What if you were able to show up with more excitement and joy in your brand, business and on social media? What would that feel like?
And what if there was a tool that can help you understand how to operate from a place of more ease and joy by bringing awareness to your unique personality and energetic “type” so you can optimize your energy and align yourself with the world around you, including your brand?
Let me introduce you to Human Design!!
By understanding how your energy flows and your unique personality traits, you can make aligned decisions for yourself and build a brand strategy using Human Design that matches your energy. After all, your life is a culmination of all your decisions and indecisions to date.
What is Human Design?
Do you ever wonder why you make decisions different from your biz bestie? Why sometimes you are vibrating so high and other times you are just – meh?
Human Design is a system that combines astrology, the Chinese I Ching, the Kabbalah Tree of Life, and the chakras to create your unique “bodygraph.”
A human design chart “bodygraph” is created uniquely for you based on your unique birthplace, time, and location and represents a map of the cosmos when you were born and also three months before (as your brain was developing in the womb).
The five types are Manifestor, Generator, Manifesting Generator, Projector, and Reflector. Each type corresponds with a particular authority and strategy – following this will help guide you to make decisions that feel more aligned with you and your brand.
Creating Ease in Your Business with Human Design
When your brand strategy is designed with your human design chart in mind, you create a brand that is authentic, unique, and effortless to communicate. It can also help you make decisions with ease since they are aligned with your true self and come from a place of inner guidance.
4 ways your brand can grow using Human Design:
Communication. When your personal brand is aligned with who you are, you are able to come up with a marketing plan that allows you to show up in a way that is magnetizing to your ideal client.
Confidence. Making decisions that are in line with your true self and your personal decision making strategy based on your Human Design Type will help to avoid decision fatigue and stress by removing doubt.
Authenticity. You understand what is YOUR MAGIC and that everything about you is what will attract the right audience to your brand so you lean more into what makes you!
Energy. Knowing how you energetically operate allows you to tap into your unique energy flow of when you are most productive and when you need to rest to create brand goals and a strategy that supports you and your business.
You can learn more from my expert friend Elle Hamilton of ElleUndefined who I collaborated with to create this unique brand strategy quiz with to help you grow your brand and run your business it with more alignment.
P.S. Elle offers customized Human Design readings, get $$ off your session with her using code MARINA
Using Human Design to Align Your Brand
Let’s face it. Personal branding is –personal! Understanding your Human Design type allows you to embrace all the parts of you while incorporating them into your brand to find joy & truly connect with the people you want to serve. So why not harness this knowledge to grow your business through alignment and less friction?
Learn about your unique strengths, weaknesses, and strategy from the BodyGraph results
Identify your unique selling points. How do they align with your personal values and passions?
Use this info to create a brand message, or purpose statement, that resonates with your target audience and aligns with your authentic self
Take my Authentic Brand Strategy Quiz to get a PDF with your own unique brand strategy recommendations based on your personality, energy and, Human Design
An Aligned Brand is Just a Step Away
When your brand is designed with your human design chart in mind, you create a brand that is authentic, unique, and effortless to communicate. It can also help you make decisions that align with your true self, and tap into your unique strengths and gifts.
So, if you have been struggling with showing up online, sharing your message or feeling drained by your brand and business, I designed this brand strategy quiz with Human Design and Life Work Balance expert Elle Hamilton, to help you understand how to show up in your business in alignment with your unique energy, personality, and Human Design.
Personally, self-awareness and self-discovery tools like this have saved me from a toxic corporate job that was making me more miserable every day. I made joy a priority in my life again to reconnect with my soul.
I realized nothing was “wrong” with me and that certain work environments simply didn’t align with my soul and energy. Now I run my brand and business in a way that aligns with my Human Design, energy levels, personal strengths, and personality.
If you are ready to build an online brand that allows you to live a freedom and joy filled life, check out my brand development coaching program. This program gives you hands-on experience creating your brand from scratch, including messaging and social media strategy. And of course, Human Design!
If you want to dive deeper into your unique Human Design chart, you can book a 1:1 reading with Elle and use code MARINA for money off. *
*This is an affiliate code, I only recommend tools and services I have used myself and loved deeply, Elle is incredible and I highly recommend working with her once you are ready.
As a business owner, the end of a year is a common time to reflect on business goals. If you’re not hitting all your goals this year, you may be questioning if your branding is at fault.
