Published:

08/16/2013 09:08pm

How People Really Perceive Your Brand (And It's Not Just About Your Website)

When you think of branding, chances are your mind goes immediately to your website and logo. Traditionally branding has been thought of as the visuals that are associated with your business, but your brand is so much more than that!

Your brand is really how your business is perceived as a whole, and that encompasses much more than a website.

Your brand is a statement of why I should hire you over everyone else.

There are 4 aspects of your brand perception and any one of these can either make or break your chances with a prospect hiring you.

Your Personality

Let your personality shine! As a coach you work very closely with your clients and it's important that you guys like each other. The best way to ensure that you are attracting clients that you are going to truly enjoy working with is to attract those that resonate with your personality. So be yourself, and have fun with your marketing!

Your Brand Promise

You may not have heard of this one yet, your Brand Promise is the statement that sets you apart from every other coach and what you want to become known for. It is an expression of what makes you special and why prospective clients should hire you over everyone else. And it's important that you get it right!

Your Visual Brand

Often times, your visual branding is the first impression that your prospects have of you so it is important that they accurately represent your brand.

Your website, your head shots, your Facebook page, your business cards are all factors in how a prospect perceives you at first glance. The quality of your visual brand is a direct indication to prospects of what type of quality they can expect from working with you. The message that is portrayed in your visual brand is also important, you don't get a lot of time to capture someone's attention so you need to get your message across quickly and clearly.

What People Are Saying About You

We live in a very connected world and people are going to talk about you whether it be good or bad. When you are delivering a fantastic client experience you're going to be known for that, and part of that is being clear on exactly what you want to be known for.

Make sure you are collecting testimonials, paying attention to your social media pages, and monitoring any time you hear about your business. These will all give you a good idea of how your business is being perceived.

The important take-away message is that you have a choice in these four aspects of branding. You choose how much you self-express your personality in your marketing. You choose the message you want to spread and the result you want to be known for delivering. You choose if you have your visual brand professionally designed or if you try to make do with doing it yourself. And you choose how people talk about you based on the level of service to your clients.

Holly Chantal is the founder of The Land of Brand, a website design and branding company for coaches and solopreneurs. Go to http://www.thelandofbrand.com and download a free video training on how to use your personality to create a unique brand - because your mom was right when she said you were special.