2 Must-Haves for Brand Messaging that Attracts your Ideal Customer and Increases Revenue

2 Must-Haves for Brand Messaging that Attracts your Ideal Customer and Increases Revenue

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Back in 2016, when I wasn't making any money in my business, I worked for about eight months to build my business; the website, the backend, the tech, the systems, all the things. And I didn't have any clients. 

That's when I realized that the approach to branding was completely backward and that we really needed to focus on, as entrepreneurs are the different pieces in order to build the foundation of our brand. And then, once the foundation is set we can create things like the website, the offers, and sign clients.

It’s one of the reasons I created my signature course, You! Branded to encompass all of this.

In my quest to build a better brand, I began to learn more about the power of strong brand messaging.

I quickly discovered it was the missing piece so many entrepreneurs weren’t giving enough attention to. We find ourselves wondering, “Why isn't my stuff converting? Why are people going to my sales page and not buying? Why are people opening my emails and not clicking?" 

And it always comes back to messaging, which of course is part of the branding process.

Understanding how to message is key if you plan on running any sort of business, but especially if you have an online business. Because the content that you're creating, the emails that you're sending, the sales pages, that's how you're communicating. That's kind of it. 

So, you need to make sure that what you're saying is doing what you want it to do. What you're saying is actually leading to the sale.

In this blog, I’m going to clear the air and remove the overwhelm that comes with Brand Messaging and give you my top 2 must-haves when crafting brand messaging that works!

If you prefer to watch the video training, just scroll down to watch!

WHAT IS BRAND MESSAGING

Brand messaging is how you communicate the purpose of your brand, the problem that it solves, what you do, the work that you do, and the products that you have in a magnetic way. 

It's not only about attracting the right people, it's also leading them, and converting them to the offer. It's about bundling it all up in a clear, specific and concise way.

People are always telling me, "I want a better way to communicate what it is I do to my audience so that they want to do it." 

And I'm like, "That is brand messaging." It's all about communication.

The mistake people make with their brand messaging is just focusing on what they do. They craft messages that say, "This is what I do. This is what I create. This is how many modules there are," and they don't focus on why those things are important. 

Their focus is, “Well, this is how I'll help you, and this is what I'll do with x, y and z”, and not focused on why their audience cares about those things in the first place. 

What your audience really wants to know is how what you say you're going to do will benefit them. Because when we're going into buying something, yes, we might be looking for specific things, but we want to know it's going to solve our problem and it's going to help us get to the end result that we want.

I know that might seem like a lot to include, you might be thinking, "How do I communicate all of that?" but it truly is quite simple.

WHERE TO USE BRAND MESSAGING

Brand messaging can be and should be designed for your brand as a whole. This is something that I teach inside of my programs and referred to as Core Brand Messages.

It's this idea that your brand as a whole solves a very specific problem for your ideal customer, and you need to understand why solving that problem is important to your ideal customer. 

But then, you can also create different variations of that or even more specific messages for a particular offer, for a landing page, for a webinar, for a sales page, in an email, etc...

For instance, I have core brand messages for Brandmerry as a whole. But then, my program, Brandmerry Academy, which focuses specifically on marketing and teaching people how to market their business, has very specific messages on marketing. I don't talk about the basics of starting a business because we're focused on marketing. 

I reserve those types of messages for my program Roadmap to Freedom.

Strong messaging is used everywhere and anywhere you want to sell something, and following this brand messaging framework will make your life way easier.

BRAND MESSAGING FRAMEWORK

Excellent messaging always comes back to knowing your audience. So, even though I’m going to share with you a framework for your messages, I want you to remember the language you’ll use will come from what you know about your ideal customer.

We can't craft messages that convert, sales pages that sell, email campaigns that email, we can't do any of that if we don't know how to communicate to our audience.

I think copywriting is such an art. And so many people are like, "Well, I'll just hire a copywriter. I'll just get to a place when I hire a copywriter." But you're never going to get there if you don't know how to do it now yourself. 

There are people who are incredibly skilled at writing copy, and they freaking own that. They're just masters at it. But, everyone at the bare minimum needs to just understand how to communicate to their audience. And that's really what messaging is. And as you can see, so much of your messaging working is reliant on understanding who you're talking to and then letting them tell you what they want and the language that they use and plugging that into your copy.

The framework, once you have the market research, is actually quite simple.

The brand messaging framework includes what you do, the problem you solve and why it’s important.

PART ONE: WHAT YOU PROVIDE

You need to note that it’s not just one thing, otherwise you’d have one brand message. What you do needs to be broken down into pieces. Think about your framework, modules you offer, modalities, techniques or just the flow you lead your client through. 

