Is your branding too general?

You’re an absolute badass business owner who’s been getting loads of work but if someone asks who your business is for, you’re not sure. Sound familiar? Believe it or not, being too general is a thing. And, contrary to what you might think, it’s a thing that can have a detrimental impact on your business. Come with me on a journey of branding discovery…

What is branding?
Let’s start with the basics. Branding is what people think of when they hear or think about your business. The best definition I’ve heard is “branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” It’s what people think and feel when they interact with your business, you (one assumes) would like these to be positive things. Branding is also how you position yourself in the market – for example, there are lots of copy and content writers out there but there is only one Curlyworm Creative! It’s all the visual and written elements of your business. Which means you need to be thinking about which fonts and colours you’re using with everything. It’s also, and this is one people often forget about, the tone of voice you use in all comms. That’s right folks, your tone of voice should be consistent every time. Curlyworm’s tone of voice is super chill, a bit silly, and definitely chatty so anything outside of this would seem incredibly alien and completely contradictory. Phew! That’s a lot of stuff.

How do I do that?
You can stop panicking, being a branding pro really isn’t as scary and difficult as I’ve made it sound. Think about your own business and where your brand appears. You want to make sure that it looks the same and unequivocally you at all times. Everything should be instantly recognisable as belonging to your business. Before you put anything out ask yourself “Will customers know this is me?” If the answer is no, maybe make some changes.

Who are you appealing to?
Right, now you know the basics, lets move on to why you DON’T want to try appealing to everyone. You’re not chocolate, not everyone is going to like you (I’ve actually heard of people who don’t like chocolate, so there you go, even the most universally acknowledged most-delicious-thing-ever still has haters). By trying to appeal to everyone you’ll actually end up appealing to no-one. The reason? Your messaging will come across as confused and irrelevant. Instead of speaking to everyone, you’ll actually be speaking a language that no one understands. Think about what you want your ideal customer to look like – their likes, dislikes, favourite colour, favourite movie, everything – and you’ll be able to be so specific they’ll think you’re in their head. Narrowing down your niche is scary, trust me, I totally get it. When I started Curlyworm I was so worried about not finding enough work that I resisted niching down for ages. The moment I finally succumbed I got even more work than before! You know why? Because my brand actually meant something to my ideal customers, it spoke to them and resonated in a way that it couldn’t before. Curlyworm’s ideal client is a super passionate female business owner who knows exactly what she wants, isn’t afraid to go after it, and loves working with other small business owners. By knowing who your ideal client is and putting them at the centre of everything, you keep your branding and messaging crystal clear.

Why should customers choose you?
This is another thing you need to be super clear on before you start niching down. If you don’t know why people should choose you, how do you expect them to?! Know why you’re a superstar and shout about it from the rooftops! It could be anything – the care and attention you pay throughout their interactions with you, your incredible experience, the end result you guarantee, literally anything that makes your business amazing. Find your wonderful and put it at the centre of everything. As soon as you know why customers should choose you and start showing them, they’ll come flocking.

What visuals should you use?
This will be informed by your ideal client information. Think about how you want them to feel when they interact with your brand and use colours and fonts that complement that. Curlyworm is playful and modern so everything I do is super bright (loads of pink anyone?), and all my fonts are modern and clean. Your visuals are your window shop, the first thing people see, so they should scream your values.

How can I tell if I’m being too general?
Start by making a note of everything mentioned above, all the colours and fonts etc, and then check everything you put out against it. If your messaging isn’t hyper-focused, it’s probably too general. Think about whether your ideal client will instantly identify with it and be itching to part with their hard-earned to work with you. Lets be honest, that’s kinda the point of marketing!

If your branding is too general, try embracing your niche, you’ll do incredible things when you do!