10 Best Practices to Build Your Brand + Book of Business
Recently, our Founder, Michele Correnti, was asked to speak on building and clarifying brands for firms looking to establish their expertise online, attract their ideal clients, and increase their number of inbound referrals. Below are the 10 best practices she shared during her presentation. Each practice highlights a key area of online branding designed to ensure your ideal clients and referrals understand what you do and choose to work with you over your competitors.
1. Understand How Branding Is Used to Create Awareness and Build Association
First things first, we need to understand what “branding” means. Branding is the ongoing process of developing and maintaining your reputation, and it is how people identify and differentiate you from the competition. Branding is the foundation of your firm and its marketing strategy.
Once people can recognize your brand, they develop brand awareness. This means that they can identify your firm and can differentiate you from your competitors. Over time, people can develop a brand association, where they recognize your brand immediately and associate it with your colors, fonts, and imagery. Some brands have no brand association or awareness, while others have such a strong brand association that we can name them by simply seeing the logomark, sometimes even just the color scheme. For example, most people around the globe recognize brands like McDonald’s and Nike simply by their logomarks, without anything else.
Brand preference is when clients choose your firm over other firms. In simple terms, this is when you land a client or receive a referral. And brand loyalty is when clients always choose your firm, no matter the opportunities to otherwise choose someone else to work with. Brand loyalty is the goal and is a huge win if you achieve it with a client.
Whether or not you are actively managing your brand, people do have a perception of it. As Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, once said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room.” This means, if you’re not managing your brand, everyone else is for you. At Correnti Marketing, we believe in the power of branding and how firms can tell their story without all the outside noise.
2. Determine Your Ideal Client
If you want a clear lens for making informed, strategic decisions for your company's growth, you need to understand your ideal client. A good starting point is to think of a client (past or current) that you would like to duplicate 1,000 times over. In other words, which client would you love for every one of your clients to be like? Who do you enjoy working with the most?
Consider the common traits of your ideal client, including their:
Demographics: Age, gender, location, job title, income, home life
Goals and values: What are they looking for? What do they care about? What’s driving them?
News Sources: Where do they go to get their information? Where do they hang out on and offline?
Pain Points: What’s keeping them up at night? What would trigger them to pick up the phone and call you?
Once you understand your ideal client, you can tailor your brand and its messaging to answer their questions and respond to their pain points.
3. Choose a Niche to Differentiate Yourself
Many firms are worried that choosing a niche will pigeonhole their practice. However, if you properly create a niche, you can further differentiate your firm from your competitors and increase the number of quality referrals coming through your door. You want to create a reason not only for clients to come to you, but for your referrals to come to you with prospects and advice. By promoting a niche, they will know to go to you for exactly that specialty whenever it comes up in conversation or in business.
You can still provide comprehensive services while owning a niche. You will not lose other business opportunities unless you drop everything else that you are doing to solely focus on that specialty. Which, in all honesty, sometimes happens by choice after people feel the power of choosing a niche. Sometimes, it is a launch point for an incredible, focused practice.
The bottom line is, you want to be known for something specific and you want to be able to create a space for a certain type of client and give them a reason to come to your firm first.
4. Adjust Your Messaging to Attract Your Ideal Client
Messaging is the foundation of your brand. Clear and direct messaging that targets your desired audience should include the following:
A positioning statement that explains how you are different from your competitors.
A mission statement that explains why you are in business in the first place.
A vision statement that outlines where your business is going.
Your company values: What is driving your team and how do they provide your services?
Your brand’s voice guidelines: How to best write and speak for your firm.
Your firm’s Ideal Client Profile.
Your firm’s niche.
Ultimately, what you want to answer here is, what makes your firm unique and why should people choose you over your competitors?
Do not feel as though these brand components should necessarily be included on your firm’s website. Rather, these components should guide your messaging across all platforms.
5. Design Your Brand Identity
Your brand’s visual identity refers mostly to your logo and how you present your brand online and in print. When deciding on your brand’s visual identity, ask yourself, “How do I want someone to feel when they see my brand?” Do you want to prioritize trust and professionalism? How about warmth and approachability? Whichever path you choose, remember that your brand’s identity is a reflection not only of the services your firm provides but also of your core values and unique personality.