PART TWO: WHAT PROBLEM DOES IT SOLVE

Taking it back to the ideal client work, understanding the struggles/ pains of your ideal customer is huge. When you know what they want to avoid or what they are working towards you can use that to share how what you do will help them achieve that.

This is the second stage of messaging to say, “This is what I do so you can…”

PART THREE: ADDING THE REAL BENEFIT AND URGENCY

This is all about why your audience should care and why it’s important. This is the sweet spot of brand messaging and the difference between someone working with you and someone not working with you, someone buying your course and not buying your course, someone buying your product and not buying your product. 

If they aren’t clear on how investing in this will serve them, they won’t do it!

BRAND MESSAGING EXAMPLES

These are examples of messages I’ve been using since 2016 when positioning my brand and various products. 

I want you to pay attention to how the framework is presented in each of them.

Example 1: Follow my signature uncover-your-story framework so that you can identify the most impactful stories for your brand as a whole and how to showcase them as part of your brand experience. 

So much of what my audience struggles with is storytelling. I know that that's a pain point, so I'm solving the problem with that. I'm letting them know how they can choose their stories, which is a huge pain point for my audience. Then, I'm telling them that the benefit is that they're going to be able to use storytelling in their branding experience. And of course, they're learning my brand framework.

Example 2: Create your core brand messages by tapping into your story and purpose so that you can remain consistent and build trust, making selling about connection and not being pushy. 

If you're reading my sales page, you're like, "What's a core brand message? I'm so interested in that." I'm going to tell you how you're going to do it. It's all about storytelling and purpose, which is part of my superpower. That's what differentiates me from other people who teach messaging. And specifically, we're going to talk about building trust, which is important to my audience. And the biggest pain point that they want to avoid is sounding sleazy or salesy or pushy when it comes to selling. I know that y'all hate this, and so I'm using that in my marketing.

Example 3: Create a program that delivers on your goal of helping your ideal client reach their desire and learn how to structure and price your offering in a way that speaks directly to your clients so that they are eager to invest again and again. 

They're going to learn how to create a program, specifically in alignment with their desire. A program that helps their ideal customer. My audience, people who buy my products are mission-driven, purpose-driven. So they want not just an offer to sell, but something that's really going to serve their ideal customer. And they struggle with structuring their offer, pricing their offer, and their end goal is to consistently sign clients that invest again and again.

These are three messages that are part of my brand as a whole. Three of them are used on my You! Branded sales page. And I think I have some of them on my Roadmap to Freedom sales page and various places in my business.

BRAND MESSAGING GUIDELINES

2 Must-Haves in Your Brand Messaging

Let’s talk about two brand messaging guidelines.

1. SOLVE A PROBLEM

Every single message that you create has to talk about the problem. It has to address the problem. People pay to eliminate a problem and since you're in business you want to make sure you understand the problem of your ideal customer.  No matter what you sell your customer has a bunch of problems that you solve with your product or service.

Your brand as a whole solves one main problem, and that's your niche, but then you've got all these other problems that your audience is experiencing that you want to address in your messaging. 

Not only are you letting them know that you get them and you know what they're experiencing, but you also are very blatantly like, "Hey, I know you have this problem, and I'm going to help you solve it."

2. THE BENEFIT

The benefit is telling your audience specifically what solving the problem will get them. You'll see a lot of that so-that-you-can messaging in marketing, and the reason is it works like a freaking charm. 

This is the extension to brand messaging that so many people forget. When thinking of this piece you want to consider the end goal for your ideal customer, how solving the problem will benefit them and the desires they are wanting to achieve.

That's what you want to make sure is crystal clear. That is what leads people to actually buying your product, your service, your offer.

Your audience really wants to know what's going to make their life easier, what's going to get them closer to their end goal or their desire, how is fixing this going to manifest itself in their everyday life. 

Let's say you teach meditation and you're like, "You're going to learn my 15-minute meditation to handle any stressful situation that comes up at work." 

Okay, fine. But if they handle that stressful situation at work, what does that give them?
Is it so they can go about their day and not bite their coworker's head off? 
Is it so they don't go home completely stressed out and then take it out on their family? 
Is it so they can be more productive and get more work done? 

What is the end result? It can't just be stress-free. What does stress-free look like in your ideal customer's life?

CONCLUSION

Brand messaging is so important, and you really need to make it a top priority for your business.

Remember, brand messaging is how you communicate what you do, but more specifically, why it's important to your ideal customer and how it's going to benefit them. 

And most importantly, you want to make sure that every single message that you create, one, talks about the problem that they're experiencing so that they know that you're going to help them solve that problem…

...and two, the benefit. 

It's not just, "I'm going to help you solve this problem." It's that by solving this problem, you will be able to...

Really focus on this extension!