As a brand you want to stand out and be noticed for what your company stands for. You may think, “If only my business or personal brand had a new look!”
But how do you know if your business could benefit from a rebrand or brand refresh?
Rebranding and a brand refresh are the two most effective ways to give your business a new look. Both are effective, but if you don’t know what to do or when to do it, you can waste a lot of time and money.
Let’s not do that, okay? Your time and energy is precious. So, first let’s understand the difference between a rebrand and a brand refresh.
What is a Brand Refresh?
Think of a brand refresh as a makeover to upgrade the visual design, but the brand remains mostly the same in terms of messaging, values, and overall brand personality. A refresh can introduce new shades to your brand colors, graphic elements or a new set of branded social media templates.
A brand refresh is similar to the new scarf and boots added to your wardrobe to spice up the many outfits you already have.
You might seek a brand refresh if your business has matured. Maybe your visuals don’t align with your brand messaging or speak to your brand personality. A new set of branded templates could be just what you need to breathe life back into your biz.
What is a Rebrand?
A rebrand is a complete overhaul of your brand identity. It involves re-examining your brand strategy including market research, goals, and purpose. Some brands choose to undergo a complete brand transformation, which could include a new name, logo, fonts, brand colors, and even a new business model.
A rebrand is similar to donating all the items in your wardrobe that no longer bring you joy and updating it with items that do. You build a closet filled with clothes and accessories that give you confidence because they represent who you are.
You might seek a rebrand if your business has changed direction or you desire to pivot your original brand. Or perhaps you pivoted your niche and your ideal clientand services have changed.
If you’ve been in business a couple of years, more than likely your business has matured and you’ve outgrown your best DIY efforts. To prepare for rebranding, you will need to consider an overhaul on brand strategy, brand guidelines, and marketing collateral.
Questions to Ask Before a Rebrand
Get down to the root of your desire.
Why are you looking to update your brand?
Are you bored?
Are you finding it hard to show up for your audience?
Are you no longer finding joy in your business?
Rebranding needs to be done consciously. And being bored of your current branding can’t be the only reason!
Please resist changing your whole brand identity just because you’re bored or because you think, “I got zero clients in the last six months, my account is not growing. I think it’s my branding.”
It’s going to take your brand at least a year to make an impact. Don’t rebrand unless your core values shift or you’re changing business models, industry brand equity takes years to build and shouldn’t be discarded.
I’m not saying don’t rebrand because if done right it can set you on a blazing path to success. But do so consciously and thoughtfully. Take people on a journey with you as you explore new brand ideas. Test your ideas out in stories and see if people are engaging with them.
If you feel your business has matured and you’ve outgrown your DIYed branding maybe it’s time to invest in a professional approach to brand and content strategy.
Do I Need a Brand Refresh?
If you are just bored of your branding or feel disconnected maybe there are other things going on in your life influencing this feeling. Maybe all you need is a refresh!
Get inspired by creating a vision board. Follow competitors in your industry and take note of what you like and what you don’t like. Add customizable branded templates to your marketing collateral.
Take The First Step Towards a Brand You Love
A brand refresh and rebrand are often confused and used interchangeably. But when done correctly at the right times, they yield different results.
If you feel you need a change, don’t be afraid to take the first step. As an entrepreneur, having a brand that is fresh brings personal joy and business success. As you grow, it’s expected that your business will too.
If you find yourself dreaming about what your brand should look like. Start by asking yourself, why?
Take the time to define your joy, ideal lifestyle, and purpose. When your soul is in alignment with your business, you will know if it’s the season for a refresh or a rebrand.
If things are feeling stale or unclear, go back to the drawing board & see where the disconnect is between you & your brand.
If you’re an entrepreneur ready to bring your big brand vision to life, the Social Media Branding Package may be just what you need. This is a one-stop shop service for building a cohesive, stand-out brand AND content strategy that work hand in hand.
If a brand refresh could bring your brand back to life, these customizable branded Canva templates can get your business soaring high into the new year.
If you want to find your authentic brand strategy, check out this brand strategy quiz I created to help you understand how to show up in your business in alignment with your unique energy, personality & Human Design.
This blog post contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my links.
Starting and growing your business doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. Many early entrepreneurs make the mistake of misallocating their money and energy.
