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One challenge that I often find early-stage entrepreneurs have is being able to communicate with customers about their business easily. Whether it’s a freelance marketer trying to stand out from the crowd or the new bakery in town, we’re simply not hardwired to talk about how good we are at what we do and why it matters. But, brand messaging is a powerful tool to connect with customers, new and old, in authentic and relevant ways.
If you struggle with finding the words to state why you’re clearly the right choice, you’re not alone. It took me a long time to figure out what my “secret sauce” was, but when I did, the game changed. So, whether I’m consulting a branding client on their marketing or considering my next freelance travel writing assignment, I know why my brand (aka me) is the obvious choice. I want that for your brand or business, too.
Here are a few creative ways to improve your brand messaging by tapping into the wealth of information you may be overlooking.
When most people think of branding, logos, colors, and other visually centered elements come to mind. However, for a moment, let’s consider that beyond the looks of a brand, what resonates most with customers is how you make them feel. After all, as serial entrepreneur and best-selling author Kristopher Jones articulated on Forbes, “Your brand gives you personality.”
Now, the point of brand storytelling isn’t to brag about the amazing things you do. It’s about clearly articulating the purpose your business serves and the people whose lives you want to improve as a result. This could look like giving clients time back to work on bigger projects as a virtual assistant or starting a mobile massage business to provide convenience to your customers. No matter what line of business you’re in, you will have to tell someone else at some point. Ideally, your message and products or services are so solid that it will be easy for others to do the same.
At its best, a strong brand message that resonates with your audience will:
Branding has the power to set the tone before you do, which often includes the language that people interact with around your brand. Creating a brand story or marketing materials doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Let’s look at a few ways your existing network and resources can support you in creating impactful and relevant brand messaging content for your business.
As a business owner who may be limited in resources, tackling your brand message in-house is a normal and budget-mindful decision. However, without scouring competitor sites, some business owners find it hard to identify the key elements that create strong written messaging. Thankfully, there are a few tricks I’ve used for years that have offered amazing clarity and insight for myself and others.
Quick Takes on Finding Out the Secret Sauce of Your Business
When first starting your brand, it’s not always easy to find the people you want to serve. The internet has certainly made it easier, but cold DMing people is a tough gig and might get you blocked. Instead of reaching out to random people on the internet, although I’m not knocking it, sometimes the people in your own backyard have the answers.
Maybe you’re good at organizing the details of family functions or people always come to you for help on special occasions. There are reasons people decide to ask you for support over others. Even if it typically means you’re the reliable one, that’s also a skill that holds value. The next time you’re with a trusted friend or family member, ask them what makes them call on you for support.
One of the best ways to find out what’s truly working is by talking to people who already support your business. You may believe your top value as a housecleaning business is making sure your customers are living in safe, clean spaces. However, what customers might really love is the fact that you offer services on Sundays when others are closed. Or, they value the time they get back to spend doing other things.
For clients you have a strong relationship with, ask them to identify what they view as your best skills. It’s also good to know where they were when they decided to hire you versus where they are now that they have worked with you. The gold is in the transformation; that’s where people find hope for better – life, sleep, happiness, or anything really – through your brand.
One of the great things about being a newbie is not having preconceived notions about what to expect. Sure, you’ll have certain parts of the business that you want to focus on, or niche down into, but staying open is a great way to learn what people value the most.
One of the best exercises I did during one of several re-brands was reaching out to people in my network who weren’t my customers but could be under the right circumstances. During a recorded virtual video call (highly recommended!), I asked each person questions similar to my actual clients. However, instead of asking questions geared toward a client relationship, you want to ask the person:
While you’re asking seemingly simple questions, you’re really getting to the good stuff. These questions are a great starting point for discovering pain points, spotting trends in ways people have tried to solve them, and how customers envision life improving based on the ideal product or service.
Every email, LinkedIn post, and social media comment holds nuggets of wisdom that deserve more attention than they get. If someone shared kind words about the lessons in your latest webinar, those are gems. When customers comment under your latest product drop that they love the way your brand makes them feel, the gems are there.
For example, after I hosted a branding webinar through the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program, one attendee sent the most lovely message that’s oozing with brand messaging gold. Here’s what it said:
“I was in the audience at the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready event on Tuesday, where you shared valuable insights on “branding.” Your presentation was incredibly informative and engaging, and I want to extend my sincere gratitude for sharing your expertise with us.”
