The purpose of branding is to make your brand stand out in a crowded world. In branding, we take what you've learned in life - your story, your experience, your intuition - and appeal it to the people that you can help the most.
But if you water down all of those amazing and unique gifts that you have, and make your brand vanilla, you're not going to create an audience of loyal customers. You might get single sales, but you're probably not going to get repeat customers because you're not uniquely fit for any one type of person.
What About Pistachio Ice Cream?
Pistachio ice cream is an acquired taste. People either love it, or they hate it. If you’ve tried it, I think you can agree it’s a very unique flavor. And becoming a unique flavor is a really good thing.
Think about the Ben & Jerry’s brand. Based on their market research, they know that their ideal customer wants wacky, crazy, individualized flavors and unique combinations. Ben & Jerry’s isn’t comparable to Breyer’s vanilla ice cream or the Häagen-Dazs brand. Ben & Jerry’s customers love adventure. They love trailblazing and living outside of the box.
Would you rather be vanilla? Or would you rather be pistachio?
I challenge you to put your own unique spin and flavor on your brand.
Follow Your Intuition
In order to harness the power of your life experience, your gifts, and the path you’ve chosen, you need your own special sauce: Intuition.
One of the best (and worst) parts of being a trailblazer is having no one to follow. It’s not like your 9-5 career where there is a job description, benchmarks for success, a set to-do list, and direct rewards for achievement.
In the land of the groundbreakers, there is a trail to pioneer, and you’re the first one on it. Your creativity takes courage. There is no doubt you have the grit to carve out this path, and you already have one massive tool for success - your intuition.
This intuition is the compass to drive you and your business in a more true direction. That’s your True North. But in the age of fast-paced social media, instant gratification, and busy schedules, our intuition often gets hushed by all the noise.
Here are some strategies to strengthen your intuition:
Find mentors to help hold you accountable.
Schedule time to step outside your business and gain perspective
Create a vision board and keep it in view of your workspace
Engage in stream-of-consciousness journaling
Find friends who will listen and reflect back to you
Practice meditation and yoga to help the chatter subside so your intuition becomes louder
Take educational classes and workshops to dive deeper into something you’re curious about
Listen to Brené Brown’s podcast
Personally, the best periods of growth have been when I stepped outside the hustle of my work and took a bird’s-eye view perspective. This uninterrupted time is when real game-changing ideas start taking shape.
Applying Intuition to Your Brand
Creating time to work ON my business more regularly has made all the difference in my personal and professional growth. By nurturing my intuition more, ideas unique to my brand started flowing, and it became easier to blaze my trail.
Don't ever for a moment think that it's better to have a brand that appeals to everybody. That is the opposite approach you should take.
Here’s an example:
When you post quotes on social media, what if you posted your own quotes? Use that space to showcase your own thought leadership, and be a leader in your own business. Blaze your own trail.
Don't be a watered-down version of an ice cream flavor. Find your own flavor.
Are you interested in growing your trailblazing brand? I’m host workshops for trailblazing entrepreneurs who are ready to create quality over quantity, intuition over hustle, and nurture a unique brand experience from your own intuition. Also, I work 1:1 with clients who want to make big strides in developing their brands, launching products, and building connective companies.
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