3 Signs You’ve Got a Boring Brand

I was talking to a new client yesterday about her freebie.

She’d used one of my formulas to construct it, so it was crafted perfectly. Except…it just didn’t have a spark.

I explained that I didn’t think it would have a reader say ‘THIS is the person I should work with!’

There are 3 particular elements that, if they’re missing, will mean that your perfectly good content will be bland and unappealing, even to ideal clients.

(Kind of like cold oatmeal, with no sugar or raisins. Ugh.)

Here’s the list – check it out to make sure YOU have that spark in your brand!

Element 1: Dimension

Dimension means adding different characteristics or accents to the voice of your brand. One analogy for this is to think of your voice like the flavor of your brand.

Are you funny? Passionate? Down-to-earth? Practical? Sarcastic? Foul-mouthed?

I didn’t just throw that last one in to see if you were paying attention. 😉 Some people have profanity as part of their brand dimension. While you don’t have to do that, it’s one possible flavor.

Often, when we’re working to help clients transform, we’re focused on the process, and what they need to know in order to move forward. While that’s important, HOW we deliver is equally important, especially when you’re working to attract new clients.

Boring Brand Alert: If all of your writing is bland so you don’t offend people, you also won’t attract people that way.

One of my ‘brand flavors’ is truth-telling, which some call ‘authenticity’. I’ll tell people, for instance, after they sign up for one of my webinars that only 30% of people who sign up, show up. I’ve never seen anyone else do that – most coaches act like ‘everyone shows up for my webinars’. Baloney! (Yep, I don’t do the profanity thing as part of my dimension.)

Here’s what YOU can do to spice up your brand: Pick 3 words that express who you want to be. They should be related to who you are, but they can also be aspirational. (For example, if you’ve always wanted to let your sarcastic side show, but have been nervous about it, now’s your chance!)

Evaluate your content, freebies, emails, and social posts based on those 3 words. Are you living up to who you want to be, or are you going for the safe and bland?

Element 2: Vulnerability

No one wants perfection, especially from someone who’s trying to help them transform. It’s annoying.

Show us your vulnerable side. What are you terrible at? What mistakes have you made?

Boring Brand Alert: Always sharing what your ideal clients ‘should do’ without telling stories about the mistakes you’ve made, and the challenges you’ve faced.

This was a BIG problem for me when I started writing for my business years ago. I didn’t think anyone would want to trust me if I confessed that I had ever made any mistakes. (WRONG!) The more I started opening up, the more people I attracted, and they told me they appreciated seeing my journey.

It’s actually un-inspiring in transformation, for people to think you’re perfect.

Here’s what to do: look at your quirks, eccentricities, and vulnerabilities. Pick 1 story that you can share that highlights a transformational lesson that emerges from it.

Write the stories, and practice sharing them for Signature Talks and for videos.

Element 3: Action

Your brand won’t have staying power, and you won’t be successful, unless you invite people to take action. One of the biggest challenges with transformation is that it takes time & effort to get results, whether you’re talking about building a business, creating a relationship, or improving your health.  Instructions in freebies and blogs tend to be dramatic and hard to follow, like ‘For the next six months, you’ll want to.’

That’s not a freebie instruction. That’s an entire coaching program!

Boring Brand Alert: Giving grandiose, hard-to-follow instructions without making those actionable for your ideal client.

Instead, break it down. Think of one very small step that your ideal client can take that would create a win. That win is likely to bring them back to wanting more from you.

Here’s what you can do: Make sure that your blogs, your videos, and other content have a specific instructions to your client, so they can see your proposed solutions. (It might start out with a phrase like ‘here’s what you can do’… this is SO meta-!! 🙂

So, how does your brand measure up? Boring or Brilliant? If you want some additional help, grab your ticket to my 3-day virtual event Transform: attract high-paying clients, and make a BIG impact!