Smart Branding Strategies for New Entrepreneurs

About the episode:

Heading into the online business world? Great, you're in just the right spot. On today's episode of Rebrand with RuthAnn, I'm going to lay out some easy steps to get your branding going the right way from day one—and don’t worry! You don't need a big budget to make a big splash. I'll walk you through five straightforward, budget-friendly tips to help your business look legit. Plus, I'll share why understanding what makes your business tick and adding a dash of your own flair is key to standing out. It's all about being clever with your resources and letting the real you shine in your brand.

I have great news! I'm relaunching my Squarespace template shop. I'll offer stunning, strategy-infused templates at an affordable price, perfect for new business owners who want to make a great online impression.

Highlights:

The importance of setting up your branding as a new online business owner
Why having the biggest budget doesn’t always translate to having the best brand
Five cost-effective branding strategies for your business

Resources

Hey friends, welcome back to another episode. I'm so excited that you're here and I'm so grateful that you're here too. I hope you're having a wonderful week wherever you are. And I am so excited to jump into today's topic about branding for beginners because I know this is something that so many people are interested in learning about when they should be branding their business- when should they invest in a professional, when should they DIY, all of those kinds of things. So we're going to cover that in today's episode, talking about my opinion about whether you should or should not start branding your business when you're getting started. We're going to talk about five steps that I recommend when you are getting started with your business, like five affordable steps you can take to really help you look legit online before you hire a professional. And a few other things. So let's dive right in. So I wrote a blog. So back in 2018, I believe it was I wrote a blog post that went mini viral and it was called branding for beginners. And this post has given me I feel like so much of my website traffic over the years. It's probably given me 80 % of my website traffic since I wrote the post and it has still continuing to give me website traffic. So I know that this is a topic that people are searching for, they're curious about. And so in the blog post, I talk about several different things and I did write it a while ago and some of my opinions have changed and so I'm excited to give you like an updated version of what I think now, you know, now that I've been in the online space for a long time, it feels like, and I have been working with different clients over the years in branding their businesses. I just have a more holistic perspective of what I think about branding and whether or not I think you should invest when you're getting started or not. So let's get started. For the majority of the time, I personally think you don't need to invest in a designer when you're first getting started and I have a lot of Opinions about this answer. So it's not even though I'm giving a blanket answer I have thoughts on like when you should when you shouldn't and then like caveats and stuff So we're gonna dive into all of my overall thoughts for sure, but I think You should not begin your business with a professional visual brand because it's, you know, normally a pretty big investment. And in the beginning stages of your business, so many times you are unsure about the direction you want to go in. You're unsure about who your ideal client is. You're unsure about maybe even your services. And these are all extremely important things to know when you are going through the branding process.
When you're working with a professional designer or a website designer or whatever the case may be, they need all that information. They need clarity. You know, if you're working with a copywriter, you need like a lot of clarity and stuff. And sometimes in the beginning, you're just unclear. And I know I was when I first started my business, I was offering different services than I am now. I was pivoting direction like every month because I just wasn't sure what I was wanting to do who I was supposed to be serving, I kind of was, I was kind of like, you know, changing directions wherever the wind blew just because I wasn't sure, confident, you know, I was still exploring what I liked to do. And so, you know, if you are in the beginning stages, I just feel like it's a good time to experiment, to explore, to see what you like to do. And I totally understand the want and desire to look like you know what you're doing when you start out. But like I'm going to mention in this episode, there's five things I recommend you can do that will not break the bank that you can definitely afford typically in your first year. So you can look professional online without, you know, investing thousands of dollars in a brand designer or in your website or something like that. So.
Like I said, when you're new in the beginning, sometimes you just don't have a lot of clarity. And sometimes you don't have any experience in the field or credibility yet. So I think it's important to, when you're in the beginning stages of business, to kind of like embrace that you're a newbie. And you don't have to say that you are, of course. You know, don't have to say, oh, this is my first week or something like that.