P.S. A great place to gain clarity on your Brand Messaging and how to market it is inside of The Brandmerry Academy. Learn more and sign up before the end of 2020 here >>

Want to watch the full training? Watch below. This video was recorded as part of Mondays With Michelle which airs every Monday at 4 pm CST.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

Facebook Group Marketing: Why I Don’t Recommend it and What to do Instead

Facebook Group marketing used to work, and for some people with endless amounts of time and serious patience, it could possibly work.

But, here’s the thing business and marketing shouldn’t be hard and it definitely shouldn’t be that time-consuming.

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with the need to come up with fresh content daily and schedule 10-15 minutes to engage in Facebook Groups.

Struggle to find Facebook Groups where your ideal client is genuinely engaging and not just there to pitch their services as well.

Feel a bit defeated that the strategy that seems to work for so many ISN’T working for you.

Keep reading because I’m about to save you so much time and energy.

FACEBOOK GROUP MARKETING

Back in 2016, I started my first Facebook Group. I wanted it to be a place for my ideal customers to come together, share my content and expertise, build trust, and of course sign clients.

I freaking loved it, but in 2020 I closed my group due to changes in marketing and the new and more advanced platforms available to me.

Plus, even though I started my Facebook Group in 2016, as a way to build the community I didn’t neglect my email list. They grew together in size and as I started to pay more and more attention to conversions I saw that my email list converted better than the group AND didn’t take as much of my precious time.

Facebook Groups (i.e. having your own as a way to build and form a community) still works, but don’t neglect to build your email list as well.

But, having your own Facebook Group is not what this is about - it’s about plopping yourself in other Facebook Groups, owned typically by entrepreneurs or organizations, and pushing your content out.

CLIENT ATTRACTION MARKETING

The reason this marketing strategy doesn’t work comes down to two reasons.

Reason #1: Facebook Groups have changed. While you use to be able to engage, post your own content with links to your website, share your videos and your freebies, it’s typically not allowed anymore.

You find yourself creating content to build trust in a community that really isn’t there for you, posting your freebies and offers on a Share thread every week in the hopes someone might message you, click your profile, and land on your website.

Reason #2: Facebook Group marketing is a push strategy, rather than a pull strategy.

Push means blasting your information, your story, and your expertise onto people. People who may or may not be your ideal customer. It’s like casting a line into the ocean and hoping you catch the right fish that will pay you for your services - the odds aren’t great.

Pull strategy (or client attraction marketing) is about pulling in the people searching for your services, products, and expertise. Not only do you experience a higher conversion rate, but it’s easier on you!

4 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

So what do you do, if you’re not posting multiple times a week in a Facebook Group and carving out 10-15 minutes daily to engage, how do you grow your email list?

Here are 4 things to consider when choosing your marketing strategy:

1. FOCUS ON GETTING IN FRONT OF YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER

As with all marketing you want to make sure you’re putting your efforts (i.e. content) in front of your ideal customer. This is why ideal client work is so important and one of the key pillars I teach inside of Roadmap to Freedom.

Choosing your platforms for marketing is about where your audience is hanging out. And I don’t mean just where they are looking for your services, more on that later. I mean where do they spend their time? With the right strategies, you can reach them!This is why I love Pinterest. Pinterest has 416 million active monthly users on its platform and while most people are using it for fun, it’s one of my favorite ways to land content in front of my ideal customer.

Pinterest counts for 90% of my website traffic and last month that was $18k individuals.

2. GO WHERE THEY ARE SEEKING YOUR SUPPORT

Another thing to consider is where people are looking for tips and tools as it relates to your industry. This is why it’s so important to put your content on a search engine optimized platform (think Google/ Blogging, Pinterest, and even YouTube).

When people are searching for your information, it means they are further along in the buying process. They understand they have a problem and are in the process of exploring options to fix the problem.

This is why every entrepreneur needs to be showing up on a search engine optimized platform!

3. DON’T NEGLECT THOSE READY TO BUY

Speaking of the buying process, do you have marketing measures in place to get in front of people seeking our services specifically? 

If not you are missing out! This is where sitewide SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes into play and is necessary for every single business, no matter what you sell.

When you correctly optimize SEO you’re able to rank on page one for your industry and your products, therefore bringing in people who are ready to purchase.

Google ranking is the reason my 1:1 services have been booked for an entire year and why I teach my clients how to do it as well inside of Roadmap to Freedom.

4. BUILD STRONGER BRAND AWARENESS

Aside from the amazing tips above, most of which revolve around search engine platforms, it’s important to take into account brand awareness and longevity. 

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have content that expires too quickly. You’re lucky if your content shows up in the feed after 24 hours, and if we’re talking Facebook Groups it’s more like 15 minutes.

When you’re taking the time and energy to create content, don’t you want it to last?

When you focus on the platforms I’m sharing below, your content can last years! 

