Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube

Are you ready to learn how to create a personal brand that truly captivates your audience and clients?

It can be easy to know what we have to offer the world. But, it’s not always easy to know how to get it out to the world in a relatable way. From your social media platforms, to your website copy, emails and more… You want to make sure your brand is consistent, and connects with your ideal audience.

Back when I was still a business newbie, my marketing strategy was to make an instagram page and a facebook page and post on them once a day. And then just wait. 

That’s about it. I had no idea that there was so much more I could be doing to grow this business of mine. I truly thought that as a photographer if I was not actually taking photos or editing, I had no work to do. 

Fast forward to today, having a solid brand foundation in place is one of the most important parts of my business. Without a good brand, my business would not stand out or relate with anyone.

If you feel like you might be in a place where you are stuck, not knowing how to create your own personal brand, then keep on listening!

We are breaking down the basics of creating a solid brand and how to make it personable so that your clients are captivated by your every move.

Story Telling To Establish A Personal Brand

Storytelling is a great tool for creating a personable brand that connects with people. The truth is, we are all in saturated markets and most people cannot tell any major differences between you and your direct competitors. The way you can make yourself stand out is through stories that are visually and emotionally impactful.

By telling a story you are making a connection beyond what you sell and making your brand feel more humanized. 

Storytelling can also give people a reason to follow you even if they are not in need of your product or service at that time. It creates a connection point beyond just what you do. It connects people to who you are. 

Don’t feel obligated to share your deepest darkest secrets in order to connect with someone. Share what you are comfortable with. 

If you are familiar with my brand, there may be a few key stories I bring up quite a bit that you will recognize. One is the crazy story of how I met my Fiancé and broke my leg. The other is the story of buying my first horse at 14 years old. 

I use these stories a lot because they shaped my life in so many ways and I believe that my ideal clients can connect to them in some way or another.

Redefine Professionalism

Do not get caught up on this idea that being a professional means you have to wear a suit and tie and talk very seriously and write emails in a very formal tone.

Professionalism is not what you wear or how you speak. And it’s not how well you can write an email.

Being a professional is showing up on time or showing up early. It’s having good communication skills and responding respectfully even if you are dealing with someone difficult.

Your ideal client wants to see the real you in all aspects. So that means in your emails instead of sounding like a boring robot, type exactly the way you talk. My initial email that I send back to an inquiring bride probably sounds borderline psychotic because of how excited I am. 

The entire body of the email is pretty much me just crying and swooning over their details in a very dramatic way. That’s just me. And I want people to get a feel for that right out of the get go. In fact they should have an idea of what that email is going to say based on my website, social media, etc. 

If you are struggling with how to type the way you talk, try recording yourself talking and then type out what you say. 

Your personality should be invested into every part of your business – that is what makes a brand unique.

Side note: I may be a total spaz ball but if that’s not your cup of tea that’s totally ok. Some people would rather have a more calm and neutral person than someone like me. So again it all traces back to you talking like yourself, and talking directly to your ideal customer, and I promise the building blocks that come from that will be so so good for your business. 

Serving With Purpose

Talking like yourself is great, but we want to make sure the words we are actually saying are providing value. The last thing you want is to be the person who has nothing to offer your clients. Good brands go above and beyond even in simple ways. 

This can be something simple like offering tips and tricks in your instagram captions or something bigger like sending them emails jam packed full of resources catered to them.

The goal is to build a brand that people will be raving about and to take yourself off a pedestal. Come from a point of service in all things.

Your business isn’t about YOU, it’s about your clients.

Of course there are exceptions and limits to everything, but you need to be serving your clients in abundance. Don’t be afraid of giving away free information on your social media or on your blog or wherever else.

When you serve an audience before they book you, they are subconsciously putting themselves into a different mindset of “wow if she’s giving me all this information now for free, what would I get if I pay for it?”

Serve them content and resources before they even know they needed it. Solve their problems, and reassure any fears they might have. 

When you go above and beyond for people, not only does it show that you actually care, but it will also create brand Fans for you that go around telling the world how great you are.

Show Your Face Everywhere To Emphasize Your Personal Brand

When you are in a creative business, it is really easy to want to hide behind your work and let it speak for itself. But all you are doing is showing what you do, not who you are.

The difference is, when you just show your product/service, you are showing your business, when you show your face, you are building your brand. 

Here are a few places to show your face consistently:

Your profile photos, the about me page on your website, in emails, on Instagram stories or Instagram lives, and on your blog. 

I want to actually see who you are, and hear about your hobbies, interests and more. I want to know what you love to do outside of your business. The more familiar you become, the more likely people are to book with you.

---

GET THE INSTAGRAM BIO FREEBIE

BRANDED COWGIRL INSTAGRAM

BRANDED COWGIRL FACEBOOK GROUP

SPONSOR/ADVERTISE WITH BRANDED COWGIRL

BE A GUEST

GET IN TOUCH: Podcast@SarahElrod.com