Rebranding? Wait On The Visuals. Instead, Start With Your Value Elements.

Rebranding? Wait On The Visuals. ​Instead, Start With Your Value Elements.

Visual elements like your logo, fonts and photos create a distinct look and define your brand. Most business owners start and end their branding with the visual elements. But those that truly stand out focus on their value elements first. This means defining what makes you differ­ent and articulating exactly how you help people. Your value elements form the basis of your story and add purpose and personality to your brand. It also helps potential clients decide if you’re the right fit for their needs. 

​​Unique Solution: What Problem Do You Solve?

​Does your summary message connect with potential clients? It’s critical that your primary communication stands out and hooks your audience. Ideally when a new client sees your main headline, they think “yes – that’s exactly what I need to solve my problem, tell me more.” What is it about your solution that’s unique when compared to competitors? Craft a couple of brief answer statements that attract and summarize your business. Above all your solutions speak to your client without being salesy or promotional.

​Benefits: How You’re Different

​No one wants to be sold to. That’s why it’s always better to always talk in terms of what’s in it for them – how exactly will you improve their lives and more importantly, how are differently than others. Your benefits are the answers to common pain points that your services alleviate. Benefits go into more detail than your unique solution, which toplines and hooks. Benefit statements are where you can link what you solve with exactly how you do it.

​Mission: Why Your Business Exists

​Don’t spend hours and hours for a perfect statement that no one is going to read. This is to help YOU concisely articulate your purpose and why your business exists. Ideally, it’s a short narrative about what inspired you (or the founder) to start the business. Then you have a genuine story ready for when the right conversation happens. And your mission becomes more compelling than a fluffy statement.

Values: What You Stand For

This is another area not to spend too much time but it’s quite valuable to know your fundamental beliefs. Think about who your company is and what it stands for. Your values are not a primary or even secondary message but rather help guide decision-making and everyday actions for you and employees. It’s also good as a touch point to ensure your marketing and messaging reflects your values.  ​

Audience: Who You Help (And It’s Not Everyone)

​Identify the sub-set of people who benefit the most from your services. While many people could be your target, when you go narrow it’s much easier to have valuable conversations. When you identify your ideal clients’ needs, problems and expectations you can fine tune the messaging to provide value before you “sell” anything.

Keywords: What Your Audience is Looking For

​Keywords are the best words and phrases that speak the same language as your ideal clients. Without the right words and content, people will not find you online. Keywords are important for SEO, site ranking and driving organic search traffic. Take some time to research and test to find your words. But that’s only half the story. Once you know your keywords, it’s also important to use them correctly. Your website and content should be written for your ideal audience and their behavior, not just stuffed with keywords.

Tagline: Sums Up Everything

Now that you’ve identified your who, what, when and how – it’s time to bring it all together. Your tagline is a short yet memorable phrase that identifies your business. It states your purpose, benefits and solutions all wrapped up in a nice catchy statement. Since it’s used across all your media and social platforms, take time to craft the right phrase. The challenge is to sum up everything about your business in a short yet exciting way, ​

Value Elements Enhance Brand Perception And Create Connections

Your brand is the way your business is perceived— and perception is a powerful thing. Perception drives behavior and how the world connects with your business. Both your visual and value elements are key to a distinct business perception. Visual elements boost brand awareness and engagement, while your value messaging drives conversion and retention. Start with your value elements first and then translate your value into a visual identify. Bring everything together in one place like a Brand Style Guide and share it with your entire team for consistency.