5 Overlooked Branding Mistakes That'll Sink Your Business
There's nothing more exciting than a great business idea. Starting a business has been compared to giving birth — and for good reason. You go through stages of conception, growth, and labor pain to birth your business into the marketplace. In doing so, it can be so easy to focus on getting clients that we overlook the foundational principles of brand building that will ensure success and save you time and money later.
Branding involves your professional reputation, your backend processes, and your customers' expectations. Most of all, branding is important to long-term success and a thriving business.
1. Develop A Customer Journey
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You've worked so hard on your product or service, especially the sales pitch, and then someone says, "Yes, I'm ready to start! What do I do next?" Your process funnel should roll off the tongue like your elevator pitch. Without proper operating systems, procedures, and funnels, that excited customer can quickly turn sour. Make it easy for them to buy. Ensure the customer experience is the same for everyone, and maximize opportunities for upsells, referrals, and community building. Without a funnel and customer journey, you're leaving opportunities untapped.
2. Protect Yourself
Believe it or not, clients disappear for months at a time. After investing their money to get started, they completely disappear. Things happen and working with you goes on the backburner. It's great for them, but horrible for you. Put terms and conditions in place to protect yourself from this type of scenario and others like it. Research terms and conditions for your industry and adapt them to cover every scenario, including refunds, dissatisfied clients, project delays, broken items, etc. It may seem like a pain to do, but contracts will save you time and money and ultimately protect your business.
Related: 10 Ways To Develop An Entrepreneurial Mindset
3. Keep Longevity In Mind
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When I started my business five years ago, I wasn't thinking about the longevity of my business name. I thought the name sounded good and made sense, so I went with it. But after being in business for a while, my business made a necessary pivot, and the name didn't fit anymore. I had to change it in order to signify my growth and my new target market. That meant spending time, money, and countless hours rebranding. Be cautious of business names using current slang terms that may seem outdated 10 years from now. When in doubt, use your own name. You're the brand, after all.
4. Don't Negotiate
You may think that a little money is better than no money at all, however, your pricing affects your brand and how the public responds to your brand positioning. Have you ever seen Louis Vuitton or Gucci going on sale? Luxury brands have luxury pricing. Do NOT negotiate on your pricing. Whether you think you're worth $100 or $2,500, you're right. Quality doesn't go sale. Discounting your pricing compromises your brand and undermines you as a retailer if you're selling a product. If a potential customer complains about your price point, they're not your customer.
Related: Thou Shall Be Broke: 10 Things That No One Told Me About Entrepreneurship
5. Look Beyond Your Industry
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Consider utilizing the blue ocean strategy, a marketing theory that makes competition irrelevant, creates demand, and leverages your knowledge of other industries. The best example is Cirque Du Soleil. They reinvented and elevated the circus experience They created a show we had never seen before: a family show that incorporates themes like music, movies, magic, ice skating, and visual art. Cirque Du Soleil created a blue ocean where there was no competition.
Running a business is hard — even harder when you're by yourself trying to feel your way through. Building on these principles will create a success strategy that you can grow on and adjust as your business grows. Happy branding!
Featured image by Getty Images
Niya Allen-Vatel is a 3x-certified certified résumé writer, career coach, and brand strategist helping ambitious leaders build their brands to boost credibility, increase opportunities, and establish themselves as an expert in their niche. She is the owner of the premier career branding service, Career Global, based in New York City.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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ItGirl In Motion: Paige Shari Addison Shows Us Why She's The Hostess With The Mostess
Paige Shari Addison is the epitome of an ItGirl, which is why she is one of 100 ladies on xoNecole's inaugural ItGirl 100 list in partnership with Hyundai. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Paige started her journey as a host in high school by hosting parties. Since then, she has made a career in hosting, from parties to big-name events, and she launched Strictly RNB, a platform for new artists and R&B lovers. Paige reflects on her creative path in the limited video series "ItGirl in Motion."
“My first curated event at Criminal Records was incredible. It was all for up-and-coming artists,” she says. “I needed a platform for us as a collective to be able to give ourselves the platform instead of asking for it, instead of looking for it. I was like, I want to make sure I let people get this experience that I would give as a performer but enjoy the experience with them. It was a dream come true.”
The Atlanta native also has her own line of acai bowls called Soulfull Bowls. She started it during the pandemic after events and parties shut down. But it was her love for eating acai bowls and the reactions others had to them that made her want to make it her next business move. Being open to creating new ventures in the midst of uncertainty is a bold move and one of the reasons why Paige has the “it” factor.
“Being an ItGirl means you’re just authentic. There’s an air to us. We have confidence that exudes from the way we speak, the way we put our lip gloss on, the way we walk, the way we talk. I show up as myself everytime I walk into a room. I’m hospitable, I make sure everybody’s good,” she says.
Get to know more about the hostess with the mostess in the video above.
See our ItGirl 100 list in full here. Click through the gallery below for some BTS moments of Paige and our partnership with Hyundai.
Director: Mikkoh @mikkoh
Production company: @polly___studio
Producer/AD: Samuel Cho @choboi90
Producer/Tech: Paul Nguyen @paul__winn
DP: Cristian Bernal @cristianbernal
Editor: @30inthemorning
2nd Cam: Paul Nguyen
1st AC: AJ Paug @ajpaug Gaffer: Dennis Albert @dennisalbert_
Audio Mixer: Victor Chavez @vic_the__
PA: Rick Carreno @ispeakrick
PA: Tiffany Do @tivani.doee
BTS Photo: Prime @theartofprime
Car Detail: @sud_studs @slugglobal
Creative Director @hellobosco
Team Lead @kevgumbo3000
Project Manager @zakk_jullot
Creative Producer @iamkingsheyla
Designers @miacolemxn @noelspiva
@xoNecole
Director, Integrated Marketing @_vang
Campaign Manager @kingchachiii
Talent Lead @kaylawalker
Feature image by Prime/ @theartof prime