The struggle is real. You want your brand to reflect you, but you also want to speak to your target clients. How do you decide which way to approach your branding?
Connecting with Your Clients Authentically
Stop stressing over this and just be you. Ultimately, your personality is going to be revealed through your communication and how you run your business. Your blog posts, emails, phone calls, products/services, and social media posts… as hard as you try to force it, your true nature will always be at the core. So use this to your advantage and build a brand off of it! You’ll show up as authentic, which people will connect with!
Know Yourself
In order to build an intentional brand, you need to know yourself! Take the Myers Briggs personality test, the DiSC test or a combination of any personality tests. You can also ask friends and family for words that describe you and brainstorm what your core values are. Then take your findings and write that into your brand brief!
Once You Know You, Get to Know Your Clients
Once you know who you are, think about those who you connect best with, and those you struggle to relate to. In many cases, your ideal clients will be those who are similar to you. Marketing is all about relationships, so authentic marketing stems from authentic relationships, which are often built off of similarities – whew! While sometimes opposites attract, you’ll need to work a little harder to market to those with different views, values and personalities than you.
If you haven’t taken my color quiz or read about the four brand personalities, make sure to do that first, then come back! You can find them both here.
Personality Examples
Case Study: A Cool & Sophisticated Professional
Meet Jennie. She’s a soft-spoken copywriter who loves supporting others and guiding people. She avoids confrontation at all costs, always trying to be the peace-maker. She’s definitely the Cool & Sophisticated Professional. She’ll connect well with other Cool & Sophisticated Professionals because they have so much in common – though together they may be too laid back to hit their deadlines. She also will do pretty well with Warm & Intense Go-Getters because of their shared attention to detail and their dependability. While sometimes quieter, Jennie will also relate to Bright & Bubbly Babes because of their openness and emphasis on relationships. Although Jennie gets along with anyone and everyone, she will struggle a little to connect with Strong & Driven Divas – their bluntness and bold attitudes are a little too much for Jennie’s reserved nature. While looking for ideal clients, Jennie probably wants to focus on Bright & Bully Babes, Warm & Intense Go-Getters next, and then other Cool & Sophisticated Professionals!
Case Study: A Strong & Bubbly Babe
Meet Tanisha, a combination of a Strong & Driven Diva and a Bright & Bubbly Babe. She’s a results-oriented, social butterfly that knows what she wants and likes to hold the reigns. While she could talk all day with other Bright & Bubbly Babes, they might be all talk and no walk. She'll socialize well with other Divas, but might run into conflict if they both long for the dominant position. Tanisha will work well with Cool & Sophisticated Professionals for their strong listening skills; as well as Warm & Intense Go-Getters, since their competency & objective reasoning get the job done, and done right.
Applying These to Your Business
Once you’re familiar with the four personality types, you can try to predict what others are (which is so fun)! Look at their colors, styles and the way they carry themselves. Then you’ll know how to interact with them. If you’re working with a Warm & Intense Go-Getter, make sure to keep really organized, scheduled and detailed. When working with Strong & Driven Divas, make sure they know what the end results are and give them some authority over the project. For Bright & Bubbly Babes, become their friend & engage in encouraging conversation. With Cool & Sophisticated Professionals, work as a teammate, lend support, and follow through with what you promise (on time)!
Applying These to Your Design
Psychology plays a huge role in design. Correction, psychology plays a huge role in good design… in impactful design! At Legacy Loft, we don’t just design things that are pretty, we design with intention (while still making them pretty)! We want your brand colors and styles to represent your personality as best possible, so you can connect with your target market in an authentic and powerful way!
I am so excited to use this strategy on your branding! If your graphics haven’t been connecting with your target audience, I can help! If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, find clarity on your target market, and get a logo, website & social media graphics that are designed to match, let’s get your brand legacy started.
