: no deadline
Positively Creative
Book and AFFIRMATION CARD DECK
Harness the magic of a positive mindset for joyful creative living, tap into your forces of strength, courage, and self-belief so you can formulate a positive creativity mindset. This book and affirmation deck will inspire you to release your limiting stories and pivot out of your negative thinking so you can climb your way toward joyful creative living.
BRAND STORY. “I am a writing coach and editor who works with writers invested in their creative journeys but struggle with issues such as imposter syndrome, lack of focus, and writer's block. I teach story development as well as mindset techniques so they can pursue their writing journeys with joy and confidence, and transform their dreams to reality.”
SUGGESTED PRODUCT: Positively Creative Card Deck
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: $8.99 - $28.99
SHIPPING DEADLINE: Digital download or 1 week for deck
Accessories
LACONIC
Minimalist statement jewelry to express your true self everyday. Embrace the true nature and power of jewelry; express yourself and tell your story through the act of wearing jewels. Laconic; to express using few or little words.
BRAND STORY. “Laconic was born from my desire to express myself creatively through the craft of Goldsmithing. My journey to jewellery design has been instinctive; I’ve always had an enthusiasm for design and enjoyed drawing from a young age. This led me to studying at Grays School of Art where I discovered the 3 Dimensional Design course, which encompassed ceramics, glass and jewellery. I felt like I’d found the perfect fit as this combined my love of drawing with my interest in design. Experimenting with the materials and bringing ideas to life —plus using my hands as the tools for creation — was such an exciting experience. It still is! Choosing to specialise in jewellery, I moved to Belgium and spent 6 months studying their Jewellery Design course. This is where my eyes were opened to the world of contemporary jewellery and also how I became struck with wanderlust! Arriving back to the UK, I graduated in 2010, going on to spend 10 years in the jewellery industry, including experience in retail and as a bench jeweller, repairing jewellery. This experience in the commercial industry gave me a lightbulb moment. With my background in design, I knew there was an opportunity for you to have something more original and well-crafted, with a story to tell. I always feel that jewellery is an easy way to instantly update any outfit. And for me, this is so much easier than playing around with fashion styles to express myself more freely. I've never been a fan of overly feminine jewellery and aim to create pieces which are bold and minimal but with maximum impact.”
SUGGESTED PRODUCT: Valley Half Hoops
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: £25 - £320
HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINE: Last Orders for UK December 18 and International December 4
Snickerdoodle Knits
Snickerdoodle Knits provides cozy, practical, and trendy hand knit winter accessories for women and children. I keep your family warm and cozy (without looking old-fashioned) in the chilly months and seasons.
BRAND STORY. “Just six months after graduating with high standing in an engineering degree, I found myself jobless in a small college town with minimal career opportunities. I was also unenthusiastic about my line of work and desperate for a creative outlet. That’s when I decided to turn my newly rediscovered passion for knitting into my new career. What started as knitting for craft fairs out of our tiny on-campus apartment in Wyoming has evolved into knitting and designing full-time from our home in North Carolina. My greatest joy is found in creating products that you LOVE and love to wear. What makes Snickerdoodle Knits special is the passion & enthusiasm that's kindled in my cozy knitter's heart and transferred to you in the form of warm, cozy knitwear for your family.”
SUGGESTED PRODUCT: Mittens and Fringe Cowls
PRODUCT PRICE RANGE: $7.50 - $60
HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINE: December 14th. Gift wrapping options are available, and all products ship for free.
P.S. Please consider sharing this guide with your friends and family and help support small businesses this Holiday Season.
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- 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.
What is Emotional Branding and How to Use It Effectively in 2021
Want to stand out on social media and create more income in your business? Ready to increase client retention and lifetime value? It’s all in your branding and more specifically emotional branding. Learn how to use it in your business over on the blog.
What is Emotional Branding and How to Use It Effectively in 2021
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
INTRO
I stumbled upon emotional branding when I started my business back in 2016.
I started my business with zero knowledge of building an online business. I had a background in public relations and communications, so you could say I knew a little bit about marketing, I knew a little bit about blogging, but I in no way knew how to actually brand myself online.
So I dove into the whole process, did it all wrong for months and then did it again. And it was during the do-it-again part, I discovered more about emotional branding and the power of storytelling.
I fell in love and watched over the next few months as it completely transformed my business. In just one year I went from $0 to a 6-figure cash business.
And everything I teach today through my programs is rooted in storytelling and emotional branding, two elements that fit hand in hand.
Because when we come from the place of, “I want my audience to feel X, Y, and Z,” it allows us to choose all of the things that we use in our marketing and our promotion in alignment with those feelings.
On today’s blog, I’m going to give you the tools to build a business around this same concept - emotional branding!
If you prefer to watch the content of this blog, you can scroll down and watch the full video.
What is Emotional Branding?
