“Owning” Your Brand Story
One of the most common challenges faced by any founder is where to invest their marketing spend—not only financially, but also in terms of time and energy. From PR, to myriad social channels to traditional advertising, navigating this topic can often feel like an insurmountable hurdle. But when it comes to the question of how your business will be seen and shared by customers and the general public, the worst thing you can do is leave your reputation up to chance.
We frequently meet entrepreneurs who have bet on offering a superior product or service as a business model—without investing in a cohesive strategy for their branding, PR and marketing. Unfortunately, most are disappointed by how little traction their commitment to quality (alone) has yielded. Many struggle to get “noticed,” and when they do interact with professional journalists or influencers, they find that these tastemakers spend very little time researching their stories. As a result, brands that haven’t created a clear, cohesive identity may find that when they finally get their 15 minutes of fame, their story is misrepresented.
Above: An excerpt from our email “welcome series” work for Kata by Design.
Where to Start
One of the most powerful things you can do is to take charge of your own brand story. When potential guests or customers arrive at your website, there should be no question of what you offer, the audience you serve and the values you stand for. Even if you don’t currently have the budget to invest in PR or advertising, this “self-publishing” of your brand identity can dramatically influence the way your story is told in the media, as well as how individual customers will speak about your work. What’s more, building a professional, accurate and engaging online presence will dramatically boost your SEO (how your business shows up in online search).
Of course, there is still the question of other marketing platforms. For our clients—who are predominantly in the hospitality, architecture, design or lifestyle sectors—Instagram typically feels like the minimum requirement, though they often resent the unpredictability of the algorithm (or their risk of having their accounts frozen or stolen!). That’s why we recommend balancing the volatility of social media with more reliable channels, like email marketing. Collecting email addresses from your customers is particularly useful, as it represents a risk-free “following” that you can grow in perpetuity. Far from being “old fashioned,” email also provides a consistent way to thoughtfully and directly communicate with your existing audience.
Above: An excerpt from our email “welcome series” work for Hygge Life.
Staying Up-to-Date
Even for our clients who have always had a robust online presence, it’s important to take a critical look at your website and marketing channels on a yearly basis, at a minimum. (If your industry has a slow season, we recommend using that time to check in on your public-facing communications to ensure they still reflect the day-to-day reality of your business.) Most often, you’ll just need to make a few minor tweaks—and every few years, you might need a proper refresh. But the bar for success should be the following: If someone came to your website / read your emails / visited your social profile and never got a chance to speak to experience your product or services for themselves, would that represent your business accurately?
Above: An excerpt from our email “welcome series” work for Raw Creative.
The more proactive you are about accurately telling your own story, the easier it gets to maintain over time. And, of course, if you need any help in the process, that’s where we come in! To chat further about this topic and other similar business challenges, simply shoot us a note via our project inquiry form.