Seriously, I have blogs that are still getting consistent traffic from Pinterest and Google since 2017.

In order to create a sustainable business, you need to think about the longevity of content.

MY TOP 4 WAYS TO BUILD YOUR EMAIL LIST AND INCREASE REVENUE

Maybe you’ve already caught on to my absolute favorite marketing platforms, but let’s recap.

1. Google (SEO + Blogging): Your site needs to be set up and optimized for the Google search engine as a way to attract ideal customers who are further along in the buying process. The beautiful thing is with site-wide SEO you don’t need to keep updating it!
   
   

2. Pinterest (Blogging): This combination is my favorite, seriously I’m in love. Writing a weekly high-value blog post and sharing it on Pinterest is a great marketing strategy. Not to mention it takes less time and energy than posting daily in groups or on social media.
   
   

3. Youtube: As I mentioned before Youtube is a search engine platform featuring videos. If you’re a video person, using Youtube to get in front of your ideal customer can be huge for business. Don’t forget as with all these strategies optimizing for search is essential, you have to know what titles, keywords, descriptions, and more work to see a return.
   
   

4. Instagram Video: I couldn’t do a blog on marketing and not speak about the awesome changes to Instagram within the last year. Now, while I don’t recommend Instagram being your main platform, it’s an awesome way to build brand awareness, specifically with video. Video content (think IGTV, Stories, and Reels) has a longer lifespan with the algorithm, and with Instagram’s desire to increase watch time, more likely to end up on the Explore page or be discovered via hashtags.

CONCLUSION

If you’re not already using one of these platforms it’s time.

If you’re currently feeling overwhelmed with content creation, growing your list and marketing in general...it’s time.

And the good news is you don’t have to do it alone. You can learn all of these strategies, the tech and how-to’s inside of my signature program Roadmap to Freedom.

Learn more at brandmerry.com/freedom!

PS: Roadmap to Freedom doors are opening soon! This live group program will help you create an online business that allows you to create a life of abundant experiences and impact.

This high-touch program helps you simplify the process so you can make more money on your terms. And, the 2023 cohort is going to be better than ever with updated content, lifetime access, new bonus content, and more! Join the waitlist and be the first to join in January 2023.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

3 Ways to Get Paying Clients in 2022 (without posting on Instagram or Facebook)

3 Ways to Get Paying Clients in 2022
(without posting on Instagram or Facebook)

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Since the start of my business, in 2016, I've been offering one on one services (aka private coaching). In fact, it was the very first thing that I did to make money. 

I started my business with the idea that I wanted to leave my nine to five to be home with my son, but I didn't come into being an online entrepreneur with any knowledge of being an online entrepreneur. 

I didn’t know all about courses and group programs at the time, but I could wrap my head around 1:1 services.

I also learned pretty quickly that the fastest way for me to grow, because I was starting from scratch with no email list and no following, was to start taking high-level one on one clients.

I used this method to not only gain experience and testimonials but to ultimately build my framework which I now teach inside all of my programs.

FILLING MY 1:1 IN 2017

You can probably relate to some of these old school ways of marketing your services. I did them all and while they might have worked in 2017, they don’t work the same way today.

Yet, so many coaches, mentors and course creators are still teaching them. Now, don’t get me wrong if you’re open to posting 15-30 minutes every day they might still work for you, but I’d reached a place in my life and business where I knew there had to be a better way than me living on social media.

In 2017, I would spend a few hours (typically three) at the beginning of the week planning out and writing my content. Then every day I would spend 15-30 minutes posting in Facebook Groups and engaging.

Some of these groups allowed me to post links and some didn’t, but the end goal was the same - try and find my ideal customer and provide enough value that they are intrigued enough to reach out.

And don’t get me started on friending people from groups and messaging them.

If you’re struggling with these strategies in 2021, or maybe just getting started and don’t want to spend your time in Facebook Groups or social media daily, I promise there is another way.

THE CONSUMER BUYING PROCESS

The consumer buying process is made up of six stages:

1. Problem Recognition

2. Information Search

3. Evaluation of Alternatives

4. Purchase Decision

5. Purchase

6. Post-Purchase Evaluation

The majority of strategies being taught online, in courses and programs focus on selling at the Program Recognition stage. While you absolutely can make a sale at this stage, it’s a lot of freaking work.

What entrepreneurs should be focused on is signing clients who are at the Information Search or Evaluation of Alternatives stage. I share more about this in this video here.

The strategies I’m sharing below focus on attracting people who are ready to invest and searching for the solution to the problem your products and services solve, typically on Google.

THREE STRATEGIES TO GET PAYING 1:1 CLIENTS

1. SITE-WIDE SEO AND GOOGLE RANKING

Now, I’m separating Blogging (SEO) from Site-Wide SEO because they attract people at different stages of the buying process.