Emotional Branding is the art of communicating with your audience on a deeper, more personal level. It amplifies this idea of building relationships, which is what marketing truly is.
The end goal when marketing your business (which is just the art of amplifying your brand and attracting the right people) is relationship building.
And how do you know what types of content to create to build those relationships, if you don’t fully understand your audience?
This is why an integral piece of emotional branding and relationship marketing is knowing your audience.
By understanding your audience you can make decisions that connect deeply with their struggles, challenges and obstacles they’re facing and the goals and desires they are working towards and use that in your marketing.
And one more note on relationship marketing.
As consumers, we are bombarded with messages every day and we know as consumers that we're going to resonate with the ones that make us feel something, that stir something inside of us, that motivate us and make us feel a sense of belonging. This is the art of great branding.
Understanding how you want your audience to feel impacts the aesthetics of your brand; your logo, your font, your colors, your copy, the language that you're using in your copy, in your content, the stories that you're choosing, the messaging that you're using when you're on a live video, your website and even your products and services.
Emotional branding impacts every single aspect of your business.
The Benefits of Emotional Branding
A study from Harvard found that 90% of purchase decisions are made subconsciously.
This proves that the reason we buy is based not on the logistics we know about a product, but rather the interactions we’ve had that lead us to that brand and product/service. It comes down to the know, like and trust factor of a brand and how we feel the brand will solve our problem.
And as I mentioned in last week’s blog, when it comes to selling we always focus our energy on the sales conversation or the moment someone says, "I would like to buy your product," but that's not actually the buying process. The buying process is happening long before they decide to purchase or they put their credit card down, it's happening in those interactions with your brand.
So if the reason we invest in someone or something comes down to how that person, that product, that business, that brand ultimately makes us feel, wouldn’t you want to make sure you’re connecting on this level with your potential client?
I bet you do!
And it doesn’t stop there with the purchase. In fact, an area that many small business owners neglect is thinking about how they are continuing the art of emotional branding throughout the customer journey.
Yes, we need to start having real conversations about the customer journey and customer lifetime value.
When we start our businesses, it’s all about making money and with good reason. However, this mindset can keep us playing small as we continue to grow our business. Once we get those initial clients in the door what happens? How do we keep them engaged?
This is where emotional branding comes in because emotional branding has been proven to increase customer lifetime value and retention. When you build a deep connection with your audience from the start and continue to deliver on your mission, values and promise, you’re creating a fan for life.
And this is how you build a sustainable business!
Emotional Branding in Your Aesthetics
One of the first things we think of when it comes to branding is aesthetics. I get it, it’s so fun to think about your colors, fonts, logo, elements and more as a way to share your vision with the world.
But, the truth is small business owners and entrepreneurs are going about this completely backward!
One of the pieces in my signature branding course You! Branded, is determining the base of your brand through emotion and then using that to choose the aesthetics of your brand.
Visuals are some of the first parts of our brand that our audience sees and can be the difference between someone stopping mid scroll or not. We process visuals faster than text so understanding your brand and how to share that visually is essential.
How much more of an advantage would you have in your industry if these visuals were chosen with intention and focused on building an emotional connection with your audience? LIGHT YEARS ahead of others in your industry!
But, small business owners jump into their aesthetics too soon and without this groundwork. When you jump into the logo, color, those different things right away, you're going to sit there and you're gonna spin your wheels and it's gonna be really challenging, it's gonna take a lot of time, or you’re going to hire a designer that doesn’t fully grasp your vision.
But, when you start with understanding the emotional side of your brand and then choose those pieces, it happens way faster.
Choosing your fonts: Certain fonts really play up different emotions. Here’s a graphic sharing the different emotions associated with various types of fonts.
Let's say you’re a wedding photographer and you’re selecting a script font. If your ideal customer is an elegant bride and your package is for a high-end wedding with a price tag to match, you’re going to choose a completely different font and feel than a photographer who wants to attract a bohemian bride who wants to elope in the mountains.
Choosing fonts is a great way to make people feel something instantly without you having to say anything.
Choosing your colors. Color psychology is one of my favorite things to study and has been used in branding for decades.
Selecting your brand colors has to be about more than just, “I like this color, it’s my favorite color,” it has to be about your audience and how you want them to feel.
For instance, red is a power color, it signifies power, bold, and taking a stance.
Blue is very calming and yellow is joy.
You want to take this into consideration when choosing the colors of your brand!
Your elements. Things like your logo and photos are also heavily impacted by emotion. One of my favorite things to invest in is brand photography, in my opinion, it’s one of the best investments.
And when you go to a photographer and say, "These are my brand emotions, this is how I want someone to feel when they stumble on my social media feed, when they land on my website. Can you help me do that?" they are going to be so excited!
Having that information before hiring support will make sure that the end product is on brand and in alignment with what you want your audience to feel.