Part of sustainably and successfully growing your business is developing an entrepreneurial mindset to better prioritize and structure your business needs for growth.
Here are 3 tips to help you start making smart investments that will grow your business for the long run.
Create a healthy relationship with money
Before discussing how to invest in your business, it is important you think about your relationship with money.
Whether you are creating a budget to quit corporate or have already quit, understanding how you relate to money is key.
Take time to understand how your past or current experiences shape how you view money, including how you spend or want to spend your money.
Understanding how you relate to money can help you create financial goals for your business, so you can more easily make decisions.
1. Close your knowledge gap and get paid more
There are various ways to make money, but the key to getting paid consistently and well is mastering your skill and increasing your business knowledge.
How you invest in the early years will differ from person to person, but the one thing every entrepreneur has in common is that they invest to close their knowledge gaps. What do you already know, and what do you need to know to make your business grow?
For example, if you already have a skillset you want to monetize, you are better off spending money on services that help you package your offers to get paid well– you can prioritize a brand or business coach.
If you are pivoting and learning a new skill, you can minimize your expenses by doing free courses on educational platforms like Coursera, EdX, and Hubspot Academy.
Your time and attention are as important as money when you are closing the knowledge gaps. How much time and energy you have will depend on various factors (e.g. if you still have a 9-5, if you have children, if you have caretaking obligations other than children, etc).
Set aside time to deeply focus on your education. Whether it is learning a new skill that will pay more or learning about sales, this knowledge sets the foundation your business needs to grow.
[Pro tip: Track your time with a tool like Toggl for 1-2 weeks. Also track your energy levels throughout the week to understand your energy flow. You will start to see how you can improve your time and energy management to work more effectively]
It can seem boring to learn some of these skills, but having the right knowledge will help you build a sustainable business that consistently brings in money.
And the better you understand how you operate, including what you enjoy doing and not doing, will help you decide how to delegate tasks later. You can then spend more time in your zone of genius and finding new ways to scale your business.
2. Get tools your business needs to move the needle
Don’t get caught up in the hype of logos and building a website. When you first start, spend money on the tools that are necessary for your business.
Unless you are building an e-commerce business or a business around blogging, you don’t need to spend your money on a website.
Canva pro if you are building templates. If you’re not, you can start with the free version.
Website builders like Shopify if you sell products.
Tools for your wellness liketherapy, Calm, or mindset coaching because you are the person behind your business moves
There are many free tools like Google Meet for video calls or Clickup for project management. There are also many tools with free trials to help you decide whether a tool is right for you or not.
As you grow, you can spend more money on more powerful tools, but don’t start overspending on fancy tools that don’t serve you.
The key is to spend money on tools that help you streamline your workflow, so you can spend more time on money-making tasks or on enjoying life because if you are happy and energized, your business benefits from it.
3. Build a brand that connects with potential clients
Building a brand can be a game changer and should come before content pillars or a beautiful feed. Visuals are important to grab attention, but aesthetics without substance will not build a connection with your audience.
Branding is what helps you decide your messaging, niching, and services. If you know your brand, it is easier to make business decisions because your brand is your business compass.
By making brand-aligned decisions, it will be easy for people to understand your brand. The easier it is for people to understand your brand, the easier it is for them to remember it.
In a world where people are increasingly distracted, making it easy for people to remember you will increase awareness and leads for your business.
And because your message is clear, you will also attract aligned clients, so you can work with people who share your values to create the impact you want.
How you spend your first years in business can make it easier or harder to scale later on. Remember that these first few years are all about planting your seed (ideas) in good soil (business foundations).
If you want to build a business that lasts more than 1 or 2 years, take the time to cultivate your business the right way, and you will reap bountiful benefits.
If you’re ready to set a strong foundation that helps your business grow, my Brand Development Coaching Program is created for people like you who understand that a business requires work, and that we are building more than just a business. We are building a lifestyle.
In 12-weeks you will get hands-on experience creating your brand from scratch, including clarifying your messaging, creating profitable offers, and building a social media strategy.
If you want to find your authentic brand strategy, check out this brand strategy quiz I created to help you understand how to show up in your business in alignment with your unique energy, personality & Human Design.
You’ve probably heard someone say there are riches in niches, but as a multi-passionate person you have many interests, and the idea of niching down may feel impossible.
