Is there anything more simultaneously exciting and overwhelming than building a brand? We happen to think not. From logo design to color choices to building a solid social media presence, the branding process involves a ton of creativity—which we wedding pros tend to be pretty great at—but we’d be lying if we said building a successful brand doesn’t have its challenges.
One of the biggest hurdles—especially in an industry like ours that tends to be a bit (ok, a lot) oversaturated—is building a brand that manages to stand out from the masses. With stunning social feeds and whimsical wedding planner websites abound, it can often be a struggle (and a half) to communicate to potential clients what it is that makes your brand unique from all of the others they’re bombarded with on a daily basis. But not to fear, branding badasses, today we’re breaking down our top tips for ensuring your brand breaks through the all-too-loud noise. Read on...and get ready to book leads like it’s going out of style!
Don’t do what’s trendy.
You know that color palette everyone is choosing or that logo design detail you’re seeing all over the place? Avoid it like the plague. Steering clear of trends can be hard—after all, they’re trends for a reason (most likely because they’re appealing and, yes, pretty)—but it’s absolutely key if you want to build a brand that stands out from the rest. No matter how tempting it may be to use that website template your competition is using or to pepper your business cards with a pop of metallic copper like you’ve been seeing everywhere lately, leave that to the masses and opt for something personalized and unique instead. Carbon-copies get less visually sharp each layer you dive down—think of trends in branding the same way; the more “copies” there are out there of a certain visual element or design trend, the less “sharp” (or effective) the element or trend becomes.
Have a distinct voice and point of view.
Building a distinct brand voice is everything. Think of those commercials you see where you hear an actor’s voiceover and, without ever seeing the actor on screen, you know exactly who it is that’s speaking. You eventually want your brand voice to be so distinct that people will know it’s your brand without ever seeing your company name or logo. Avoid cliches and steer clear of wording that every other pro on the market is using. When you blog or post on social media, look for ways you can communicate a distinct point of view rather than just reiterating what everyone else is saying. Cover topics on your blog that haven’t been covered before (maybe even ones that are considered taboo), or cover tired topics in a refreshing light—offering an analysis others haven’t before.
Build a strong reputation—live and breath your brand.
You as an individual want to become synonymous with your brand. Your face is your fingerprint—it’s the most unique thing about you and a surefire way to ensure your brand stands out amongst the rest. Even your own personal social media pages should still represent your brand. Never leave home without business cards on you, and never miss an opportunity to hand them out. Look for unique opportunities to get your brand out there—stamp your logo on pastry boxes and deliver the treats to small businesses in your market. Have coffee sleeves printed with your logo and take complimentary coffees around to places where potential clients are. Look for philanthropic opportunities in your community and find ways for your brand to participate or donate. Spend as many of your waking moments as possible living, breathing and advocating for your brand. Your goal is to build a strong reputation and high brand recognition within your market...this will ultimately lead to having a brand that clients see as distinctly recognizable from all of the others.
Overall, building a distinct brand is about taking strategic, proactive steps—from brand color choices to community philanthropy, every decision you make surrounding your brand and every event or gathering you participate in should be done purposefully.
Cheers, Aisle Planners, to building a brand that stops traffic, turns heads and—yes—signs clients!
Hero photo courtesy Evelyn Francesca Events and Amira Gray Photography
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