Choosing Your Emotions
When you're choosing your emotions I want you to think about aspirational branding.
It’s not about where your audience is now, but rather where your audience wants to be.
How does your audience want to feel?
What does your audience want to experience?
You can connect with them and where they are now through your copy and content, but that initial reaction, the visuals of your brand NEED to be what they are working towards, their desires.
Emotional Branding in Your Content
The aesthetics of your brand won’t change weekly, but your content will.
Once you set a strong foundation and choose your design elements you can rest easy knowing you don’t need to update those often. A refresh every once in a while is nice, but an overhaul is not necessary, especially when you follow my Build a Better Brand Method.
But that weekly content you’re creating will be ongoing and should also be rooted in the emotions of your brand. When it comes to writing content, I call this method emotionally-charged copy.
Emotionally-charged copy is the idea that you are connecting with your audience on a deep emotional level through your content, through your copy, and using language specifically for the.
This is why it’s crucial that you take the time to do the ideal client work.
When you are doing the ideal client work, you want to identify:
the current pain or struggles your audience is facing
the obstacles standing in their way
the pleasures they want to experience
their desires and goals that they have, both short-term and long-term
understanding what makes them excited and what they look forward to
what makes them frustrated and sad
Knowing these pieces and more will help you create copy that speaks clearly and emotionally to your audience.
At the end of the day, humans want to be seen, heard and understood and speaking to those pain and pleasure points through your content will do just that.
An example of emotionally-charged copy would be, "Have you ever felt like you worked all freaking day, staring at your to-do list, slowly checking off the boxes, but at the end of the day, you realize that you were no further along in building your business?"
This type of copy is much more specific and emotionally motivating than just saying, "Does it feel like you're constantly growing your business?"
When you can understand your audience and then speak to them on an emotional level, using language that is emotionally charged, it makes a difference, it could be the difference in an ad converting, it could be the difference in attracting the right person to your offer, it could be the difference between no money and $6,000 in your business.
COPY AND MESSAGING MATTER!
Brand Storytelling and Emotional Branding
Okay, let us wrap this up by talking about one final thing, my favorite thing, and that is storytelling and emotional branding.
These two things are like peanut butter and jelly, they're branding best friends.
This is what I’m obsessed with and teach all of my clients.
When we hear or read a story, we feel something inside, even if we haven't lived that exact same story, it's in the language, it's in the art of storytelling, and it’s happening inside our brains with the release of dopamine. This release makes stories 22x more memorable than content without storytelling aspects.
In addition to this awesome release of dopamine, storytelling helps with persuasion.
Aristotle stated that the three keys to persuasion are Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Take me back to college, am I right?!
And each of these pieces helps with persuading someone to take action, aka buy your product. Logos is the logistical side, which is important, but as we chatted above it’s not the reason people make a purchase.
Ethos and Pathos are where the money is at. Ethos is about showcasing your credibility and authority and Pathos is about empathy - both of these elements can be communicated beautifully through storytelling.
Through storytelling, you showcase authority by giving value to your audience. Understanding your audience, understanding what they need, giving them value through your storytelling, through your content, is important as a business owner.
By understanding your audience you can also use storytelling to show empathy, connecting to their pain, pleasures and desires. These can be stories from your life and journey, fictional stories that paint a picture of what is possible, and/or your client’s stories.
CONCLUSION
To recap, when it comes to emotional branding the first thing you need to do is understand how you want your audience to feel, then you need to choose the aesthetics that showcase that.
Then you use those key emotions and information from your ideal client research to build the visual representation of your brand, i.e. the aesthetics.
From there you begin to create the copy, those really, really emotionally charged messages on social media, via email, on Pinterest, on your blog, on video, wherever it is that you're showing up, you create that content for your audience.
And that’s the secret, if there’s a secret when it comes to being a business owner I’m convinced it’s the power of emotional branding. Yet, it’s underutilized by so many online small business owners.
As you head into 2021 and beyond, I encourage you to activate this emotional branding component, activate these storytelling pieces so that you can build your business and a thriving community of ideal customers.
A great place to start is by watching my free Build a Better Brand class here.
P.S. You’re invited to watch the Build a Better Brand Method class to learn how to build a brand built on an emotion that connects deeply with your audience. Sign up here.
Watch the full video training below. This video is part of my weekly show Mondays With Michelle at 4 pm CST on Facebook and Instagram.
- 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.
The Importance of Branding in 2022 and Beyond
Curious to understand the importance of branding? Branding can sometimes feel like a million different things or overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Read the blog to learn why you need to build your brand in 2022 and beyond.
**This content has been updated to reflect 2022 trends in branding and marketing.
If you’re a business owner, my hope is you’re always forward-thinking.
Thinking about how you want to grow your online community.
How you want to increase your sales.
How you want to launch and sell a new product or offer.
