It’s quite possible to post a flyer of services people want and be subjected to feeling like “something else has preeminence over their purchasing decisions".
Fishing With The Wrong Bait!
Founders of local bootstrap businesses often fall into the trap of feeling “set up” by someone they assumed to be a potential buyer because they don’t take the time to consider the criteria someone needs to meet first in order to be considered a good fit to do business with. So, they’ll duck-tape a few images together courtesy a free online platform or mobile app and spam as many social media groups as possible only to painfully learn that that approach has nothing to do with how someone connects with their services or the quality of those leads.
If you’re running your business online read: Get Customers To Buy Not Try.
When the designs used for your advertising isn’t being fueled by an understanding of the needs of those you serve, it veils the value of your what you do, and you end up in the runaround.
Are You A Victim Of The Runaround?
Some time ago I received a message from an acquaintance “advertising” their services on Facebook. “Those students set me up!” She said. She was in dire straits, and logically, sounded desperate to find money.
If you’re a service provider, you know how frustrating it is when your plans are derailed because someone you assumed to be a potential buyer didn’t follow through on a project. Distinctive habits surrounding my own personal experience with being in this situation inspired me to name it The Runaround. (And it’s connected to a certain type of buyer. But I digress.)
In the end, she went right back to spinning top in mud with another flyer. This time, more hopeful than before that her results would be different.
It’s said that the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
Since it was obvious to me that she had a marketing and branding problem, all I was wondering was what kind of results she expected instead? After all, it was clear what she was already doing was producing frustrating encounters.
I should add that prior to our conversation, by virtue of her images, on the surface it appeared like things were going pretty well.
But...
...There’s More To Fishing Than Just Counting How Many Fish You’ve Caught!
Once you’ve engaged in the process of exchanging your services for money, it's not uncommon to find evidence of places that can be improved inorder to compliment the entire experience for both parties involved.
This can show up in the form of a someone having a wrong concept about your industry and what you do that can be addressed via content so the next experience is more seamless. It could be a weak brand story that can be stronger to convert quicker because it’s authentic, specific, and noticeable. It can be potential clients ghosting you because your price is "too high" that you could eliminate with a more effective process. Or, it could be the sluggish movement of your packages that you can reposition so the value is clearer.
The aforementioned are critical areas that on a deeper level (like with my acquaintance) subject you to the runaround because the prospect is left in limbo about why they should care about the services being provided.
Avoiding The Runaround With A Strong Visual Brand
Admittedly, the desire to create a strong visual brand will depend on how long you’ve been providing your services for example
The Newbie: someone who occasionally offers their services for a cost is better off on Canva because they're likely just providing their services as a hobby.
The Start Up: someone self-employed under 2 years with somewhat of a clientele is likely looking for a freelance graphic designer because of money.
The Service Provider: a self-employed person for over 3 years (possibly served at a professional level before becoming self-employed) can check out Fiver because they're possibly not in the right frame of mind to invest in visual design yet.
The Specialist: the professional who is now thinking about upping their digital presence will have a better understanding of the value of their services and will benefit from working with a visual designer.
Now that’s out of the way, we can address the elements that comprises a visual brand and the pillars of a strong visual brand.
The elements that comprises a visual brand are -a signature color palette -your graphics (logo, business cards, website etc) -your typography (font style, appearance, and structure) -your photography (think perception) -your physical assets (merchandise)
The pillars of a strong visual identity are -a brands voice and its talking points -what differentiates the brand and its story -its core values and personality -its mission and where its positioned
Going back to my point about the runaround being because the prospect is left in limbo about why they should care about the services being provided. If you wish to avoid it, you need to connect with why you’re doing what you’re doing.
According to CSP Global, advertising spreads the word about products and services. But this process requires careful targeting to ensure campaigns align with the wants and needs of specific audiences.
Design that’s disconnected, inconsistent or an inaccurate reflection of the purpose its created for is dead and just the type of story I labor to get people (who have worked with me) to distance themselves from in order to strengthen their impact because you go fishing with real bait, not a picture of bait.
I am the Founder and Visual Brand Strategist at The BrandTUB **Get online in one day with The One-Page™ **Schedule a call lets see if you're a good fit **Sign up to receive these weekly articles in your inbox if you’re not quite ready to work with me yet.
And please share my article if you liked it
Comments