But if you want to build a memorable brand and successful business, creating a niche brand is important.
And niche is not a bad word. It doesn’t mean you can’t show up as your multi-faceted, authentic self.
You can still show up authentically online by bringing your personality into your brand. This is what’s great about personal branding.
The key is to think outside the box to niche outside the box. Here are some tips to leverage your many passions to create a true-to-self niche brand.
If your niche is outside the box, that’s how you should be thinking!
What are niche brands
Before we talk about your passions and figuring out what your niche is, let’s define branding and niche.
What is branding?
The focus of branding is to refine the messaging so that you are attracting the right people with less work. Branding helps you identify foundational elements like your brand purpose.
It tells people why your brand exists, including your vision and your mission. It’s about who you serve and the impact you want to create in the world.
But your messaging doesn’t tell people how you are moving towards your business goals.
This is where your niche comes in.
Niche Definition
Your niche tells people your area of expertise. So Building a niche brand means you are creating a brand within a specific niche, i.e. expertise within an industry.
As a multi-passionate you are better positioned to create a niche brand precisely because of all your interests.
How to create an aligned brand
The key is to look at your different passions to combine them in unique ways that can be monetized..
For example, my messaging is around helping women show up true-to-self and living a vivacious life.
I happen to do this through branding instead of other skills like mindset work or sales coaching. Even though I do talk about those topics in my Brand Development Coaching Program, my title is brand coach.
I chose my brand coaching title because it combines my passion and skills for branding, storytelling, coaching, design, etc.
My niche simply tells people what expertise I chose to monetize. That way no one is ever confused about what I do or who I serve with my business.
So how can you niche down and still show your passions?
Let’s first discuss niching. There are a couple of ways to niche down.
Identify your niche skills
As a multi-passionate, you have many interests and skills. This is your strength!
Your skills can be hard or soft skills you can combine to stand out in the market.
Let’s say you do carpentry but also have a passion for technology, so you learned 3D printing.
Rather than seeing these as separate, you can explore both passions by combining them and creating furniture that uses natural elements with 3D printed elements.
This is the approach we took with my client Elle who is a human design reader and is interested in self-care among other interests. Instead of seeing these as separate, we used this to find her place in the personal development niche.
She used her learned skills and passion for human design readings and self-care to create a brand focusing on energy optimization. This way people know she is a go-to person if they need to optimize their energy to create more mental space and time to live their life.
Here’s how you can do to do the same:
Steps to choose your niche skills
List all your hard and soft skills.
Identify which ones light you up and keep you in your zone of joy.
Experiment to see how you can combine your skills.
Remember that not all your skills and interests need to be monetized. There are other ways you can include them into your branding by weaving it through your content.
Find a Niche Audience
If finding a niche based on your skills proves difficult, you can create a niche brand based on your audience.
Some niche industries are very saturated. For example, there seems to be a mindset coach everywhere you look.
If you are passionate about mindset work and feel like you can’t do it because there are so many, choose a niche audience instead.
This is what we did with my client Angie. Angie is a natural hype-woman who loves her planners, and mindset work spoke to her.
But she is also passionate about art. She is a creative person who loves to paint, act, dance, and more. Instead of niching based on her artistic skills, she used them as inspiration to decide who she wants to help: creatives.
This lets her tap into her expertise as a creative. If a creative wants to work on their mindset, they know that her expertise (i.e. niche) is working with creatives.
Now, she isn’t just another mindset coach. She is a mindset coach for creatives, so she’s able to share her passion for the arts while staying niche and on brand.
If you choose to go down this path, digging into your ideal client profile will help you niche your audience, so you can create a brand that attracts the type of people you want to work with.
Niche without losing your personality in the process
I know that as a creative person, you don’t want to blend in. If after the niching down process you feel like your brand is not true-to-you, lean into your other passions.
This is where your content pillars (or buckets) play an important role. As a creative you have a lot of ideas and interests. What you need to do is find the common themes.
To make sense of your passions:
Write down 5-10 topics you are passionate about.
Then group them by similarities.
After grouping them, choose an umbrella theme for each group.
Say you’re a cook who loves gardening and hiking. These two topics may seem disconnected, but if you are someone who is a nature-lover, you can connect them under the theme of nature and talk about how this influences your cooking.
