seem to be a counterproductive move because as small businesses we want to be everything to everyone. We’ re starving for work and we don’ t want to turn anyone down. But actually in doing that( servicing everyone) we just end up looking like the competition; we just end up sort of fading away instead of completely standing out. But if you have a really clear brand – and have a clear positioning strategy, it can help you charge more than you would normally be able to because you are positioning yourself as an expert or serving a particular niche audience that has never been served before.
Kristi: I can’ t count how many designer horror stories I’ ve heard, and I have a few of my own. You
In order to connect a customer to your brand you have to have a deeper reason than just making money.
work with designers on a regular basis, how would you suggest a novice decide on a designer to create her audience’ s first impression of her business?
Andrea: I think part of the reason there have been so many horror stories is because of how small business go about accessing designers. Which is, you usually have two options: 1. You are going directly to the freelance designer or 2. You are launching something on ODesk or a logo competition site. And if you’ re launching something on one of these sites you’ re not going to be attracting the kind of design skills that your business needs in order to look like a professional North American or Western company because typically you are going to be working with someone who is in the Philippines or India and might not have as strong of an understanding of the design aesthetic here in the US. Typically, good designers that have gone to design school and have higher qualifications do not participate in those types of platforms. If you’ re a good designer you’ re not going to compete for a poster or a social media background against 100 other options. As a quality designer, that’ s not attractive to them and a step down. It is also missing a key aspect. The designers are not really clear about the customers’ needs or wants. You need to work with designers that will force you to dig deeper into what you are looking for – the feel – tone- what you are trying to convey – what it is you want your customers to know just by a mere glimpse of your site. That is what’ s going to allow you to attract the customers you love. If you have a generic niche, you will have a generic design. The clearer you are the more powerful your branding will be.
Kristi: Do you have any Parting Advice?
Andrea: Just that this all starts with your brand strategy and it starts on getting clear with your 5 basic things – your purpose, your vision, your values, your positioning, and your promise. And I think that a lot of people end up sort of skipping over that. For startups, when you are building your brand you have to have a general idea of where you are headed. So you build your brand today and grow into it. And then being really clear on your purpose is the thing that makes clients either be loyal to you or run.
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