During our 30+ years of experience, we’ve noticed that most business owners who fail underestimate their brand’s effect on their business.
Most of them think their marketing is the problem. But we say the problem isn’t your marketing. The problem is usually your brand.
Read on to learn more about the five common mistakes the majority of entrepreneurs make with their brand — and how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: They Do Not Specialize
Businesses at risk do not choose a niche or a specific customer to serve. As we’ve always said, “If you try to help everyone, you’ll help yourself right out of business.” That’s because not everyone sees you as special. Only some see you as the answer. If you don’t specialize, you become not very special.
Why does this relate to your brand? Your brand can help you dictate your niche and find the customers you want to serve. If you don’t have a brand that presents that, you’re going to get bogged down with the people you don’t want to do business with.
And you’re not going to be able to do business with the people you should be doing business with because you’re too busy with the people you should not be doing business with.
Mistake #2: They Do Not Have a Unique Message
Businesses at risk are the ones which do not have a unique message. In this vast world, you will be penalized if you don’t have that unique message and don’t know who you’re talking to. You must speak directly to your ideal customer and position yourself as the only solution those customers seek. It is your job to educate your clients.
For example, one of our clients is a full-time travel coach who’s traveled worldwide. She’s not a typical travel coach. She works with people who seek to either do extensive travel, work remotely or retire and travel full time. She started this business before the COVID-19 pandemic, which has changed how we all work. And now, she’s in a prime position to grow her business because of her specialization.
Mistake #3: They Do Not Have a Clear Message
Businesses at risk need a clear message that makes what they offer (and why they offer it) simple to understand and get behind. That is different from having a unique message. You can have the most unique message in the world, but if it’s so jumbled up that you can’t even explain it, nobody else will understand it. That’s where your brand can help present a clear message.
You want a unique message and a clear call to action to get your prospects to make a decision. Get it just right, and you’re making money. Even if you attract a ton of people from the beginning, what’s left behind is still only the people who want what you’re offering, so why not just dial it in from the very beginning and not waste your time?
Mistake #4: They Do Not Present a Matching Image
Businesses at risk also do not present an image that aligns with their ideal customer and unique message. The visual part of your brand should align with and support the message you’re portraying to your prospects.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but it needs to be the right words (and the right pictures). If those elements are incongruent, people will go with someone else. Make sure that your image matches the message you’re putting out there.
Mistake #5: They Do Not Display Their Image Consistently
Finally, businesses at risk are not consistent in how they present themselves. You must display compelling messages and images across your marketing consistently. You can have the greatest brand in the world, but if you don’t consistently put it out there, what’s the point? It’s like setting up the most elaborate party with food, wine, and flowers — and then not sending out invitations.
The Takeaway
All five of these mistakes are related to your brand, not your marketing. Your brand gives you direction on where to market and what to put into your marketing (like your message and visuals). And if this part of the equation goes wrong, it’s like heading out for a vacation in Italy but setting your GPS for the North Pole. You won’t get where you want to go. It doesn’t matter where you market or how much you spend because your GPS will send you in the wrong direction.
That’s why the problem is not your marketing. The problem is your brand. Branding is about perception, while marketing is about promoting that perception. If your business needs a brand makeover, we’re here to help. Schedule a free call with us today to help your brand deliver your desired message.
And if you’re a Coach, Consultant, or other Expert with a life-changing message to share, make sure to download our free ‘Ultimate Guide to a Freedom-Based Brand’ to learn how to position & present yourself and your offers differently in order to maximize your time and dramatically increase profits.
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BrandFace LLC is a personal branding company for coaches, consultants and other experts who want to STAND OUT from their competition and attract their ideal customers so they can become recognized and sought after authorities in their industry. Tonya Eberhart & Michael Carr are international bestselling authors and the partners behind BrandFace. Their mantra is, “People don’t do business with a logo. They do business with a person.”