Let’s talk about how to brand yourself. The term “brand” is a bit of a buzzword that’s being thrown around left, right, and centre at the moment, but it’s something that EVERY freelancer should get a tight grip on.
As a budding freelancer, I didn’t think branding mattered. I mean, it was just me in my business and I was doing the work for clients, so as long as I was doing that right, why did it matter if I had a logo or not?
Oh how wrong and naïve I was back then.
Let’s discuss a contentious topic to begin with. The idea of what the actual heck the term brand means in the first place.
What is a brand?
If I had a penny for every time someone said a brand equals a logo, I’d be sitting in a Jacuzzi sipping very expensive champers right now. At university, I studied graphic design and, even on that creative course, there were people who likened logos with the term brand.
But in actual fact, the word brand relates to how people feel about your business; what kind of emotions it evokes in them, and the action they want to take.
It’s the whole damn package.
Sure, it includes a logo, but learning how to brand yourself doesn’t revolve around pretty pictures and getting the colours just so.
There’s so much more to it than that which, I know, can seem overwhelming. But once you’ve got it laid down and under your belt, your freelance business is free to thrive without you having to put in as much effort (essentially, your brand sells your services without you having to). Neat, right?!
Alright, so why do you need a brand?
A brand is like your little helper. It’s the face of your business and the first point of contact people have with your services. Basically, it’s dang important, because:
1. It makes marketing easier
When you have a solid brand in mind, it’s so much easier to know where to market your services and who to market to. You can stop wasting time marketing in places that aren’t working for you, and instead focus on platforms and methods that are bringing in the cold, hard dollar time and time again.
2. It makes it easier for clients
When you have a solid brand, you’re basically putting yourself out there and saying “this is me, take it or leave it.” While this might seem counterproductive and like you’re fending off potential work, it actually helps clients figure out whether you’d be a good fit.
If you know exactly who you are (which is what branding is all about), potential clients will be able to make quick-sharp decisions on whether they want to work with you or not. Cue less time wasters and more ideal clients – great, no!?
3. It streamlines everything
Having branding guidelines in place (which we’ll discuss in a moment) means you can streamline all your systems and processes – a.k.a. it speeds up and makes the whole admin side of freelancing a helluva lot easier.
4. It helps you stand out
Let’s face it, there are millions of freelancers out there trying to tread water and keep their heads above the surface. So many, in fact, that it can be difficult to stand out. Having a solid brand can really help put you head and shoulders above the rest and help people remember you.
Okay, now we’ve talked about why learning how to brand yourself is so important as a freelancer, let’s move swiftly onto how you can actually start creating a brand you absolutely love (and that your clients love, too).
How to Brand Yourself as a Freelancer
1. Visuals
Let’s start with visuals because it’s the thing most people jump to when the word “brand” is bandied around.
Visuals aren’t just limited to your logo, though. In fact, there are loads of different elements that go into creating a consistent brand that people can recognize just by a simple colour or symbol (the golden arches, anyone?).
- Your logo: Obviously, your logo is important. You want to choose a symbol or text-based logo that reflects your business and who you serve. For example, if you’re a health writer, you probably don’t want a pink logo in Comic Sans (NO ONE should be using Comic Sans anyway folks!).
- Your colours: Similarly, you want to use colours that evoke the emotions you want potential clients to feel when they see your brand. Want them to feel like they’re in professional hands? Try a dark blue. Want them to feel inspired? Use yellows and oranges.
- Your fonts: You got it, your fonts should also reflect your business (remember folks, please for the love of everything, no Comic Sans!). If you’re positioning yourself as a business writer, you want a sleek and stylish font, whereas if you’re writing for the beauty industry, you might want something a little more decorative.
- Your images: Very few people consider the imagery they use, but this should also reflect your brand. Will you use pale images? Vibrant images? Images with a filter on?
The main thing to remember with visuals:
Keep it consistent! If you choose a font, stick to it. Likewise, with colours and images. The quickest way for someone to lose sight of your brand is to mix it up too often (I know I’ve been totally guilty of this in the past).
That being said, when you’re just starting out, it’s worth experimenting a little with your visuals until you find something that you really love and feels reflects your brand. And if you’re not sure? Simply ask your ideal client. Send them a few questions about your brand, asking things like:
- What three words do you feel describes my brand?
- What were your initial thoughts when you landed on my website?
- How did you feel when you were browsing through my site?
2. Voice
The second “V” of branding is your voice. This is probably the most overlooked thing when it comes to learning how to brand yourself. I mean, words are just words, right?!
Wrong. So wrong.
How you communicate with potential clients plays a huge part in the kinds of prospects who want to work with you. As humans, we relate to people who are similar to us, and one of the main ways we determine this is through words.
For non-business types, someone who spouts a lot of jargon might seem unreachable, whereas someone who is into that kind of thing might feel an instant connection.
You see? Words are important. I’m going to drill that home as much as I can.
