Have you ever tried making chocolate mug cake? A bit of flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa, chocolate chips, egg, milk and oil mixed in a large mug, put it in the microwave for a minute and BAM! Instant chocolate cake. It’s ssoo good and has the dangerous power to hit that chocolate craving any time you want.
Seriously, you need to try it – but why the heck am I talking to you about cake? Because branding your business can be a bit like baking – mix a few ingredients together and be amazed by what comes out!
It’s easy to make branding mistakes when you’re first starting a business, (and you will learn to build your brand as you grow!) BUT there are five major branding mistakes to avoid that can have a huge impact on your brand reputation. Read below to find out more!
Is your business on the Gram? Here are 6 steps to a killer Instagram bio that converts.
1 - Not solving a problem for your audience
You obviously created your product or service for a reason. What’s that reason? Did you create an ebook because you wanted to teach a skill? Did you create a new product because you thought your audience would save time by using it?
Get specific on the problem you’re solving for your audience and how it is going to help them. If you create Lightroom presets, your problem for your audience is that they want a cohesive, beautiful Instagram feed. You’re solving that problem with your easy to use, downloadable presets.
2 - Not being authentic
Don’t make a blog post or how-to post on something if you’ve never done it yourself first. Don’t pretend to have done something or create misleading content for your audience.
You need to be authentic and honest in your content online; and you will tarnish your brand and make yourself untrustworthy by being fake or dishonest.
And on that note…
3 - Not creating original content
If you’re stealing ideas from others in your industry, this is a HUGE no-no! You need to be creating your own original and informative content for your audience. It’s okay to take an idea from a social media challenge or what people are searching for in Google, for example, but make sure the content within it that you’re writing or speaking about is your own thoughts and ideas.
Looking for content ideas? I got you, girl. Check out 20 ways to re-purpose content for your online business.
4 - Not having a clear brand voice
Brand voice is how you want to portray yourself and business to your audience through written word or audio. There are plenty of brand voices to choose from, but make sure to stick to 2-3 that really represent your business so you don’t confuse your audience.
Here’s some examples: Funny, professional, serious, sassy, academic, storyteller, quirky, friendly and personal. Make sure your brand voice also MATCHES what your business is!
If you’re blogger, you probably want to be personal, friendly and funny in your writing and videos.
5 - Not being consistent
Having a consistent posting schedule with your social media and online content with allow your audience to understand what to expect from you and when. But consistency isn’t just about schedule, it’s also about the topics you talk about and the product and services you provide. Sticking to a topic theme each week on your social media or following through with a promise you made to your audience are both creating consistency for your brand.
If you sell something that’s completely unrelated to your brand, people are going to be confused by what your business really is. Consistency is also having everything from your website, to Facebook page, to business cards and e-mail signature match and create a brand experience for your audience.
Creating a strong brand for your online business
If you want to learn more about what branding is and how to make your online business a strong brand, you can check out my Strong Brand Checklist free mini-course. You’ll get a editable PDF workbook and can complete the course within a day! Take the course right here.