When coaching clients around their brand identity, a pattern I’ve seen repeatedly is that the ideas, concepts, and direction they came to our brand strategy brainstorming sessions with change, and often quite dramatically! The unveiling process I engage in with my clients often reveals hidden truths, strengths, and yearnings that are hidden or buried for myriad reasons. When brought to light, the paradigm shift that results often changes their direction in substantial ways.

As a professional, business owner, coach, or leader, your brand represents your Who and your Do. When those two aspects of yourself are fully integrated into your brand, the result is transformative and magnificent because it will represent the best of who you are and what you bring to the table.

I often have potential clients ask me what they can expect when working with a brand strategist. Let me tell you a story that will help shed light on this.

One of my recent clients had a website she pulled together a few years ago “to just get it up and done” that she was loathed to share with others. Why? Because she realized after she had invested the money to get it up in a hurry that it did not represent her well. She complained about the color scheme, the photos of her that were used that were overly airbrushed, the bells and whistles the designer added that she did not care for, and the fact that she just didn’t like it. This feeling was so strong that she did not share her site with her sphere.

Can you imagine spending the time and money to build a website only to keep it a secret? This is what my client was doing. This is the fallout I’m afraid, of not spending the time and intentionality to craft a brand that is R.E.A.D.Y! To my client, the site did not align with who she is and how she wanted to be branded in her new creative endeavor so she hid it.

During our brand strategy work together we developed a positioning statement, a customer avatar, a tagline, and a clear sense of her key brand attributes. All her copy was branded to resonate with her ideal target. She had more clarity about her authentic brand expression and the way she wanted to present herself and her music and a better sense of what she wanted her new site to look and feel like.

I worked with her web designer to ensure that my client would be beyond thrilled with her newly branded website. We paid attention to the color scheme, fonts, placement of copy—all the little details that make a difference on a website. When the new site was unveiled, my client’s expectations were surpassed. The new site looked better than she expected., so much so that she shared jokingly, “I think my sight is beautiful, and I hope I can live up to it, lol.”

Going into this work my client did not think it was possible to get a website designed that met all her needs and expressed the heart of who she is as an artist. But it is ALL possible with the clarity, intentionality, and strategy which is at the heart of the brand strategy work I undertake with clients.

When working with ANY brand strategist, be mindful of these points:

• Go deep into your unique value proposition, your points of differentiation from others in your field. This is the only way to band effectively.

• Remember this work is often a marathon, not a sprint--it's a process of unveiling. Don't rush the process or you may find yourself having to spend more money doing it over as my client did.

• Be thorough--explore all the myriad facets of who you are and the services you are delivering to your clients to ensure your brand is robust and differentiated.

• Be prepared to pivot. Authentic brand identity work may reveal that the direction you thought you were going in is not the full truth or the truth at all. Let go of your preconceived notions of what you think your brand should be and step into the uncertainty of discovering how your brand was always meant to be: A testimony of your stellar brilliance!  I've seen this pattern so often now that I kinda expect it. And the result is way more powerful and more aligned with who my clients are.

I am so passionate about partnering with clients on this work. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out and schedule your complimentary discovery call with me.

Abound in your brilliance!