Think About Your Niche
When you’re considering your brand voice, the first thing you want to bear in mind is who it is you’re targeting. If you’re targeting younger creatives, you don’t want to use stuffy language. But if you’re targeting law firms and finance companies, your language should be professional and concise.
And when it comes to showcasing your brand voice? You need to do it everywhere. Not just on your website, but:
- In emails
- On social media
- At in-person events
- On print collateral
Literally everywhere.
How to brand yourself using voice
1. Use the same words as your target clients
One of the quickest ways to create a rapport with potential clients is to use exactly the same language as them. This is easier than it seems.
Find out where they’re hanging out (Facebook? Forums? In-person events? Coffee shops?) and eavesdrop. Pick up on the different words they use for different things (do they use “business” or “biz”) and incorporate these into your brand voice. Easy.
2. Make a list of words
You then want to make a list of words that a) you want to incorporate into your voice, and b) you want to eliminate from your voice. Whenever you’re struggling to get your brand across in a particular message, refer back to this list to help you out.
3. Systems
Finally, you want to focus on branding your systems. This is slightly more complicated than finding your voice and figuring out visuals, because it involves the bits and bobs that go on behind the scenes. A.K.A. this isn’t so much a customer-facing (or client-facing) aspect of your business.
Instead, it refers to:
How you onboard clients
What steps do you take to onboard clients? Do you have a specific welcome pack to send out to them and is this branded with your colours and fonts? What is your working process like with clients? Do you have a strict guide to how you submit projects, the platforms you submit on, and how you bill?
These things all come under the umbrella of your brand, because these are the things that make your clients “feel” a certain way.
How and where you market
We touched on this briefly earlier, but knowing where to market your business is where you can pull your brand together. It involves your voice, your visuals, and your systems – it’s the piece a la resistance (or, where your clients will first catch a glimpse of you and your business, so make it count!).
Your turn!
Have you learned how to brand yourself? What elements do you think are the most important when it comes to branding?
I think my biggest problem is I haven’t targeted a niche I’d like to write for yet, so I feel like I need to do that before I can start branding and then approaching anyone! With my background in art history and design, I’d quite like to do something to do with that, or maybe heritage tourism, so I’ll be looking into ways to brand that suit that!
Yes, niching down is a good idea before you start branding, just so you can start sending out the right messages to the people you want to attract. That sounds like a fantastic niche (said from someone who studied art history and design) – all the best!
AMEN TO THAT! I can’t even tell you how many times I hear people explain brand and it’s not even close to being correct! Branding yourself and your creative biz/blog etc. can be a tedious task but it helps so much in the end!
Rachel / http://www.seashellsandsparkles.com
So true – I think there are a lot of mixed messages about branding out there (har har!). I agree it’s not necessarily the funnest part of having a blog or business, but it definitely, DEFINITELY pays off in the long run!
A very interesting and informative blog post – handy for anyone new to the world of freelancing…
Anna Nuttall recently posted…Fab Summer Finds
Thanks, Anna! Glad you found it useful 🙂
This is excellent info. I signed up!
Thanks so much, Melanie!
Voice, yes! A brand is so not just visuals! I’ve actually written about this too – I was looking for a branding strategist and everyone I found was really a designer, it called for a ranty post! Haha
Brittany Berger recently posted…Workflow Automation: A Solopreneur’s Secret Weapon
I can see why a lot of people might think branding = visuals, because that’s really what we’re faced with on a surface level, but it runs SO much deeper than that, right!? *Heads over to your blog to read the ranty post*
I love that you tackled branding! It’s something close to my heart even though I’m not a designer. Voice and tone are very important to me, especially because 90% of my clients are male. I certainly want to ensure my brand draws them in, not scares them away!
That’s so true about clients being male – most of mine are, too! It’s easy enough to go with a voice and visuals that WE like, but it’s so important to consider who our clients are and who we want to work with as well.
YES! For the longest time I struggled with my copywriting business until I re-branded myself as a geeky, fun-loving, expert strategist with killer copywriting chops. Branding is how you set yourself apart from everyone else. It’s like those reality TV shows with all the different personalities and such. It’s like Survivor.
During Survivor: Pearl Islands, Rupert branded himself as a fun, loveable, mischievous, and generous tribe member – and while he didn’t win the million-dollar first prize, he was later voted Fan Favourite, which also carried a $1 million prize.
So many people try to make branding more complicated than it has to be. Branding is basically a personality adjustment for businesses. Once you understand that, it all falls into place.
Love your Survivor analogy, Mike – so true! And I completely agree that your brand is akin to a personality. It has to reflect who you are and how you want people to see you. Thanks for stopping by!
Great post. I especially like the tip about finding your voice and making a list of words to incorporate into your writing voice to help you stay consistent. Something I will definitely try doing. I’m working on branding my freelance business but find it difficult without having a specific niche. Sometimes I feel as though I am all over the place.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks, Renee! Incorporating a specific writing voice can make sending emails, writing blog posts, and writing copy for your site so much easier. Let me know how you get on!