Or if you are health conscious, you can connect them under the theme of health and how it relates to cooking healthy meals.
How you label your themes will depend on your brand messaging, so remember to filter your ideas to make sure they connect to your brand.
Once you have your niche and your core messaging, it becomes easier to see how your passions relate to your brand. And sharing your passions will empower you to show up authentically as well as attract aligned clients.
This is what happened when I started sharing more about my spirituality. When I started sharing my tarot cards, crystals, talking about astrology, intuition, etc., I made an energetic invitation for people who align with me.
Even though I’m not in the spiritual niche, I share this passion because it relates to my messaging of showing true-to-self and is an important part of how I approach brand strategy.
In my brand coaching services, I work with clients to tap into their intuition and skills to create their own true-to-self brand. So when clients work with me, they aren’t surprised when these topics come up.
I help my clients do the same, so they don’t feel like they’re hiding parts of who they are and embrace themselves completely.
If you’re a multi-passionate soul ready to create a niche brand that is true-to-you and aligns you with the right clients, you can join my Brand Development Coaching Program.
This is a 12-week hands-on experience that lets you create your brand from scratch, including messaging and social media strategy.
If you want to find your authentic brand strategy, check out this brand strategy quiz I created to help you understand how to show up in your business in alignment with your unique energy, personality & Human Design.
Your brand relies on a few foundational concepts: your brand purpose, your brand identity (including brand voice), and having a clear idea of who your ideal client is.
Finding your ideal client is a core session in my Brand Development Coaching Program because it helps keep your messaging relevant to potential clients while staying true to your brand, so you attract aligned clients!
What is a client avatar profile?
Your brand’s ideal client profile outlines who your ideal client is. Many tend to confuse their target audience with an ideal client.
Unlike broad target audience descriptions like “college educated women ages 30-45”, your client avatar finds a specific group within target audiences, so you connect with them on a deeper level.
This process includes identifying demographics and psychographics, i.e. who they are, what they believe and value.
Client Avatar Demographics and Psychographics
When you think demographics, you probably automatically think of words like “gender”, “age”, “marital status”, etc.
People usually focus too much on this part. These details of a person’s identity are important, but you have to make them relevant.
For example, if your client profile is of a woman entrepreneur, this can help you focus on understanding challenges that are unique to this demographic (e.g. overcoming corporate trauma they experienced as women).
These challenges may be seen differently depending on your client avatar’s psychographics.
Psychographics are more abstract parts of your client’s identity like morals, attitudes, beliefs, i.e. their worldview. You can identify this through actions like how they spend their time, the brands they support, etc.
In the example of women who experience corporate trauma, their worldview will influence how they face and overcome the same challenge.
Creating a client avatar does not mean you only sell to someone who checks off all the boxes. It simply helps you keep that person in mind when you are creating your messaging, so it is more relevant.
3 steps you can take to create an ideal client avatar
Creating an ideal client avatar is an in depth process, but here are three steps you can take today to get started.
1. Identify what specific group of people you want to help.
Start by creating a list of your client avatar’s demographics. You can start broad and start narrowing down based on what matters to you and for your brand.
Next, think about how these demographic details impact their lives or how it reflects something about who they are as a person.
With the example of women entrepreneurs, think about where they are in their journey.
The needs of a woman just starting their entrepreneurial journey is different from a woman who has 10 years experience as an entrepreneur.
If they are a mompreneur, their priorities are likely different than women who don’t have kids.
This can also help you as you grow your business and expand your services (i.e. you have a program for beginners and another for more advanced clients).
2. Identify their values
Our actions tend to align with our values. When they don’t, that’s when we feel out of alignment. This will matter when you offer your solution, but before going into that, let’s discuss your avatar’s values:
Continuing with the same example of women entrepreneurs, be specific about your avatar’s values. Perhaps your ideal client values mental health or financial security.
Being specific helps you better understand them.
Let’s say you have two women who are moms (let’s name them Ana and Susana). If Ana values discipline more and Susana values playfulness more, their parenting styles will be different.
People tend to be complex, so the point of this exercise is to identify a list of core values that drive your clients the same way you would identify values for your brand.
As you do this, think about what values matter to you when you work with somebody. Your ideal client reflects the people you will be serving, so aligning your values with theirs will help you serve from a place of joy rather than a sense of obligation.
