The One Secret to Branding That You Need to Know

Let’s face it. Whether you like it or not, you have a brand. And it’s being created for you with or without your approval. But it’s better when you take control of it, because you then have the ability to put out the messaging and perception that YOU want—rather than what others immediately perceive you to be.

So whether you want to get your personal brand together, your business’s brand in shape, or you help others with crafting their brand—here’s the one thing you need to do:

KNOW YOUR LANE.

This sounds basic, but hear me out…

Through all of my research and work with personal clients, I’ve found that there are two types of branding professionals (or as the Internet calls them, “creatives”)

The first are what I like to call, The Executors — These are individuals that will DO THE WORK. Your photographers, videographers, website designers, graphic designers, marketing professionals who’ll create your publications and advertisements, copywriters…I think you get my point. But these people tend to get the most attention, or are what most think of when seeking someone to help them with their brand.

See these are all people that when you come to them, you MUST have a strong idea of your current brand and messaging. You can’t go to a photographer for a brand shoot when you have no idea what feelings you want to evoke from your audience. You can’t hire a web designer when you have no clue what your brand’s mission, vision, or values are. You can’t hire a graphic designer when you have no knowledge of your brand colors and the emotions those very colors can make other people feel.

Those individuals who lay on the execution side of the spectrum many times work best when you approach them with a clear idea of your brand and messaging.

Now on the flip side, we have The Strategists. Those high-level thinkers who work with you to develop various pieces of your brand identity. Through possible design thinking techniques, reflection exercises, and strategy sessions these individuals organize your scattered thoughts into a structured foundation for execution and success. They may also work with you to pinpoint not only your value proposition, but your unique, specific audience, and the best strategy to target them.

What many fail to realize is we all have an audience, and how you communicate with them is crucial to your success within your career or personal business. See, professional speakers and entrepreneurs are NOT the only people who have an audience. We ALL have people we must cater to.

• If you're a corporate executive, your primary audience is the team depending on you to lead them.
• If you’re a student, your primary audience may be your professors and definitely company recruiters.
• Even if you’re a bus driver, your primary audience are the passengers you take from point A to point B every single day.

So knowing and understanding your audience helps you to best position yourself and effectively communicate how you can serve them. 

The creatives that fall on the Strategist side of the spectrum can work with you to do just that. And only THEN, is it most conducive to head over to the Executors so that they can effectively DO THE WORK to build your brand.

It’s a streamlined process of:

Ideation → Strategists → Executors → Brand Identity Success

Now I know what you may be thinking: "But Precious, there are people who could fall right in the middle."

And you’re right. These people come in the form of your social media strategists, SEO professionals, public relations professionals, and the like. But those who truly and successfully play in both the strategy and execution space I’ve found are few and far in between. Meaning most individuals fall heavily on one side or the other.

So when it comes to branding yourself, your business, or others — it’s imperative that you understand either where you fall as a creative, or what you need from a creative. It’s only when we work together to ensure that the client’s needs are being met, that we can create an economy of small businesses and brands that THRIVE.

If you’re a strategist and someone requests you to build their website when that isn’t your expertise, pass them over to an executor in your network who can effectively get the job done. And if you’re an executor who’s been struggling to deliver a strategic outline to a client, send them over to your favorite strategist so we can help them to get clear on their messaging and pass them right back to you.

It's only through capitalizing on your strengths and knowing your lane that we all are able to effectively operate in our passion to deliver results.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Precious Price is a Brand Strategist and Founder of The Brand Table, a platform dedicated to providing entrepreneurs and young professionals with the community, content, and contacts needed to build and scale their brand. She is also the host of The Strategy Behind Branding Yourself podcast, which can be streamed on all major listening platforms. You can find out more about Precious and her services by visiting www.preciouscprice.com