Branding is not an option if you want a successful business, it is an essential strategy.
To survive in today’s competitive marketplace, you must brand early, often and consistently.
I’m not just talking about a fancy logo, pretty colors and your recent Instagram reel. Branding is about building an emotional connection with your audience and telling a story that makes a strong impression in their mind — one that is so strong that they remember you and want to work only with you.
What can you do to stand out and win the hearts of your customers so they don’t hesitate to hire you or purchase your packages?
Here are 4 things that your brand needs to get right in order to get hired, booked and paid.
1) A clear promise. Your brand needs to communicate your value — what you do for your clients and how you do it. You want to clearly communicate the results you deliver so they feel confident knowing what to expect when working with you. In your messaging, describe how you will change their life so clearly they can picture it!
What is the ONE thing you deliver every time and with every interaction?
Here’s an example: At Mallika Malhotra.Co, I promise you brand clarity.
2) A significant problem to solve. You must understand your ideal client well and pinpoint the one key pain point that they struggle with. What is your customer afraid of? What do they desire? What have they tried before that didn’t work? Show them you understand their pain and describe how you can solve that nagging problem they just can’t seem to fix on their own.
Here’s an example: At Mallika Malhotra.Co, we understand branding is confusing and having the time/expertise to do it on your own can feel daunting and overwhelming. You just want an expert to guide you to figuring out your own brand story.
3) A compelling point of difference. You need to evaluate the competition and know what you do that is different from the rest. This distinction must be clearly stated, so you don’t look like everyone else. Why would someone choose you over their other options? What gap in the market have you specifically filled? What is your unique, competitive edge?
Here’s an example: Mallika is an award-winning brand builder with over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience. She combines her brand strategy skills with her photography, visual storytelling background to help female entrepreneurs become an in-demand brand. Her style is hands-on, accessible and experienced so you get clarity and results quickly.
4) An area of expertise. Instead of being a Jane of all Trades, your business should be focused on 1-2 areas of specialization. Become known for something instead of blending in with the other generalists! Build your reputation around a singular skill or audience (or both!).
What does this look like in real life? Instead of a business coach, become a sales conversion coach for female entrepreneurs. Instead of a graphic designer, become a book cover graphic designer specializing in romance and science fiction novels.
What do people come to you for? What are you doing that feels easy and rewarding? Who are you working with that you love and you can get the biggest results for?
Here’s an example: Mallika specializes in niche strategy to help female entrepreneurs who are in a saturated service industries like designers, photographer, coaches, etc stand out as the sought after expert.
If you can focus on getting these 4 things right in your brand, you will set yourself up for success.
Need help? Join my mastermind, Brand Breakthrough, starting September 19th. Receive high-level strategy, support and accountability in a small group format (only 4-6 women, all in exclusive fields) for 4 months. You’ll have me as your hands-on branding mentor and a tight-knit community of women in business cheering you on! APPLY FOR BRAND BREAKTHROUGH TODAY *Don’t wait, there’s only ONE spot left!