But I think embracing newbie prices and being okay doing stuff for free or doing a trade with another professional, I think it's okay to start off a little scrappy, and so many of us did. And I just think that's kind of like a rite of passage almost. So I think it's helpful. It takes the pressure off in a lot of ways, because it's like, okay, I'm just experimenting, seeing what I'm doing, seeing what I like, working with a lot of types of different people.
And then after you do that, after you've done your service several times, after you've worked with a handful of clients, you can kind of get more of a feel of like, oh, this is what I really like to do. Maybe this isn't what I like to do, you know, working with this type of client. Maybe I'm going to try to work with another type of client. So it just gives you a lot of clarity that, you know, the sooner you can dive in, the sooner you can start working with people on your craft.
The better you're gonna get, the more data you're gonna have to review everything and see what you like and go from there.
So I do have a little list of you should brand when, and this is kind of like if you're starting out, I think you should brand when you've been in business for years. So this is maybe you've been a business owner for years, so you already have a business background.
I think, you know, when I was saying, you know, I don't think you should brand your business when you're first starting out. That is for the person who is new to online business, new to their craft. They don't have any experience yet. That's kind of who I'm talking to. And when I think you should brand your business is when you have been in business for years, either you've been in the online space for years or you've been doing your craft for years. You know what you're doing. For example, like maybe you have been doing, trying to think of an example. Maybe you have been coordinating events for years in person and now you wanna move it online and you want to do, you know, kind of open up and do more events online. And so you've already been doing the thing that you're doing for many years and you're ready to kind of take it online. I feel like that is an exception for sure because it's like, okay, you already know what you're doing. You already know who you're serving. And so I think it's important that that distinction is known. Like if you're just moving to the online space, then I think it is extremely valuable to brand your business because you have all that experience and clarity and direction. And, you know, if you're just starting out, you don't have a lot of those things. So I think.
It's a yes -win. You've been in business for years. You have lots of experience in the field you want to be in. You have a track record of success, meaning you have happy clients. You have good testimonials. You have an offer suite that you really love doing your service. You have your services nailed down. A couple other things is you're ready to expand your business and scale.
And you're adding another marketing outlet. So you're adding a podcast or you're adding something like that. So I think those are the criteria. I would say those are good indicators that you are ready to brand your business. And like I mentioned, like just I think having that clarity and that direction and that vision for your business is incredibly important. And if you feel like you don't have that, then it probably means you're not ready yet, which is totally fine. And okay, so let's go on to, I did have a little section here where it says the caveat. So there are some caveats. I said, you should not brand your business when you're a new entrepreneur, when you're new in your field, when you have no experience. The caveat I have is you have loads of experience being an entrepreneur. You have help to get you where you wanna go.
You have a product and you have clarity on who you're serving and how you want to help. I have worked with a lot of different clients over the years and some clients are brand new to their business. Like they have never done their business before, but they have an idea. They feel really sold on what they're going to be doing. They have a clear vision and direction. And so they would, you know, be in the category of a brand new business owner.
And, you know, working with them has been wonderful and it's great to help them get started and, you know, start in the online space looking like they've been there for years, looking like they know what they're doing. I think as a designer working with clients who are brand new, even if they have like a solid direction and stuff, sometimes it can be hard when they are brand new, it's just because they're just unsure.
And even though they think like, oh, I know exactly what I'm targeting, I know exactly what I want, just going through the process of getting a lot of clarity in your brand strategy, in your website copy, it can still be a little cloudy, a little muddled if you don't have that experience. So that's why I think experience is like the number one thing you need when you're going through the branding process. Like, do you have experience in your field?
or do you not? And I think that's maybe like a gatekeeper type of question where you can know, you know, maybe I'm ready or maybe I'm not.