If you already have a logo, there are a few questions you should consider. For example, when was the last time your logo was designed? Does it need a refresh? Was it created in haste when you started your business? Does it no longer reflect your brand? Has your business changed in the last few years?
On average, brands redesign their logo and refresh their messaging every 7-10 years. Even the most recognizable brands across the globe, like Starbucks, go through regular rebrands. So, do not hesitate to try something new and bold when refreshing or re-establishing your brand identity.
6. Consider Your Personal Brand vs. The Firm’s Brand
Often, your personal brand is not too far off from your firm’s branding. For many professional service firms, people choose to work with the person behind the brand, rather than the brand itself. Especially for those who are in business for themselves or work with a small, tight-knit team in a boutique or small firm setting.
If you are the reason why clients work with your firm, your personal band will need to be a key aspect of your marketing strategy. Discover ways in which your personal branding can intersect with your firm’s brand so that they complement and support one another. At the very least, do not underestimate the power of your personal brand, especially if you are a founder or partner in your firm.
People typically are choosing to work with you and not necessarily your firm as a whole. This is important to remember, considering personal branding is often left behind while building a practice.
7. Establish Your Online Presence to Create Consistency and Clarity
The starting point for your online presence is your website. The purpose of your website is primarily to provide information on who you are, what you do, whom you serve, and why your visitors should contact you directly.
The most successful websites are clean, modern, and easy to navigate. Optimal websites are responsive on all devices (desktop, mobile, tablet), and include a call to action as well as readily-available contact information. These websites are also designed with Google Analytics tracking and back-end SEO optimization, but more on that later.
Even if you do not care about the current state of your website, just know that over 90% of people visit a website before making a purchase. Meaning, the majority of your prospects and referrals are checking out your website before making a final decision.
You do not want to appear like your business is not up-to-date with the latest technologies and aesthetics. Younger markets like Millennials and Gen Z are more likely to pass over a website that looks old, inefficient, and out of fashion.
8. Set Up SEO + Your Google My Business Profile
The goal of SEO (search engine optimization) is to increase your appearance on organic and specific search results. Here are a few tips on how to achieve better SEO for your firm’s website:
Research common keywords to include on your web pages.
Edit webpage titles and meta tags to include SEO-friendly keywords.
Write and publish original content.
Install the Yoast SEO Plugin for websites using WordPress.
Embed Google Maps onto your Contact Us page.
Include your phone number in the header menu.
Include social links and contact information in the footer of your web pages.
Your Google My Business profile has become an important aspect of SEO and discoverability. These profiles are critically important and helpful when it comes to people looking for directions or your contact information. You can use your profile to gather testimonials to build your credibility and improve your local SEO.
9. Request Testimonials to Build Trust and Relatability
Testimonials are not only useful for establishing credibility–they can also be used as marketing materials if positioned correctly on your website and social media profiles. Ask a client to review you when they are at their most happy. For example, right after you have done business with them, as opposed to later on.
Additionally, you can offer to write a draft for a client to get them started, especially if you know them well enough. And you can also ask clients to write about something in particular, which is useful if you are trying to bring in more business in a specific practice area or focus.
Note that testimonials don't have to just be from clients. Your trusted colleagues and strategic partners can leave you testimonials as well.
10. Integrating Relationship Marketing to Receive More In-Bound Referrals
Client experience (CX) and relationship marketing are two of the most important ways to build your brand and your book of business. Improving client relationships can go a long way toward increasing inbound referrals. Here are a few tips on how to leverage client satisfaction into more effective marketing strategies:
Clarify your onboarding process. This is the first impression a client has of your firm, so you want to ensure everything from signing the retainer to your first meeting is seamless.
Streamline your client experience. You want to be able to effectively and efficiently guide your clients or customers through their entire journey from start to finish.
Lead with gratitude. A handwritten thank you note can go a long way. Especially in our digital age. But recording a thank you video on your mobile device can be just as effective.
And finally, consider whether you want to check in with your clients after their business with your firm is complete. This can have a huge impact on how they continue to think of you after they have moved on.
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