“Your depth of knowledge and clear articulation made the topic of branding much more accessible, and I left the event feeling inspired and equipped with practical strategies to implement in my business endeavors.”
Not only is the value I provided during the webinar clearly articulated but the change–in confidence and capacity– is also shared. It’s not every day that you’ll get such valuable feedback, so when you do, make the most of it.
These 4 methods for information gathering can uncover interesting feedback you might not expect. However, you’ll begin to form the words, feelings, and emotions of your customers and be able to create messaging that speaks directly to that.
If you’ve tried to DIY your brand messaging before, I’d love to hear what helped you in the process. Drop a comment below to help the next early-stage entrepreneur discover their brand’s secret sauce!
Brunch & Budget
Pockets Change
See Change Financial
Website Design & Strategy
Digital Marketing
Email Marketing (Newsletters)
Copywriting
Graphic Design
SC Creative Group (freelance)
From 2017 to 2021, I worked alongside the passionate team behind several brands to lead their website, email, and brand design strategy. What started as a 5-month marketing management project for one brand (covering brand asset consulting, advertising & social campaigns, social media and website design and strategy), expanded into 3-years of on-going collaboration across three brands in the financial education space.
The network of brands included: Brunch & Budget, affordable financial planning for people of color; Pockets Change, an organization that builds intergenerational financial resilience with students, families, and educators through hip-hop pedagogy; and See Change Financial, a radical financial community for creators of color who are taking control of their finances as a liberatory catalyst to lead value-filled lives.
During our 3-year client/consultant relationship, our work together supported the increased visibility and brand amplification they sought to achieve in unifying their brand message, mission, and visual identity.
We redesigned the site architecture, layout, copy, and visuals of each brand, creating an engaging, ever-updated online presence that kept each community informed and engaged. I also led the creation and implementation of marketing management systems including newsletter and social media content planning, design, and scheduling.
By helping Pam, Dyalekt, and Andrea (the creators) spend less time on promoting their business, they were able to lean into more programming and serving more educators, young adults, parents, and youth. In addition to re-purposing their decade-plus history of financial planning wisdom via their Brunch & Budget podcast, I also made sure during our time working together that they leveraged all opportunities to raise awareness, dollars (fundraising), and impact through storytelling.
One of the biggest achievements of supporting their brand growth goals came through a fundraising campaign for Pockets Change. After implementing a new donor engagement strategy and amplifying the initiative across platforms and partner networks at my recommendation, I helped the organization raise $19,000 in November 2021.
[Graphic Design] Social Media Content Management
During the era of social highlights via quote cards and brand-forward graphics and insights, I designed a set of social media templates for the team’s internal use. These templates helped onboard their interns into social media management while I supported by spearheaded strategy and copy for social and email behind the scenes.
Pockets Change Website Revamp Preview (2019)
Brunch & Budget Website Revamp Preview (2018)
Greenlight
Creative Strategy
Experiential Marketing
Copywriting
Fizz (Atlanta, Georgia)
Greenlight is a financial technology company on a mission to raise financially smart kids. Through its debit card for kids and application subscription, the company makes it easier for parents to teach their kids about money management while giving them a parent-monitored space to learning about things like saving, stocks, and direct deposits. The “all-in-one money app for families,” Greenlight gives kids independence while giving parents peace of mind.
The fintech company contracted Fizz, a word-of-mouth marketing agency based in Atlanta, to help expand brand awareness as it sought to increase users and identify ways to penetrate the market on a national scale for the first time.
As a contracted strategist, I worked alongside the in-house agency team to develop a robust creative WOM marketing strategy that included more than a dozen experiential digital and live brand activations. The goal of the overall strategy was to identify niche sectors within the broader target demographic and pinpoint opportunities (events, life moments, everyday activities, etc.) that would allow the brand to organically make life a little easier – as on-the-go parents and schedule-stacked kids – creating a chance to get curious and engage with GL market managers about the brand.
Working alongside the in-house strategy and design teams, my role was to develop word-of-mouth-marketing concepts into detailed experiences. This included researching a calendar of brand-aligned community and sporting events, developing a go-to-market plan for each concept, and presenting relevant branded swag ideas along with identifying vendors, costs, specs requirements, etc. to pass along to the project manager for execution.