Increasing your brand exposure through media and features.
Get clarity on your next income level and how to get there.
And this type of forward-thinking feels so powerful as we approach the end of a year, quarter, or month in business.
My hope is that these are the types of things that you're constantly thinking about as a way to improve and scale your business.
And each of those things I shared above, plus many more, depend on how solid your brand is.
Didn’t think I was going to say that did you? Or maybe you did?
But, the truth is so many entrepreneurs don’t see that their success is deeply dependent on how solid and defined their brand is. This blog will help you do just that!
If you prefer to consume the content via video, you can scroll down to watch the video below.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BRANDING
Having a solid brand impacts the success of your marketing.
It allows you to craft messaging that pulls in your audience.
Having a solid brand allows you to know what to use for SEO to rank on Google.
Having a solid brand tells you the type of copy and imagery to use on Facebook ads and Pinterest ads so that they convert into lower ad costs and higher conversions.
Having a solid brand tells you what type of product or service you're going to put out into the world that's in alignment with what you want to provide and what your audience needs.
Having a solid brand is important, and it is the foundation of the things that you can achieve in your business.
Without a solid brand, your marketing will suffer.
But how do you know if your brand is truly solid?
SIGNS YOUR BRANDING ISN’T COMPLETE
Use the indicators below to help you determine if your current brand has some gaps. Make it a priority to fill those gaps so you can move forward with confidence in marketing your brand and business.
👉 YOU’RE STRUGGLING TO MAKE SALES
Now, maybe it's your first sale, maybe you made a sale three months ago, but you're having trouble signing another client, or making another sale into your paid offers.
The thing to keep in mind is that selling doesn't happen at the moment that someone's like, "I want to buy your product." It's happening long before.
It's happening the first time they come across your social media channel, your freebie, your Facebook ad, your website. That's when it's starting and that is branding.
That first feeling they get when they see your brand, the messaging that they're picking up on, that this is exactly what they need in their lives at this moment, how you're following up, your email campaign, the live streams you're doing, the podcasts, that's branding. And that's selling.
The selling process has to start long before you actually send an email that says, "By the way, guys, selling this thing." Because if it doesn't, you're going to notice that you don't sell any of the things. Because nobody really knows what you're about, people might not trust you. If you don't email them ever or have clear, consistent content, they might not even know who the hell you are.
These are important pieces of branding.
So if you're struggling to make a sale, or let's just even say consistent sales, even consistent money, it's possible that you have a branding problem.
👉 YOUR MESSAGE IS ALL OVER THE PLACE
I often get messages from potential clients and community members saying, "Michelle, I'm looking for support. I want to work one-on-one with somebody. My biggest hurdle is that I feel like my message is all over the place."
If you feel like your message is all over the place, I can tell you with 100% certainty that that is a branding problem.
How you show up, how you share what you do in a way that clearly communicates to your audience that it's for them and how it will benefit them is part of your brand. So if you feel like your message is all over the place, it could be two different things.
One, it could be your social channels, and your website, and your emails all look very different. They all sound very different. There's not a clear linear message.
It could also be that anytime you're talking about your product or an offer, maybe you're in the middle of a launch, all your messaging is different. There's no clear, "This is the program. This is who it's for. And this is how it will benefit you," or, "This is the product. This is who it's for. This is how it will benefit you."
That is a sign that your message is all over the place.
And maybe you've already felt it, you aren't successful with your selling, because people aren't really sure what it is that you're doing and how it's going to support them. And that's huge.
👉 YOUR WEBSITE ISN’T CONVERTING
Your website is the experience that you get to control, and there's no algorithm.
If your website isn't converting, it is a branding problem.
Because if people don't understand who you are and what you can help them with, they will peace out and they will do it very quickly.
I very rarely talk about aesthetics as it relates to branding, but the reality is that with your website, those photos, those colors, those aesthetics, those fonts, that one-liner at the top, that can make or break someone staying on your website or bouncing right off.
Eight seconds, 10 seconds, 12 seconds. That's the timeframe of people saying, "Is this for me? Is this not for me? Okay. Bye."
The photos and those pieces of your branding pull them in really, really quickly, and then it's all about your language and your messaging to keep them captivated and to convert them. So if you have a website, if you're getting traffic, and it's not converting, we have a branding problem.
These are three examples of a possible hole in your branding, but there are so many signs your branding might not be solid.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BRANDING IN 2022 AND BEYOND
There is a surge in demand for online businesses because of the shifts that happened in 2020. Not only did so many businesses need to move online in order to continue to make money, but consumers began to move their buying process entirely online. We’ve seen this shift continue to sustain for an entire year, with online shopping becoming one of the leading ways to buy goods and services.
And because of this demand for online businesses, there is also a surge in new businesses. We are currently in the middle of The Great Resignation, where we are seeing a large number of employees leaving the traditional workforce and starting online businesses.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise.