3. Identify their lifestyle
With your client avatar’s demographics and values in mind, think about the lifestyle they have or aspire to have.
For example, if you are speaking to women entrepreneurs who value nature, their lifestyle would include activities like hiking.
Knowing this can inform the type of content you share. Keep in mind that this should still be aligned with your brand’s message and personality.
If a client is not living a lifestyle in alignment with what they truly value and want, this is where your offers fit into their life.
As someone who values nature and freedom, my content includes these types of images and topics.
Through my content, I show women a life of freedom is possible because this is my brand’s purpose: to help more women free themselves from social norms to live a vivacious life.
If you want to find your authentic brand strategy, check out this brand strategy quiz I created to help you understand how to show up in your business in alignment with your unique energy, personality & Human Design.
Creating a personal brand can feel overwhelming, but by taking intentional steps, you can build a brand that can be magical for your success in the online space.
One of the greatest perks about personal branding is that you can start today even if you don’t have anything to sell.
That’s because your personal brand doesn’t start with what you sell but with WHY you are selling.
You can build a pivot-proof brand that gives you freedom to expand beyond a specific service or product in the future, so you can create a lifestyle you want and have financial freedom.
In this guide, you will learn how to start building your very own true-to-self brand including:
Branding is about evoking a specific emotion through messaging and visual recognition.
Your personal brand does the same, but it is specifically about how YOU brand yourself. This means highlighting your superpower and leveraging it to stand out in your area of expertise.
Whether you are building a personal brand from scratch or doing a rebrand, building a brand in alignment with who you are will bring ease into the process.
There are many aspects to consider in your personal brand, but these 5 are foundational:
1. Brand personality
As with a person, your brand personality is about its characteristics. To be authentic, make it an extension of who you are.
If you are someone who loves adventure, create a brand that shows that adventurous trait.
Clarifying your brand’s personality will help you with other aspects. For example, your brand voice wouldn’t be serious if your brand’s personality is fun and quirky.
2. Brand story
As the face of your personal brand, your personal story is important, but it is not the same as the brand story.
Your brand story tells us who and what your brand is about in a cohesive narrative.
It combines its history with its core message and emotion in a structured way, so others can easily understand it and connect with it on a deeper level.
3. Strong brand voice
Your brand voice is how you choose to share your brand’s personality, story, and message.
This includes knowing the words that are important to your brand and the ones you want to avoid. It also includes your perspective and brand values because the words you choose reflect these.
You may ruffle some feathers in the process, but your brand is not for everyone, so honor your voice.
People process visuals much quicker, they remember the information better, and visuals trigger an emotional reaction.
Choosing the right colors, the right filters, and layout is just another way to share your brand message. A cohesive feed should be an extension of your brand by being its visual voice.
Choosing visuals that align with your brand will also increase people’s awareness of your brand, which is important to your success.
Whether your style is minimal or bold, using customizable templates can help you create a cohesive brand image with ease.
5. Consistency and Frequency
The online world can be very noisy, so being consistent is vital to increase brand awareness.
Showing up consistently means showing consistency not only by posting a certain number of posts, but also being consistent with your message.
If you pay attention to the other elements of your brand, this will happen naturally.
7 Steps to Build Your Personal Brand
Keeping the five elements above in mind, you can start taking actionable steps to start building your brand.
1. Start with your personal brand values
A personal brand is, well, PERSONAL. This means it stems from you and who you are as an individual.
Your values must be at the core of your branding even if you change your services later.
Have at least five values to ground your brand. A personality test can help you gain insight into who you are, an important step in your brand development and entrepreneurial journey.
You could use the Myers-Briggs personality test, the Enneagram test, human design, or astrology as guiding tools to reflect and gain more awareness about what is important to you.
Understanding your values will influence how your brand evolves, including the message you share, the graphics you use, and the content you create.
For instance, if you’re an animal lover like Seema, you can include animal graphics in your visual content.
As your brand grows and you feel more comfortable with it, you will find ways to incorporate your values.
2. Find your niche
As a multi-passionate, I struggled with niching down. But it can be done if you focus on your expertise and core message.
Choose your expertise by exploring
Your expertise does not have to be very specific, especially when you’re just starting. With time, you can start niching down based on your experience.