Before we get into the five steps I recommend that you take when you're first getting started with your brand, I think it's very important to know that I am not, me personally as a designer, I am not looking to sign anybody. I am wanting to sign people who are a great fit for my services and who I feel like they're motivated, they are ambitious, they have goals, they have vision, because I think I just don't wanna waste.
your time or money if you're hoping like a pretty logo will help you get clients. I think there's so much that goes into the branding process such as brand strategy, which is what I include in my services. You know, I think copywriting is extremely important. Brand messaging, all of these things I think are really, really important. It's not just about looking really great online. Yes, that's a huge part of it, but it's really important for you to have like a solid sales strategy, a solid marketing plan, a solid idea of how you're going to get more clients. Because if you think having a pretty logo or a pretty website is gonna help you get clients and there's no strategy behind it, it is gonna be a huge waste of money.
Because of that reason, I do vet the people who come through and inquire with me. And I always get on a discovery call for anyone who's interested in working with me. Because I think it's so important that they know I have a clear direction. I know exactly what I'm doing. I want to go to the next level. I'm expanding my team. I'm raising my prices. They have clarity in where they want to go. And they know that just a pretty logo is not going to take them there. So.
I just wanted to say that really quick. Yeah, visual branding helps you look credible and it increases your perceived value. It establishes trust quickly. It attracts your ideal clients. It increases your revenue because many times you can increase your prices and so much more. Visual branding can do so much for your business, but you need to have that foundation in place and you need to have a plan for how you're gonna get more clients after the branding is complete.
Okay, so let's dive into the five steps I recommend when you're first getting started with your visual branding so you can look legit online without breaking the bank. So the first two are in the brand strategy realm. So they're not as tangible as like, oh, go to this website. But I do think these are incredibly important. So number one, know your values. The reason I put this as number one is because your values and knowing your values really can, I just feel like they play such a role in everything that you do in your business from how you serve your clients to what hours you work, how you conduct yourselves, how you communicate with your clients. I think it's just so important to know your values. So there's a couple ways you can do this. Like what I have for my clients is I have a list of like a hundred things, a hundred values like on a sheet and they can like look through and see what stands out the most to them. That's one way to do it. Another way is to kind of think of something in your industry or something in, you know, as you're doing your service.
Like what really irritates you in your industry? What really just rubs you the wrong way when you hear about someone going through a bad experience? So for example, I had Barb Davids on my podcast and we went through her whole rebranding journey here on the show. And I encourage you to check that out if you're interested in all of the behind the scenes in going through a rebrand.
But she mentioned in her Brain Strategy call that one of her values is transparency because she is an SEO expert and she just has noticed that in her industry, there's a lot of SEO companies that take advantage of people and overcharge people for work that the people don't even understand what they're doing. And I think in the end, in the SEO industry, it's easy to kind of use jargon and use language that kind of people don't really understand, but they think, oh, I'm getting a great value. You know, hopefully everything's on the up and up. And I think it's, you know, I think it's terrible that people get taken advantage of in that way. And my client as well feels that same way. So a value of hers is transparency and using simple jargon free language when communicating about SEO.In her programs, in her coaching, on her website. And that's a huge way of how she stands apart in the SEO industry. And so that's something you can do too. Something how you can know what your values are. It's like what really irritates you in your industry? What makes you mad? And think about the opposite of that and how you can bring that more into your business.
A value of mine is partnership with my clients, that's just really important to me, collaboration, because I feel like sometimes I've seen where designers kind of just take someone's ideas and like run with it and the client isn't, they're happy because everything looks pretty, but I think they feel like it maybe wasn't them or they didn't like listen to their ideas and thoughts. And so something that's really important to me is collaboration in my process and making sure my clients feel like they're a part of the process that I hear their ideas and I value their opinions and I incorporate those things into the design and that's incredibly important to me and to my clients. So that's a value of mine. So yeah, I encourage you to know what your values are and to write those down and just have those close. I think it's just helpful and you can share about those too. In your marketing collateral, you can share what your values are and then people, the right clients will connect with your values and learn more about you and that kind of thing. So I think knowing your values, very important. Number two, share your personality. This is something that I think, it seems like super broad, but I think this is so important because this really helps you stand out online. And if you feel like you don't have like a really outgoing personality or something, you definitely have a unique side to you and I want you to share that. Whatever that is, if that is your sense of humor or how you love Harry Potter or whatever the case is, I think sharing your personality, what you're about, what you're into is so important. It really helps you stand out. It really helps people connect with you on a human level and remember, people buy from people.