However, it brings up the reality that more and more people are starting online businesses which means the market is becoming more crowded, so how do you stand out?
YOUR BRAND.
It is more important than it has ever been, because of the demand, and because of more people wanting to meet the demand, for you to focus on your personal brand than it has ever been.
I'm going to say that one more time.
It is more important now than it has ever been for you to have a solid brand.
Because if you want to stand out in your industry, if you want to make sure that when people are looking for your product or your service, that they find you, and then they buy from you, not just shop around, but actually convert, your brand needs to be solid.
MY 6-PART FRAMEWORK FOR BRANDING
NUMBER 1: DEFINE YOUR NICHE
Your niche will impact every direction you’ll take in your business.
Your niche will impact the language and the messaging.
And this first level, allows you to clearly say to someone, "Hey, this is who I am, and this is what I do."
But, a lot of entrepreneurs can't do that, and they can't do it with confidence because they feel all over the place.
Bonus Tip: Your niche has to be specific. I know you don't want it to be, I know you want to have 25 niches. I know because I've worked with hundreds and hundreds of women. You're not alone when you have this feeling.
But if you are starting out, and you are wanting to grow, and you are going to want to consistently grow, you need to be specific.
Starting small and getting specific allows you to grow faster.
NUMBER 2: KNOW THY IDEAL CUSTOMER
Who do you want to attract?
Who do you want to work with?
Because it can't be everyone. I know you want it to be everyone. I know you want to be able to help everyone. Me too. I want to help a lot of people.
But by going too wide, just like with your niche, you aren't able to get specific with your messaging. Your ideal customer needs to be clear, and there's no way around skipping market research.
I don't care what anyone tells you. You can't skip market research. I've worked with plenty of people who have, and then they come to me, and they're like, "This isn't working."
And I know why it's not working. You can't skip market research.
Bonus Tip: Now, market research doesn't mean that you have to go post in a Facebook group or put a survey out there.
There are a lot of different ways to do market research that doesn't involve that, that just involve reading forums, and Amazon book reviews, and all kinds of stuff like that. But you need to know your ideal customer. And the reason for that is because you can think in your head what people want to hear, and you can make generalizations, but until you get their very specific language on what they're struggling with and what they want, your messaging won't convert.
You can write all the copy, you can write all the messaging in the world, but if you don't really, really know your ideal customer, and what they're going through, and what's standing in their way, and what they want, your messaging won't work.
I teach this in great detail inside of my course You! Branded. This is your final chance to purchase this personal branding course before January 2, 2022.
NUMBER 3 & 4: YOUR MESSAGE AND VOICE
Your message is how you communicate who you are and what you do to your audience in a way that has them saying, "I need that. Oh, I get how this is going to help me. Oh, that's crystal clear. Yes, please. Sign me up."
Your message is so, so important.
Again if sales pages are not converting, email is not converting, webinars, live videos, challenges, that's all messaging. And so, one of the things that I teach in my framework are these core brand messages, really identifying the different things that you provide and how they benefit your audience.
In conjunction with your messaging comes your voice. How will you present yourself to the world?
You need to think about who you are and the qualities that make you, you.
Then it’s about amplifying those online. How can you showcase that in your videos? How can you showcase that in your photography? How can you showcase that in your style and language?
Number three is where you pull together the first two building blocks. Your messaging and your voice are really bringing together your niche, who you are, what you provide, who you want to serve, and communicating that with the world.
NUMBER 5: YOUR OFFER
Number four is your offer. I believe that your offer is part of the branding process. So many people are like, "Let me brand myself, and then I'll figure out my offer."
But I believe in figuring out your offer while you’re here. You already know your niche if you're in my process. You already know what you want to be known for in your industry. You already know who you want to serve. You already know how it's going to benefit them.
Let's just put it together in an offer. Why would we wait?
So knowing your offer and knowing it BEFORE going in really heavy in your marketing is important. Because knowing your offer right out of the gate will help you reverse engineer your content, so you can hit the ground running and say, "Oh, this is my offer. This is what I'm selling. These are the pieces of content that I'm going to share over the next 90 days to sell that offer.
This is the freebie that I'm going to create to bring people in, to buy my offer. This is how I'm going to show up so that people buy my offer."
The cool part is if you’re following my process, your offer isn’t hard. At this point, you’re just deciding on the logistics of how to serve your ideal customer. The problem, struggle, and desire are already clear to you and you can craft an offer that supports your ideal customer at the highest level.
NUMBER 6: EMOTIONAL BRANDING
And then the final piece, number five, is my signature baby, and its emotional branding.
Emotional branding is how you connect deeply with your ideal customer. Because again, and especially heading into 2021 and beyond, if we not only want to stand out but also form a deep trusting bond with our audience, you need emotional branding.