If you are just starting out and are not sure about your expertise, start exploring. Finding your passion doesn’t happen overnight
List a few topics and skills you would like to learn more about and take some online courses. By taking courses, you can find out if you truly enjoy a specific interest.
Pay attention to what excites you and continue to cultivate your interests.
The happier you are about the work you do, the easier it will be to show up consistently for your brand and others.
Decide your core message
Choosing your core message is another way to niche down. Your core message is tied to your brand purpose.
My core message is to live a freedom-filled, vivacious life. This is connected to my brand purpose to help women find freedom and live their life to the fullest.
Sharing a clear message speaks to specific people, so even if there are other experts in your field, your core message is one way to stand out and attract your clients.
Take a moment to write what is important to you. Choose one word (e.g. freedom) that is important in your life and create a message around it.
Revisit this idea multiple times if you have to. It may take you a few tries, but this step will help you stay focused as you build your brand.
3. Share your story
To successfully use storytelling, you need to choose the stories that will speak directly to your ideal client and connect to your unique selling points.
Focus on the parts of your story you are ready to share and that connect to your core message.
Remember that this can be more specific if you choose to niche down even more or it may change if you pivot later in your journey.
The “who” of your brand is your ideal client.
Finding Your Ideal Client
Identifying your ideal client can help you be more precise in your mission.
Knowing who my ideal client is helped clarify my own mission to help multi-passionate, creative women develop aligned brands.
Think about who you want to help. You can start by focusing on a specific demographic group (e.g. women, millennials, graphic designer, etc) and then think about your ideal client more specifically.
You should look at what worldview, values, and beliefs your ideal client has. You can also consider if they want a specific lifestyle that connects to your brand.
Choosing clients beyond demographics, will make it easier to find clients who are aligned, so your brand succeeds.
5. Craft your brand story
After understanding your own journey, your values, and your expertise, you can start structuring your brand story.
Your personal story should have a clear connection to your brand’s core message.
Think about what events in your life led you to where you are. Choose 2-3 major events that led to you there.
Then ask yourself: how did the events in your life connect with your brand purpose?
Identify another 2-3 key moments that led you to build your brand. That may be discovering your passion for a topic and how that developed into your brand and your offers.
Your brand story will develop as you grow, so revisit it.
6. Choose the right platforms for you
Consider your audience, your personality, and your resources when choosing your platforms.
If you are not a fan of video editing and don’t have the resources to outsource this task, using YouTube for your business is not the best move.
Or if you are shy about showing up on camera, a blog or a text heavy platform like linkedin might work better for you.
Once you’ve reflected on what platforms are best for you, select 2-3 platforms to reach your audience.
If this seems overwhelming, start with 1 platform. You can prioritize the platform that has a larger number of your target audience.
Once you feel comfortable with that platform, you can expand to other platforms.
Remember that you can also experiment with different platforms and types of content.
Just because you see videos of people dancing, it does not mean you can’t show up on video in your own way.
7. Start showing up online
Once you have the foundation for your brand, start posting. Experiment and share relevant content without expectations.
Whether it is a new tool you found, a new trick you learned, or your thoughts on these share it with your audience.
The key when you are starting your brand is to share content consistently.
It doesn’t matter if it’s three times a week or twice every day, keep a posting schedule that you can maintain.
You can keep content simple at first while you get to know your brand. The point is to let your audience know you are here, and they can trust you to show up.
This also means engaging with your community. Building a personal brand means building connections as people, from one person to the next.
The more you create and engage, the clearer your message and vision will become. Then you can start creating a brand strategy with specific content pillars.
Be true to yourself
In the end, your personal brand is unique because of YOU, so speak your truth.
Share your story intentionally, so you can reach people who align with you, your values, and your brand.
Most importantly, remember to build a brand that brings you joy!
By doing this, you will build a brand that honors your capacity, rest, and well being while making the impact you want to make in the world.
This may change as you grow as a person and as a brand. Building your brand goes beyond this page. It is a journey!
This is one thing all my vivacious clients learn in my brand development coaching program. In this program we do deep work, so you feel truly connected to your brand.
The 12-week program gives you hands-on experience creating your brand from scratch, including messaging and social media strategy. So can continue growing with your brand in alignment.
If you want to find your authentic brand strategy, check out this brand strategy quiz I created to help you understand how to show up in your business in alignment with your unique energy, personality & Human Design.