The link below is a preview of one of the concepts I spearheaded the research, copywriting, and strategy development on. This concept was part of a larger word-of-mouth marketing strategy deck.
[Word-of-Mouth Strategy Concept] Greenlight ‘Very Invested Parents’ Strategy
Jim Ellis Automotive Group
Event Planning & Management
Vendor Procurement & Management
Budget Management
Copywriting
Design
Jim Ellis Automotive Advertising Agency
One of the joys of maintaining great professional relationships is being able to work with old employers on new initiatives. Jim Ellis Automotive Group is Atlanta, Georgia’s largest family-owned automotive group.
While the company’s marketing manager was out on maternity leave, I was tapped to step into her role. As the interim marketing manager, one of my responsibilities was to lead and execute the grand opening celebration of the automotive group’s 18th dealership – Jim Ellis Toyota of McDonough Grand Opening – a newly remodeled 57,000 square foot facility.
This project was exciting for a few reasons. Namely, the ability to lean into the breadth of my expertise. During this project, I led every aspect of the event, from securing vendors and media communications to run-of-show planning, invitations, and on-site management.
On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, Jim Ellis Automotive Group celebrated the official grand opening of Jim Ellis Toyota of McDonough. By all accounts, the affair was a successful introduction of the trusted Jim Ellis brand to Atlanta metro’s Southern region.
The event was well-regarded by those in attendance including Jim Ellis Automotive’s President, Jimmy Ellis, special guest executives from Toyota HQ, and – most importantly – the dedicated dealership staff, family, and friends. Special guests included Jim McEachern (Vice President, Southeast Toyota Field Operations) and Billy Copeland (Mayor of McDonough, GA).
The dealership’s acquisition and grand opening received media coverage locally and in notable national outlets including Business Insider and Auto Remarketing.
This project is a great example of my ability to work across teams, using my diverse background to easily navigate multiple corporate brand standards and guidelines, coordinate design projects, draft promotional and media-related communications, manage vendors (catering, event decor, entertainment, photo/video) and budgets, handle experiential logistics, and oversee on-site execution.
[Blog Post/Press Relase] Jim Ellis Automotive Group Acquires Toyota of McDonough
[Blog Post/Press Relase] Jim Ellis Automotive Celebrates the Official Grand Opening of Jim Ellis Toyota of McDonough
Jim Ellis Automotive Group
Event Planning & Management
Vendor Procurement & Management
Budget Management
Copywriting
Design
Jim Ellis Automotive Advertising Agency
One of the joys of maintaining great professional relationships is being able to work with old employers on new initiatives. Jim Ellis Automotive Group is Atlanta, Georgia’s largest family-owned automotive group.
While the company’s marketing manager was out on maternity leave, I was tapped to step into her role. As the interim marketing manager, one of my responsibilities was to lead and execute the grand opening celebration of the automotive group’s 18th dealership – Jim Ellis Toyota of McDonough Grand Opening – a newly remodeled 57,000 square foot facility.
This project was exciting for a few reasons. Namely, the ability to lean into the breadth of my expertise. During this project, I led every aspect of the event, from securing vendors and media communications to run-of-show planning, invitations, and on-site management.
On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, Jim Ellis Automotive Group celebrated the official grand opening of Jim Ellis Toyota of McDonough. By all accounts, the affair was a successful introduction of the trusted Jim Ellis brand to Atlanta metro’s Southern region.
The event was well-regarded by those in attendance including Jim Ellis Automotive’s President, Jimmy Ellis, special guest executives from Toyota HQ, and – most importantly – the dedicated dealership staff, family, and friends. Special guests included Jim McEachern (Vice President, Southeast Toyota Field Operations) and Billy Copeland (Mayor of McDonough, GA).
The dealership’s acquisition and grand opening received media coverage locally and in notable national outlets including Business Insider and Auto Remarketing.
This project is a great example of my ability to work across teams, using my diverse background to easily navigate multiple corporate brand standards and guidelines, coordinate design projects, draft promotional and media-related communications, manage vendors (catering, event decor, entertainment, photo/video) and budgets, handle experiential logistics, and oversee on-site execution.
[Blog Post/Press Relase] Jim Ellis Automotive Group Acquires Toyota of McDonough
[Blog Post/Press Relase] Jim Ellis Automotive Celebrates the Official Grand Opening of Jim Ellis Toyota of McDonough