People make decisions based on how they feel.
They make purchase decisions based on how they feel.
So inside of the emotional branding phase, you want to define HOW you want people to feel when they come in contact with your brand.
And once you identify that, that is when you can put the finishing touches on your colors, your fonts, and your visuals and overall aesthetics of your brand.
CONCLUSION
As you went through those, did you notice an area where you need to take some time to build a more solid brand?
Is something missing from your existing brand that’s affecting the overall success and growth of your business?
I’m really challenging you to start looking at your business with a mirror. Hold a mirror to your business and discover what’s working and what's not and make changes.
Self-evaluate your business. It's one of the best exercises you can do as a business owner.
If you haven't already now is the BEST time to join my signature branding program, You! Branded. This is your final chance to join to program before January 2, 2022. After that time it will no longer be available for purchase.
If you’re interested in customized support for your brand, I encourage you to explore my Brand Intensives. This VIP experience gives you the tools you need to build a solid brand and strategize the best way to increase brand exposure, awareness, and overall sales.
I have limited spots available monthly and you can learn more at brandmerry.com/intensive.
P.S. Don’t forget to check out You! Branded before your chance to join disappears. This course will give you a step-by-step guide to building your signature brand and solid business foundation in the first 21 days of the New Year!
- 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.
Facebook Group Marketing: Why I Don’t Recommend it and What to do Instead
Feeling overwhelmed with the constant need to post in Facebook Groups to “hopefully” build your email list and increase revenue? You’re not alone. Read the blog to learn why I don’t recommend this marketing strategy and what to do instead.
Facebook Group marketing used to work, and for some people with endless amounts of time and serious patience, it could possibly work.
But, here’s the thing business and marketing shouldn’t be hard and it definitely shouldn’t be that time-consuming.
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with the need to come up with fresh content daily and schedule 10-15 minutes to engage in Facebook Groups.
Struggle to find Facebook Groups where your ideal client is genuinely engaging and not just there to pitch their services as well.
Feel a bit defeated that the strategy that seems to work for so many ISN’T working for you.
Keep reading because I’m about to save you so much time and energy.
FACEBOOK GROUP MARKETING
Back in 2016, I started my first Facebook Group. I wanted it to be a place for my ideal customers to come together, share my content and expertise, build trust, and of course sign clients.
I freaking loved it, but in 2020 I closed my group due to changes in marketing and the new and more advanced platforms available to me.
Plus, even though I started my Facebook Group in 2016, as a way to build the community I didn’t neglect my email list. They grew together in size and as I started to pay more and more attention to conversions I saw that my email list converted better than the group AND didn’t take as much of my precious time.
Facebook Groups (i.e. having your own as a way to build and form a community) still works, but don’t neglect to build your email list as well.
But, having your own Facebook Group is not what this is about - it’s about plopping yourself in other Facebook Groups, owned typically by entrepreneurs or organizations, and pushing your content out.
CLIENT ATTRACTION MARKETING
The reason this marketing strategy doesn’t work comes down to two reasons.
Reason #1: Facebook Groups have changed. While you use to be able to engage, post your own content with links to your website, share your videos and your freebies, it’s typically not allowed anymore.
You find yourself creating content to build trust in a community that really isn’t there for you, posting your freebies and offers on a Share thread every week in the hopes someone might message you, click your profile, and land on your website.
Reason #2: Facebook Group marketing is a push strategy, rather than a pull strategy.
Push means blasting your information, your story, and your expertise onto people. People who may or may not be your ideal customer. It’s like casting a line into the ocean and hoping you catch the right fish that will pay you for your services - the odds aren’t great.
Pull strategy (or client attraction marketing) is about pulling in the people searching for your services, products, and expertise. Not only do you experience a higher conversion rate, but it’s easier on you!
4 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY
So what do you do, if you’re not posting multiple times a week in a Facebook Group and carving out 10-15 minutes daily to engage, how do you grow your email list?
Here are 4 things to consider when choosing your marketing strategy:
1. FOCUS ON GETTING IN FRONT OF YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER
As with all marketing you want to make sure you’re putting your efforts (i.e. content) in front of your ideal customer. This is why ideal client work is so important and one of the key pillars I teach inside of Roadmap to Freedom.
Choosing your platforms for marketing is about where your audience is hanging out. And I don’t mean just where they are looking for your services, more on that later. I mean where do they spend their time? With the right strategies, you can reach them!This is why I love Pinterest. Pinterest has 416 million active monthly users on its platform and while most people are using it for fun, it’s one of my favorite ways to land content in front of my ideal customer.
Pinterest counts for 90% of my website traffic and last month that was $18k individuals.
2. GO WHERE THEY ARE SEEKING YOUR SUPPORT
Another thing to consider is where people are looking for tips and tools as it relates to your industry. This is why it’s so important to put your content on a search engine optimized platform (think Google/ Blogging, Pinterest, and even YouTube).