Site-Wide SEO is for people searching for your products and services and possibly even your title. It’s the SEO you want to create for your website as a whole and your homepage.

This requires some research to find what people are looking for as it relates to your business and location if you are local.

Here’s another blog post on three ways to improve SEO on your website.

This simple change has brought in the most “ready-to-pay” clients to my business over the past two years and requires little to no energy on my part.

Remember, SEO for your site doesn’t need to be updated often, it’s an awesome set-it strategy and the results of your ideal customers, looking for your specific offer, ready to buy is amazing for business. SEO is so powerful it’s one of the strategies I teach inside my membership Brandmerry Academy.

2. BLOGGING AND SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

Another strategy I love is serious blogging. Now, why do I say serious?

Because I’ve been blogging since 2016 when I started my business, but it wasn’t until I took the time to do my research on topics, titles and keywords that my blogs started working for me and my business.

Blogging is an awesome tool to bring in clients looking for tips, tricks and solutions to their problem and while they might now know they need your service right now, they are eager to learn more.

By creating high-quality blogs you’re able to showcase your expertise and build trust with your ideal customer.

Optimizing your blogs requires three things:

1. Optimizing for SEO (so you begin to show up in Google searches)

2. Optimizing it for Pinterest (more on that in a minute)

3. Optimizing it for email subscribers

Optimizing for SEO requires you to do research BEFORE you write your blog. Choosing a title and keywords that people are searching for is how you’ll rank higher on Google and drive more traffic. This research stage is crucial and many entrepreneurs go about it the wrong way. It’s just another training available inside Brandmerry Academy and clients love it!

Optimizing for email subscribers means that every single blog post has a way for someone to join your email list. This is typically a freebie or lead magnet and that they get in exchange for their name and email.

This is crucial because if someone is finding your content and they aren’t ready to buy, they at least get to hear more from you and you have an opportunity to build trust for when they are ready.

3. PINTEREST TO PAYING CLIENT

My favorite strategy by far and results in the most traffic to my website every single month. About 90% of my monthly traffic (average 20k visitors) comes from Pinterest.

I seriously think it’s the secret weapon for online entrepreneurs and one I teach inside of my program Brandmerry Academy because it is so powerful!

Pinterest pulls it all together, utilizing the power of SEO and giving your blogs some where to go and be seen.

If you’re blogging you need to be using Pinterest because this platform will allow you to extend the life of your content (I have blogs driving traffic to my site from 2016) and help with your Google ranking because of the consistent traffic.

I’m not going to lie, Pinterest can be tricky and more entrepreneurs don’t know what they are doing, but when you get the hang of it, it’s magic.

You’ll learn all you need inside of Brandmerry Academy, but if you’re wanting to get started on your own here are some tips:

1. Blog at least once a week

2. Make sure each blog post has at least one Pinterest Image

3. Optimize the image, title and description for Pinterest (this might be different than Google)

4. Create 5 additional pins and link them to your blog post through Pinterest. Schedule those posts using a tool like Tailwind.

CONCLUSION

I’m booked every month and in advance for my 1:1 services because I’ve fully embraced these three strategies above. 

I love them because not only do they save me a ton of time, but they also result in more growth of my email list (via organic traffic) and sales for my other courses and programs.

If you already have a brand and a foundation for your business, but ready to master your marketing, I invite you to check out Brandmerry Academy. Doors are opening soon.

If you’re just starting out, I see you! You want to focus your energy on setting a strong brand foundation all your marketing efforts work for you! You can learn more about building a better brand with my free pdf download 👇

Watch the Free Marketing Class

Watch the entire video training of this blog + some additional tips below.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

4-Part Framework for a Simplified Online Business

4-Part Framework for a Simplified Online Business

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

I learned pretty quickly that the mainstream way of starting and growing a business wasn’t going to work for me. 

I started my business with a one-month-old and a desire to leave my 9 to 5 within the year. As I grew my business while working full time I started to recognize the complexity of most business strategies. I made modifications as I went to scale my business to 6-figures.

Then, when my family sold everything to travel full time I made even more shifts to simplify my approach.

What I’ve learned along the way is that there is a simpler way to run your business and it comes down to implementing this 4-part framework.

And this framework isn’t just for people who travel, it’s designed for the woman who has a lot on her plate. You’re busy running a household, taking care of family, working your “other” jobs, you’re so ready for a simpler way to build a business.

Think of the framework as building blocks. Each one leads to another, if you skip one you’ll feel lost and overwhelmed, and that’s no way to grow a business.

By stripping away the access, just like in life, we can’t focus on the areas that yield the best results - this framework is all about that!