So it's so important to know and to embrace what makes you different and unique and be free to share those things, whether that's on your Instagram or on your website or wherever the case may be. I have referenced Asia before in the podcast several times, but Asia is a brand strategist and she has been on the show. I'm going to link to her episode in the show notes, but she is such a little firecracker and in her emails, like she just has loads of personality in her emails. Like you can kind of like hear her talking to you in her emails. And, and I just love that she's, you know, very.
And I just love that. And so there's a way to share your personality. Maybe you just like writing. So maybe it's going to be in a newsletter, just like Asia does. Or maybe it's going to be in Instagram Lives. You show up like live every Monday or something, or whatever the case may be, however you like to show up, share your personality and embrace what makes you you. Because people will connect with that. And especially if you're a coach or a service provider, people are going to be more interested in working with you when they have made that connection. Okay, so for the next three steps, these are going to be practical ways that you can look really legit online without breaking the bank. So number three is use stock photography. I definitely don't recommend using photos you've taken on your iPhone, especially ones that are unedited. And I've seen this so many times, you know, I've been on so many, you know, hundreds and hundreds of websites and sometimes people just use a photo that they've taken on their iPhone and it's just in today's day and age, in 2024 and beyond, having professional photos is just a given. I think it's so important because it adds so much, whatever that may be, if it's on your marketing collateral or on your website, it really just adds a level of credibility that makes it look like you care for one.
And it also just sets you apart in like, you are a professional, you know what you're doing. And so I think having stock photography is not a bad thing, but I think also knowing, so some stock photography looks super stocky, if that makes sense. And there's some stock photography that's like really, you know, beautiful, engaging, and it also like has a, like a realistic look to it.
I have three stock photography sites that I'm going to recommend to you. And these are the thing I love about all three of these is they all have different photo collections. So they, you you can buy like, I think all of them are on a subscription. And then some of them have some that you can purchase individually. But anyway, you can, you can get, you can buy like a collection of photos. So they're all going to be in the same color palette. They're all going to be with the same person in the photos, they're all gonna be, you know, that kind of have the same look and feel. And so I think that's really, really helpful. If you, you know, buy a few photo collections and you can just use those. So they all look cohesive, they all look professional, they all are from the same photographer. I think it's, you know, a disservice if you're running around getting a whole bunch of different stock photos from a lot of different places, sometimes they can look like they don't go together. So that's why I recommend these three. So let me share what they are. Number one is Haute Stock. Number two is Moyo Studio and number three is Elevay Visuals. And I'm gonna link to those as well. And I think, you know, I've been using all of these at some point for years. And the one I'm using the most is Moyo at the moment, because they have really great mockups and stuff for designers. But...
Yeah, all of these have incredible photos, you know, the professionalism and the caliber of these photos is second to none. And so I think these are fantastic if you are needing some background images, you're needing some stuff for your marketing, for Instagram, if you're doing some marketing pieces for your stories. I think it's so great to have professional photos, because it just helps make your business look more professional.
Number four, along the lines of photography, I recommend getting professional headshots. This is also something that's not gonna break the bank. This is something, depending on your photographer, this can range from two to $600, so this doesn't have to be crazy. But I think having professional headshots and having professional photos just takes your business to a whole nother level. Even before you have a website, just having professional photos will make you look like you know what you're doing and it will help you look like you're the professional, you're the go -to, and so that's why I highly recommend having some brand photos and then partnered with those, with the stock photography, I think you're set, you're just, you look like you definitely know what you're doing. So that's the number four thing, get professional headshots or brand photography.