When people are searching for your information, it means they are further along in the buying process. They understand they have a problem and are in the process of exploring options to fix the problem.
This is why every entrepreneur needs to be showing up on a search engine optimized platform!
3. DON’T NEGLECT THOSE READY TO BUY
Speaking of the buying process, do you have marketing measures in place to get in front of people seeking our services specifically?
If not you are missing out! This is where sitewide SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes into play and is necessary for every single business, no matter what you sell.
When you correctly optimize SEO you’re able to rank on page one for your industry and your products, therefore bringing in people who are ready to purchase.
Google ranking is the reason my 1:1 services have been booked for an entire year and why I teach my clients how to do it as well inside of Roadmap to Freedom.
4. BUILD STRONGER BRAND AWARENESS
Aside from the amazing tips above, most of which revolve around search engine platforms, it’s important to take into account brand awareness and longevity.
Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have content that expires too quickly. You’re lucky if your content shows up in the feed after 24 hours, and if we’re talking Facebook Groups it’s more like 15 minutes.
When you’re taking the time and energy to create content, don’t you want it to last?
When you focus on the platforms I’m sharing below, your content can last years!
Seriously, I have blogs that are still getting consistent traffic from Pinterest and Google since 2017.
In order to create a sustainable business, you need to think about the longevity of content.
MY TOP 4 WAYS TO BUILD YOUR EMAIL LIST AND INCREASE REVENUE
Maybe you’ve already caught on to my absolute favorite marketing platforms, but let’s recap.
Google (SEO + Blogging): Your site needs to be set up and optimized for the Google search engine as a way to attract ideal customers who are further along in the buying process. The beautiful thing is with site-wide SEO you don’t need to keep updating it!
Pinterest (Blogging): This combination is my favorite, seriously I’m in love. Writing a weekly high-value blog post and sharing it on Pinterest is a great marketing strategy. Not to mention it takes less time and energy than posting daily in groups or on social media.
Youtube: As I mentioned before Youtube is a search engine platform featuring videos. If you’re a video person, using Youtube to get in front of your ideal customer can be huge for business. Don’t forget as with all these strategies optimizing for search is essential, you have to know what titles, keywords, descriptions, and more work to see a return.
Instagram Video: I couldn’t do a blog on marketing and not speak about the awesome changes to Instagram within the last year. Now, while I don’t recommend Instagram being your main platform, it’s an awesome way to build brand awareness, specifically with video. Video content (think IGTV, Stories, and Reels) has a longer lifespan with the algorithm, and with Instagram’s desire to increase watch time, more likely to end up on the Explore page or be discovered via hashtags.
CONCLUSION
If you’re not already using one of these platforms it’s time.
If you’re currently feeling overwhelmed with content creation, growing your list and marketing in general...it’s time.
And the good news is you don’t have to do it alone. You can learn all of these strategies, the tech and how-to’s inside of my signature program Roadmap to Freedom.
Learn more at brandmerry.com/freedom!
PS: Roadmap to Freedom doors are opening soon! This live group program will help you create an online business that allows you to create a life of abundant experiences and impact.
This high-touch program helps you simplify the process so you can make more money on your terms. And, the 2023 cohort is going to be better than ever with updated content, lifetime access, new bonus content, and more! Join the waitlist and be the first to join in January 2023.
- 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 Ways to Get Paying Clients in 2022 (without posting on Instagram or Facebook)
Facebook Groups are so 2017. I’m telling you there is a better way to get paying clients into your service-based business and I’m sharing them on the blog today.
3 Ways to Get Paying Clients in 2022
(without posting on Instagram or Facebook)
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
Since the start of my business, in 2016, I've been offering one on one services (aka private coaching). In fact, it was the very first thing that I did to make money.
I started my business with the idea that I wanted to leave my nine to five to be home with my son, but I didn't come into being an online entrepreneur with any knowledge of being an online entrepreneur.
I didn’t know all about courses and group programs at the time, but I could wrap my head around 1:1 services.
I also learned pretty quickly that the fastest way for me to grow, because I was starting from scratch with no email list and no following, was to start taking high-level one on one clients.
I used this method to not only gain experience and testimonials but to ultimately build my framework which I now teach inside all of my programs.
FILLING MY 1:1 IN 2017
You can probably relate to some of these old school ways of marketing your services. I did them all and while they might have worked in 2017, they don’t work the same way today.
Yet, so many coaches, mentors and course creators are still teaching them. Now, don’t get me wrong if you’re open to posting 15-30 minutes every day they might still work for you, but I’d reached a place in my life and business where I knew there had to be a better way than me living on social media.
In 2017, I would spend a few hours (typically three) at the beginning of the week planning out and writing my content. Then every day I would spend 15-30 minutes posting in Facebook Groups and engaging.
