6 Huge Branding Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Business
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Your brand is the most essential building block of your business. It’s how you show the world who you are and what you are about.
But many lawyerpreneurs make branding mistakes that hold them back.
This post is going to show you the top 10 branding mistakes you may be making and how to correct them. This is just a small sample of what you will learn in Branding Basics Boot Camp.
1. NOT DEVELOPING A BRAND
Whether you intend to or not, you have a brand. Your reputation and how you portray yourself to the public becomes the basis for that brand.
Successful solopreneurs actively take part in developing their brand. They shape their image to attract their target client instead of leaving it all to fate.
A well branded business looks professional and consistent. By developing brand recognition, you business will stand out in a sea of unremarkable businesses.
THE SOLUTION:
Many solopreneurs don’t develop their brand because they don’t fully understand what a brand is, they don’t know how to develop or they don’t understand the importance.
Developing your brand is important because it helps you appeal to your ideal client and helps you and your audience understand the purpose and mission of your business.
Taking the time to develop and define the your brand identity is guaranteed to take your business to the next level.
2. NOT DEFINING YOUR IDEAL CLIENT
Everyone can’t be your target audience. In order to provide real value you have to meet the specific needs of a specific group of people.
Your brand identity not only has to portray who you are, it also has to appeal to your target audience. It’s difficult to achieve that if you don’t know who your target audience is.
THE SOLUTION:
Narrowing your focus is going to help you quickly reach the right people.
It may seem scary at first to cut out a lot of potential clients, but it’s much more effective to intentionally target a specific group that would be interested in your services instead of targeting a general group and hoping for a response.
People are willing to pay more for a service that they feel is made specifically for someone like them as opposed to something that was made for anyone.
During the Branding Basics Boot Camp I’ll teach you how to create a profile for your ideal client. This will help you define that ideal client and make it easier to find and market to them.
3. NOT KNOWING YOUR VOICE
Many lawyerpreneurs try to imitate other lawyers and entrepreneurs they look up to. This is a huge branding mistake that will prevent your from connecting with your ideal client.
THE SOLUTION:
I’m a pretty laid back person and that’s how I think I come across when I speak and write. I explain things simply, succinctly and I use a conversational tone.
That’s my voice and it would feel inauthentic to me to speak to my audience in any other way. The people who don’t like the voice of my brand is not my target audience.
Using your authentic voice is an important part of branding and reaching your target audience.
You can stop this branding mistake by being yourself and using your authentic voice. You may not appear to everyone, but you will appeal to YOUR people- your target audience.
4. BEING INCONSISTENT OR BORING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The two biggest mistakes lawyers make with social media are posting inconsistently or only posting advertisements. Both are branding mistakes that make you lose potential clients.
Social media can be a fantastic low cost way to advertise. It’s also the best way to build brand recognition and brand loyalty. Other than your blog or website, social media is the place to show off your personality.
THE SOLUTION
The key to social media is being social. That means regularly posting interesting things and interacting with your followers.
F.Y.I repeatedly posting that you are the best personal injury law firm is boring. Sharing tips about how to protect your property from slip and fall lawsuits or memes about the hassles of getting into a car accident is interesting. Then when you occasionally share the hire me posts, your followers are interested.
I have a dedicated following on Instagram that brings me 2-3 leads every month. My followers connect with my brand and feel like they know me so they refer their friends and family to my practice.
It takes work and time to build a profitable social media following, but it’s worth the boost to your brand.
5. POOR OR INCONSISTENT VISUALS
Your brand’s visuals include your logo, head shots, fonts, colors and other things that visually reflect your business.
Visuals are vital in today’s marketing climate so not making them a priority when developing or updating your brand is a major branding mistake.
THE SOLUTION:
Your visuals should be on brand, up to date, and appealing. Brand Basics Boot Camp will show you all the visual elements your brand needs.
Consistency is also key. Your visuals should look the same across across all platforms: your website, social media, letterhead, email, business card and anything else associated with your business. Your brand should be immediately recognizable.
6. WORRYING ABOUT WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING
We all get inspiration from other solopreneurs, but it becomes a branding mistake when you try to copy what someone else is doing even if it does not fit with our brand.
THE SOLUTION:
What makes your brand stand out is its uniqueness. What works for one business may not work for yours. Don’t make the mistake of blindly following someone else without considering the effect on your brand.
Inspiration is great but be sure to make it your own and not an exact copy of someone else.
Building a brand is a journey and we will all make branding mistakes along the way. But by taking these branding mistakes into consideration and signing up for the FREE Branding Basics Boot Camp, you can keep your brand on the right track.