ENTREPRENEUR GROWTH PROBLEMS

Look, starting and running an online business can be hard. As we’ve mentioned previously things like a saturated market and imposter syndrome can really hold you back.

But, there’s another piece of the puzzle and that’s all the information online. It can be super easy to consume bits and pieces of information and try to piece it all together, but then you’re left with quite a few holes. 

You might find yourself doing all the things, working for hours in your business, but experiencing little to no results.

Or taking in all the hodgepodge of information and questioning yourself and what you should be focused on to see results or your ability to build your business.

And worse, what I like to call SOS or Shiny Object Syndrome. You go down a path and then see something or hear something and think, “Wait let’s do that instead!”

These things are holding you back because not only are you doubting your ability to do it, but you’re also all over the place (said with love)!

The fastest way to grow is to create a path and give it dedication for at least 30 days. Based on your data, numbers, and feedback you can then pivot (you’ll see this when we talk about marketing below).

By having a clear framework to follow and repeat you’re able to simplify the entire process, optimize your time, and see results.

Ok, let’s get into it!

**If you want to watch the full video and details of the 4-part framework you can watch the video below.

LEVEL 1: BRAND FOUNDATIONS

Every brand needs to start here. These are the foundational pieces of your brand and business and integral in the overall growth and success.

This level includes identifying your niche, ideal customers, messaging, core offer(s), and the emotional or connection side of your brand.

The great news is this stage doesn’t have to be revisited often, if you put in the work now, but it does require work so people skip it. If you skip it you’ll find yourself constantly spinning your wheels and wondering what’s missing.

This stage should take 4 to 6 weeks to complete. I say this very specific timeline because one of the pitfalls of this level is that so many entrepreneurs never leave it.

They stay here rethinking and reworking all the details until they realized their one year into their business and haven’t made any money. This is why guidance at the foundational level is so important!

Remember, this stage is less about creating your logo, picking your colors, and designing your website, and more about the market research, becoming better at messaging and gaining clarity on your niche and offer.

If you want to scale your business, then the foundational pieces are key.

LEVEL 2: COMMUNITY GROWTH

Once you know who you are, who you want to attract, and what you want to offer, it’s time to build that community.

You have nothing if you don’t have someone to sell too and so many entrepreneurs, especially that first year in business make the mistake of assuming they’ll sell to no one - we all know it doesn’t work like that.

Here’s where you gain clarity on and design the method in which you’ll grow your community - the lead magnet and funnel.

When it comes to the lead magnet you want to create something that solves a problem and is in alignment with your core offer. I see so many entrepreneurs go too wide at this stage in an attempt to grow their community quickly, but then they are left with a large list of random people and no ideal clients (paying clients).

Some common mistakes to avoid at this stage are:

• Being too general with your lead magnet/ freebie

• Not solving a problem for your audience (no one needs more stuff)

• Creating a resource that’s not wanted by your audience.

The goal is to attract and bring in your ideal customer, the one that is the best fit for your paid program.

From there, and during this level, you want to create your onboarding funnel or lead magnet funnel. Think of this as the conversation!

If you were at a party and met someone, who might be interested in your services, what would you want them to know about you, your work, and your offers?

So many entrepreneurs make this crazy complex in the beginning, but it’s really just about making sure every person that joins your community knows who you are and can determine in those first few automated emails if you’re the right fit for them!

At this level, once you have these two pieces in place you begin to move into the goal of daily community growth. That’s why this stage is so important because it gives you the tools you need to do just that.

LEVEL 3: CLIENT ATTRACTION

Continuing with our building blocks we enter into level three. Now, level three is where marketing or client attraction starts to happen in full force.

With the simplified business model, every day you’re focused on three things:

1. Growing your community

2. Nurturing your community

3. Making a sale

So, you never fully move through this level, you are just constantly testing, tweaking, and scaling.

This level can look like utilizing social media, blogging, Pinterest, SEO, Youtube, podcasting and so much more.

Personally, I love evergreen types of content as a way to build my community and nurture my existing one. Evergreen content means content that keeps performing, it doesn’t disappear after a few hours, but rather continues to drive traffic and bring in leads.

In my business, this is blogging + Pinterest, which also gives me a major boost with my SEO. So my leads are coming in from Pinterest and Google Searches mostly.

No matter what you choose, all though I HIGHLY recommend evergreen content, you need traffic. Consistent traffic and leads entering your funnel and into your community is key to growing a business. 

It ensures you always have someone to sell too!

The key here is consistently creating content, whatever that means for you. And remember, consistency doesn’t mean posting daily (that’s not simple), it means finding a schedule that works for you at this stage and sticking to it.

If your current approach to level three feels exhausting because you're posting daily on Instagram or engaging for 30-minutes every day in Facebook Groups it’s time to rethink your strategy. Consider one of the evergreen platforms above and the art of repurposing to optimize your time and content strategy.