Some of these groups allowed me to post links and some didn’t, but the end goal was the same - try and find my ideal customer and provide enough value that they are intrigued enough to reach out.
And don’t get me started on friending people from groups and messaging them.
If you’re struggling with these strategies in 2021, or maybe just getting started and don’t want to spend your time in Facebook Groups or social media daily, I promise there is another way.
THE CONSUMER BUYING PROCESS
The consumer buying process is made up of six stages:
Problem Recognition
Information Search
Evaluation of Alternatives
Purchase Decision
Purchase
Post-Purchase Evaluation
The majority of strategies being taught online, in courses and programs focus on selling at the Program Recognition stage. While you absolutely can make a sale at this stage, it’s a lot of freaking work.
What entrepreneurs should be focused on is signing clients who are at the Information Search or Evaluation of Alternatives stage. I share more about this in this video here.
The strategies I’m sharing below focus on attracting people who are ready to invest and searching for the solution to the problem your products and services solve, typically on Google.
THREE STRATEGIES TO GET PAYING 1:1 CLIENTS
1. SITE-WIDE SEO AND GOOGLE RANKING
Now, I’m separating Blogging (SEO) from Site-Wide SEO because they attract people at different stages of the buying process.
Site-Wide SEO is for people searching for your products and services and possibly even your title. It’s the SEO you want to create for your website as a whole and your homepage.
This requires some research to find what people are looking for as it relates to your business and location if you are local.
Here’s another blog post on three ways to improve SEO on your website.
This simple change has brought in the most “ready-to-pay” clients to my business over the past two years and requires little to no energy on my part.
Remember, SEO for your site doesn’t need to be updated often, it’s an awesome set-it strategy and the results of your ideal customers, looking for your specific offer, ready to buy is amazing for business. SEO is so powerful it’s one of the strategies I teach inside my membership Brandmerry Academy.
2. BLOGGING AND SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
Another strategy I love is serious blogging. Now, why do I say serious?
Because I’ve been blogging since 2016 when I started my business, but it wasn’t until I took the time to do my research on topics, titles and keywords that my blogs started working for me and my business.
Blogging is an awesome tool to bring in clients looking for tips, tricks and solutions to their problem and while they might now know they need your service right now, they are eager to learn more.
By creating high-quality blogs you’re able to showcase your expertise and build trust with your ideal customer.
Optimizing your blogs requires three things:
Optimizing for SEO (so you begin to show up in Google searches)
Optimizing it for Pinterest (more on that in a minute)
Optimizing it for email subscribers
Optimizing for SEO requires you to do research BEFORE you write your blog. Choosing a title and keywords that people are searching for is how you’ll rank higher on Google and drive more traffic. This research stage is crucial and many entrepreneurs go about it the wrong way. It’s just another training available inside Brandmerry Academy and clients love it!
Optimizing for email subscribers means that every single blog post has a way for someone to join your email list. This is typically a freebie or lead magnet and that they get in exchange for their name and email.
This is crucial because if someone is finding your content and they aren’t ready to buy, they at least get to hear more from you and you have an opportunity to build trust for when they are ready.
3. PINTEREST TO PAYING CLIENT
My favorite strategy by far and results in the most traffic to my website every single month. About 90% of my monthly traffic (average 20k visitors) comes from Pinterest.
I seriously think it’s the secret weapon for online entrepreneurs and one I teach inside of my program Brandmerry Academy because it is so powerful!
Pinterest pulls it all together, utilizing the power of SEO and giving your blogs some where to go and be seen.
If you’re blogging you need to be using Pinterest because this platform will allow you to extend the life of your content (I have blogs driving traffic to my site from 2016) and help with your Google ranking because of the consistent traffic.
I’m not going to lie, Pinterest can be tricky and more entrepreneurs don’t know what they are doing, but when you get the hang of it, it’s magic.
You’ll learn all you need inside of Brandmerry Academy, but if you’re wanting to get started on your own here are some tips:
Blog at least once a week
Make sure each blog post has at least one Pinterest Image
Optimize the image, title and description for Pinterest (this might be different than Google)
Create 5 additional pins and link them to your blog post through Pinterest. Schedule those posts using a tool like Tailwind.
CONCLUSION
I’m booked every month and in advance for my 1:1 services because I’ve fully embraced these three strategies above.
I love them because not only do they save me a ton of time, but they also result in more growth of my email list (via organic traffic) and sales for my other courses and programs.
If you already have a brand and a foundation for your business, but ready to master your marketing, I invite you to check out Brandmerry Academy. Doors are opening soon.
If you’re just starting out, I see you! You want to focus your energy on setting a strong brand foundation all your marketing efforts work for you! You can learn more about building a better brand with my free pdf download 👇
Watch the entire video training of this blog + some additional tips 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.