How to stand out from the crowd as a service-based business owner
In a highly competitive and highly saturated market of online service-based businesses, standing out from the crowd is no longer “nice to have”, it's an absolute MUST. And to make your life easier, you should be looking for ways to attract clients who naturally resonate with you, your values and the services you offer. This is where the art of personal branding comes into play.
I’ll cover its significance, why it matters, and practical tips to develop your own compelling and authentic brand. Let's unlock the true potential of your service-based business together!
(Personal) branding & brand
Before we dive in, let me clarify what I’m talking about. When hearing the word “branding” people tend to only think of logos, color palettes, typography, custom illustrations etc. And these are all important elements of a brand’s visual identity, but branding and your brand are more than just that.
Branding is a process that involves thorough research and strategy development to shape a clear understanding of who you are, how you want to be perceived by your clients and what you promise to your clients (your brand). It’s an umbrella term to describe all activities that form part of the process - strategy, visual brand identity and the applicable resources and guidance.
People often misleadingly think of their “brand” as being the collection of the visual elements alone, as if they exist in isolation. I also often hear business owners make the mistake of thinking that their business is too small for branding or for some other reason that they don’t need branding. The truth is - if you have a business you have a brand. And that’s because a brand goes beyond the visual elements alone. Essentially, a brand is an emotional connection with your clients and it shapes how you are being perceived by every single person that interacts with your business
If you’d like to read more on “branding”, “brand” and “brand identity” - read that here.
And if you are a small service-based business owner, you have a “personal brand”! You can think of your personal brand as your unique identity and reputation that sets you apart from others as an individual, entrepreneur, or professional. It’s a combination of your personality, your story, your expertise, your skills, your values, your passions, and anything else that sets you apart from others. I do want to note that it only works if you are being genuine and authentic, you can’t be shaping a fake personal brand as it will almost certainly have negative consequences in the long run.
Personal branding is a process of strategically crafting and presenting your personal brand in a way that stands out from the crowd and resonates with your dream audience. Put simply, it’s about strategically highlighting and showcasing your unique and amazing self to the world to leave a good impression. In practice that means intentionally crafting all the elements that showcase your personal brand - how you present yourself online and offline and the messaging you communicate.
Let me make that even simpler. Think about when you introduce yourself to new people, you always share your best qualities, your best stories, the most interesting parts of your personality. That’s personal branding in a personal setting.
Same thing happens in a business setting. When you’re interacting with your audience in person, or face to face, it’s easier to make them remember you and trust you. But when your audience is viewing your online presence without your active and live involvement, personal branding does this job for you. That’s why it’s so important to actively work on it and shape your audience’s perception of you, instead of leaving it to chance. That’s personal branding for you.
Why is personal branding so important?
Personal branding is the most important strategic tool for small service-based businesses like photographers, videographers, coaches, designers, consultants and other professionals that provide any type of a SERVICE.
Face of the business
Why? Most notably, the business owner is the face of the business. And their business relies heavily on their skills, expertise and capabilities. As a result, service-based business owners are very closely linked with their business and the services they provide. Also, because there’s no physical product to see, touch and evaluate, you essentially become the “product” that’s being sold because your clients are buying into YOU, your personality, your energy, your skills, expertise and capabilities.
Personal connection
And if you think that your clients only care about the quality of your services, you are mistaken. They’re looking for more than that, whether they know it or not, they’re also seeking a personal connection and a sense of trust in the person delivering the service. Can you imagine working with someone who delivers the MOST AMAZING service, but is a complete nightmare to deal with as a person? Let’s say it’s a photographer that can create incredibly beautiful images but they are… always in a bad mood, always late, they don’t like being asked questions, don’t communicate with you clearly, leave you feeling uncomfortable and they simply make you cringe just thinking about interacting with them. How would you feel about that? Would you work with them again? Would you recommend them to your friends?
Connecting with your audience online (your website, your social media and other digital means) is harder than doing that in person and it doesn’t help that the internet is a highly saturated and a very competitive market. That’s where personal branding comes into play.
Why invest in personal branding?
The success of your business depends not only on the outstanding services you provide (and hence your knowledge, skills and expertise) but also on your ability to create a connection with your clients and stand out from the crowd (with your personality, story & passion ). And the way to create a powerful blend of amazing services and a personal connection with your clients is by strategically crafting a strong personal brand.
Purposefully and strategically crafting a strong personal brand can make all the difference in standing out from the crowd, attracting the right type of clients, building long term trust with your audience, and ultimately achieving long-term success for your business.
I’m Agnes, your strategic partner and I specialize in helping business owners confidently and successfully book their DREAM high-value clients.
For 5+ years I’ve worked in professional consulting services, crafting and executing custom-made solutions for clients, problem-solving on the daily and managing projects worth millions. I’ve spent years mastering the method that large companies use to charge premium prices that clients are happy to pay. And now I can help you do the same as a small business owner.
With my expert guidance, I’ll help you strengthen and position your business the right way in order to attract and book high-value clients who happily pay premium pricing. I provide guidance and 1:1 support with strategy creation for building your strong foundation and clear and targeted messaging and hands-on support with bringing it all to life.
If you don’t want to miss out on high-paying clients and leave money on the table your first step is easy - book a free 1:1 session with me here - let’s chat!
Developing effective personal branding
Based on everything we’ve discussed, people often think that personal branding doesn’t require any strategy or framework or work really, since it’s all about you as an individual. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Developing powerful personal branding is about strategically crafting and presenting your personal brand in a way that resonates with your dream audience. It’s knowing what you bring to the table but also knowing HOW to present it in a way that resonates with your dream clients, and that doesn’t just happen.
Step 1 Strategy development - to purposefully lead all your efforts and provide you clarity and structure for presenting yourself in the right way. This step involves a deep-dive into first understanding your unique offering and skillset, your target audience and how you address their needs. Then, using that information to craft your brand voice and brand story that is translated into your messaging that’s designed to appeal to your target audience and convert them into clients.
This step is crucial so don’t underestimate it and don’t skip it! I cannot emphasize this enough - this really is the most important part of personal branding. Where it often goes wrong is people don’t spend enough time on this step or make it a very generic exercise. But personal branding without substance does not lead to any of the amazing results that we’ve covered. The key is being super specific and having the right framework in place to have that structure, clarity and confidence for showcasing your amazing personal brand online!
Step 2 Visual identity creation - Once you’re clear on your strategy, you can start working on the visual elements that bring your personal brand to life. Firstly, there’s the typical elements that you think of (colors, fonts, custom graphics and other visual elements) that align with your brand strategy.
Secondly, a very important element of creating the visual identity is visual content. But static colors, boring visuals and basic stock photos will only get you so far. You need professional, high-quality and also unique content for your personal brand. And since we are talking about personal branding, as the person that’s at the center of your business, you need to have high-quality professional images and videos to stand out and really show up as the authority you truly are!
In summary, (personal) branding is a vital tool for achieving your strategic goals. And in the age of saturated and highly competitive online businesses, personal branding becomes one of your STRONGEST tools as a service-based business owner to establish and showcase your personality, expertise, credibility and trustworthiness online. Don’t know where to start? Send me a DM on Instagram, let’s chat!
Cover image from Anastasiia Gromova
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