Remember, this level is going to expand and grow as your business grows!

LEVEL 4: AUTHENTIC SELLING

At this stage, you have people coming into your community and inquiring about your services which is amazing! Now, it’s time to improve your conversions.

Think of it like this; if you have a landing page for your lead magnet and it’s converting at 20% would you choose to scrap the entire thing and start over or make some small adjustments and improve the conversion to 50%?

Hopefully, you picked adjustments because it’s the simpler and less time-consuming approach. Well, sales are the same.

You have to start somewhere and so many entrepreneurs start worrying about how they are going to sell, the conversation or script, etc.. rather than focusing their energy on Levels 1-3.

You need these levels to get people on the phone with you or in your DM’s and then you can fine-tune it from there.

Authentic selling looks like improving your sales conversations, your client onboarding and client retention - because we all know it’s easier and cheaper to keep an existing client than to find a new one.

CONCLUSION

I hope you’ve picked up on the theme here, it’s not about doing more or working harder it’s about making smarter decisions.

I witness so many entrepreneurs get too ahead of themselves. They're worried about the sales call and how they’ll do before they even have someone interested in chatting.

They’re obsessed with their website and making it perfect, but don’t have a marketing strategy to then drive traffic to the website. 

The reality is driving traffic to a lead magnet landing page, in the beginning, is a better use of your time!

As you’re thinking of your own business and some of the holes that might have been exposed while working through this framework, I want to invite you to check out Roadmap to Freedom.

This exact 4-part framework is what makes up my signature group program designed to support you in making money on your terms and create a life of abundant experiences and impact.

Learn more at brandmerry.com/freedom.

Watch the full video training + some insider tips below.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

Relationship Marketing (or Human-to-Human Marketing) in 2020 and Beyond

Relationship Marketing (or Human-to-Human Marketing) in 2020 and Beyond

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Relationships.

Not only are they essential to our everyday life, but also our marketing.

When is the last time you thought about the relationship you were building with your online audience?

Is relationship building a part of your everyday strategy as an online brand and business owner?

If not, it needs to be! 

Relationship marketing is the goal as an online brand, it’s not about the instant purchases although those are amazing, it’s about the recurring customers, the loyal fans and the audience members that need a little bit more before buying.

If we’re only worried about the instant and single sale, we miss out on a lot of money!

Bain & Company found that increasing customer retention by just five percent can increase company profits by a whopping 25 percent.

And that acquiring new customers is estimated to be 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining current ones. 

Relationship marketing plays a role in new client onboarding, client retention and the overall success of your business.

Let’s explore it a little more!

WHAT IS RELATIONSHIP MARKETING?

Relationship Marketing, also referred to as H2H (Human-to-Human marketing) is focused on one thing, building a relationship between the brand and the consumer.

It is the new age of marketing if you can call it new. It’s no longer acceptable to rely on traditional marketing setups like B2C (Business-to-Consumer) or B2B (Business-to-Business) and has moved to a Human-to-Human marketing approach.

Relationship marketing builds on the idea that every transaction comes down to a human buying something from another human, when you think of marketing and specifically selling in this way it shifts the way you go about sharing your products and services to a more emotional and empathetic approach focused on connection.

Added bonus not only does this increase conversion rates, but it also increases client retention!

In relationship marketing your strategy becomes 100% about building trust.

It’s about the emotional connection your audience has to your brand, it puts an emphasis on Brand Affinity and as the brand and marketer, it puts more emphasis on storytelling.

This switch is much more effective than the “traditional” way of advertising and marketing your products and services, which can sometimes feel disconnected and inauthentic to your audience.

86 percent of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support (Stackla, 2019)

WHY RELATIONSHIP MARKETING IS IMPORTANT AS AN ONLINE BRAND

As we’ve already covered a million times, relationship marketing is about relationships, so with that in mind, there is a two-fold approach.

Can you guess what it is? You probably guessed it...relationship marketing comes down to you and the consumer or potential client.

Let’s first talk about you (aka the brand). No matter if you work for a company, or more likely have an entrepreneurial business (possibly a personal brand) there is a human(s) running the show.

The idea is that the human(s) become the face, voice and connection between the audience and the products. It’s important to focus on creating content that showcases the values of the brand, connects emotionally to the consumer, and shares great stories.

It becomes more about quality over quantity, tieing every single piece of content back to the question, “How does this build a relationship and trust with my audience?”

The other side of the equation is your audience. Remember, you’re talking to a real human on the other end of your emails, social media posts and videos. This can be so easy to forget as we’re living in an age of automation.

However, you can’t automate human connection! 

Think about how you as a consumer hope to engage with a brand, actually take it a step further, how do you like to interact with a friend? My guess is if the only communication you had with them was an automated/ canned response you’d peace out! 