And number five, use a website template for when for your site when you're just getting started. So if you are getting started with a website, I highly recommend having a website template like purchasing a professional website template. And I'm not talking about when you go to WordPress, you can get a theme or when you go to Squarespace, they start you off with like a demo site. That's not really what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is you can purchase expertly designed website templates that have all of the features you might want in a website and then the only thing you have to do is input all of your photos and input all of your words into the website and that it becomes your own site. So it's not a custom site, which custom sites can definitely range in price upwards of $3 ,000 depending on who you work with.
But having a website template is normally a fraction of the cost and it is designed with your user experience in mind. It's designed, most of them I should say. I can't speak for everyone, but most of them. And they have a strategy involved, they have just a lot of different aspects of a professional custom site into a template. So,
The difference with this, of course, is because you can sell a template multiple times to multiple people. And when you're doing custom site, everything is tailored to that ideal client. So that is why there is such a range in price, but it's such a good place to start for when you're just getting started because you have something that looks like wow. And you have that wow factor and you have a place where people are excited to visit.
And especially, as I mentioned, if you did number three and number four, you have some stock photography and you have some brand photos, you should be good to go. Getting a website template should be a great place to start and it'll really help you get started online with the bang so you look very much like you know what you're doing. You look credible, you look legit online, as some of my past clients have said.
And it's just such a great place to get started while not breaking the bank because like I mentioned, templates, website templates are a fraction of the cost normally to a custom template. So doing are normally a fraction of the cost to a custom site. So doing these five things will really help you stand out as a new business owner and really start to establish yourself as an authority. And I will review them really quick.
Number one, know your values. Number two, share your personality. Number three, use stock photography. Number four, get professional brand photography or headshots. And number five, use a website template for your website when you're getting started. And if you've been in business for a while to the point where you know who your ideal client is, you're confident in your service offerings and you're ready to expand, you're ready to raise your prices and you're ready for your website to be really representative of who you are and where you're going, then that is the time to look into hiring a professional designer, I think. So you can get a custom look for where you're going and you can command those premium prices and take steps in that direction. But like I said, if you're in those beginning stages, these are what I recommend if you're getting started. And I'm very excited because piggybacking, piggybacking?
Going off of number five, using a website template for your site when you're just getting started, I am relaunching my own website templates very, very soon. So when you're listening to this, the launch date is next week. You still have time to jump on the wait list where you can get a special discount for the website templates that are gonna drop. And this is just a great opportunity. Like I said, if you don't have the...
You know, the money for a custom site right now, you know, my templates are $4 .99, so they are a fraction of the cost. And they are really designed with intention, with strategy, with copywriting in mind, like how to lead your client through a customer journey. And the only thing you have to do is plug in your photos and your own copy, and you're good to go. And these sites are stunning. I'm so excited to drop these next week so I really encourage you to hop on the waitlist if you are interested in checking out the templates and getting a special discount for a limited time you can go to rartspace.com/shop and that'll take you to the page where you can do a hop on the waitlist and then if you're listening to this after you know weeks or months after this episode airs you can always just go to
So I'm thrilled to be relaunching these. This has been a long time coming, but I'm so excited to have them, you know. I'm so excited to relaunch this shop because this is such a great affordable option for the business owner who, wants to look professional, they want to have that website that they're really proud of that they can send people to, but they don't have the funds for a custom site. This is the perfect alternative. So I'm so excited to have this as an offering. And yeah, I can't wait to share it with you next week. So definitely stay tuned for that. I really hope this episode was helpful. If you have any questions about branding your business or you know, if you're not sure if you're ready to invest, but if you have any questions about this episode or anything you want to chat about, feel free to reach out to me. You can email me or you can send me a DM on Instagram. I would love to continue the conversation, but I hope this was helpful and I can't wait to talk to you next week.