We often overlook the fact that our potential customers are real people, with real lives, looking for real connections.

At the end of the day, humans want to be seen, heard, and understood, and as a brand, you have the ability to do just that through your marketing efforts.

From a marketing standpoint when you can focus on building a solid relationship through your marketing efforts you’ll build trust with your audience much quicker than if you're ignoring the struggles and desires of your audience.

Relationships build trust and trust is what leads to sales.

81 percent of consumers said that they need to be able to trust the brand in order to buy from them (Edelman, 2019)

3 WAYS TO IMPROVE RELATIONSHIP MARKETING BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR AUDIENCE

1. BE CONVERSATIONAL

We already talked about the friend element above, but let’s dive into it a bit further. When you’re speaking to a friend, you’re typically casual, you’re more conversational and my guess you sound like a real human.

Yet, so many online brands forget this simple strategy when they are posting or creating content for the internet. Much of this comes from a preconceived idea of what success means or how we should be showing up online, but this facade can be impacting your ability to build relationships with your audience.

“People can smell inauthenticity!” - my girl Michelle Obama

And it’s true, we’ve seen this time and time with large online brands.

Your goal.
Show up.
Be real.
Focus on the conversations.

A great way to do this is by inviting your audience to have a conversation with you. Encourage people to comment, message you, or send an email and then respond - I know what a concept!

And we’re sitting here rolling our eyes thinking, “Of course we respond!” but think about bots for 5 seconds and then tell me that every online marketer gets this concept...they don’t.

Again, so many entrepreneurs are striving for automation over the connection and it’s hurting.

Say no to BOTS!

2. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR EMAIL FUNNEL

Ok, I know I said you can’t automate connection and I still stand by that, but of course, as a growing online brand, we need a little automation.

One of my favorite places for automation is in the new subscriber email sequence. While many entrepreneurs go into building their email funnel/ email sequence/ lead magnet sequence, call it what you want, with an emphasis on selling we should really be focusing on relationships.

Use this opportunity to introduce yourself, your mission, your values and be of service to your audience. This is a great place to provide high-value content to once again build trust.

79 percent of people say that user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions. (Stlacka, 2019)

3. SHARE STORIES IN YOUR MARKETING

Storytelling my love language, but seriously I talk about storytelling a lot over here on the Brandmerry Blog because it’s so powerful as a marketing strategy. It’s one of the fastest ways to build relationships and trust with your audience and is so freaking fun.

If you’re not familiar with storytelling in business, check out this post here.

Storytelling can…

+Introduce the human side of your brand by sharing your founder story
+Give your audience a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of your brand and business
+Introduce multiple dimensions to your brand, so it becomes less about just the products you offer and more about the brand as a whole
+Help your audience remember your content
+Create an emotional connection between the consumer and your brand

And most importantly storytelling is an excellent way to show empathy for your audience and the problem you solve. Empathy is so crucial when it comes to build relationships and therefore is a must for online brands who are excited and eager to become pros at relationship marketing - hey that’s you, right?!

If you’re wondering where to start with storytelling you can check out 5 Examples of Brand Storytelling to Incorporate into Your Marketing here.

CONCLUSION

A note about authenticity.

It’s time we take back authenticity! It’s become such a freaking buzz word and we’re finding so many brands are living outside of authenticity.

Over here at Brandmerry HQ, we believe that authenticity is the alignment of personality, ideals, and appearance in all aspects of your life. If I meet you in person and you’re way different than how you “appear” online there’s a misalignment with your authenticity.

Authenticity might be a buzzword, but it’s important and crucial to marketing!

Remember that statistic from above?

86 percent of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support (Stackla, 2019)

As you’ve seen in this post all of it comes back to authentically showing up online and connecting with your audience on a human to human level.

So check yourself, how authentic are you being with your brand and marketing? 

Is there a misalignment?

Are you acting like someone you feel you should be to make money online?

If so, take the steps to get back into alignment with your authenticity and focus on building relationships with your growing audience.

BONUS

So much of this authenticity comes back to the foundations of your brand. How your brand voice was established at the very beginning!

Inside my free Build a Better Brand Method class, I share the top three mistakes entrepreneurs make when it comes to building their personal brand and the 3-part framework to build moving forward.

If you haven’t attended this class, it’s a must listen to. Sign up for the next available time at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.

P.S. If you made it this far, good for you! Let’s take it a step further and dive into your branding as a way to build relationships. If you haven’t already make sure to watch my free class on The Build a Better Brand Method.

It’s a free 60-minute class for female entrepreneurs looking to build a strong personal brand that supports them in standing out online, creating a stream of high-value content, and build a community of fans that leads to a revenue-generating business.

Sign up for the class at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.

---

- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.