Everything you plan in life needs a strategy. The better your strategy, the more likely you are to succeed. Brand image strategy development is figuring out how you’ll establish and maintain your brand. Â Brand identity comes in later, which is the finished look and visual representation of your branding efforts.
Let’s take a deeper look.
Who Do You Want to Reach?
Who are your target markets? Your audience defines quite a lot of what you do. What do they need? Here is a good test. To find out, give a little online survey to the people who have contacted you so far.
What are they complaining about?
What are they feeling and thinking about their image and wardrobes?
What help could they use to solve those challenges?
The image consultant’s job is to solve those problems for her client. One way to reach out and answer our client’s needs is to use social media. It’s a visual platform well suited to our visual information. On Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, we can write blogs; create Q&A videos; invent a tip of the day or the week. Send an email with a typical client’s questions answered by you the consultant.
What Are You Selling?
In any entrepreneurial business, the first answer is “you, the head honcho and chief consultant. ” You are the steward, ambassador and spokesperson of your brand and people study the way you look, act, speak, present ideas and explain concepts. They are asking themselves: Does she know what she is talking about? Can I trust her knowledge and do I like the way she looks? Will I like her?
Second, make no mistake, image consultants are selling confidence. We need to have a deep understanding of the way in which our products and services help women feel confident and beautiful and men feel credible and powerful. Take a look at the competition locally and regionally which gives you an indication of the experience and caliber you are up against. Do you want to play it safe and offer the same thing? Or could you offer some innovative services and products which inspire and enliven your target market and solve their challenges head on?
Positioning Your Brand
Positioning your brand can mean many things. Simply put, it is essentially what you are known for and how the brand is perceived by your clients.
Lasting quality (Which can also be used with all other branding positions).
Education, growth and development
Fast, easy and convenient
Low or best pricing
Prestige and status
Transformation
Ultimately, brand strategy should be about finding the most appealing aspects of the product and create the place where your clients feel most at home. Part of your brand development is about discovering the benefits of your services, packages and programs. Â Client testimonials are wonderful ways to capture the enthusiasm and immediate opinions of your clientele.
Create a word cloud of the assets that you, your product, and your services deliver. Create cornerstones; concepts that lead directly into other concepts. For instance, “trustworthiness” can lead to things like “stability” or “security.”
What’s Your Message?
If you could condense your brand into a singular message, what would it be? What are your mission and your values? What do you want people to gain from your services?
A message is important and powerful. Not only does it tell your audience and major markets what you do, but it also inspires you to develop your brand further. Our cornerstone values are: Courage, Freedom, Self-Expression, Beauty. Over the years our messages have embodied those values.
- “Bold, charismatic leaders who dare to make a difference.”
- The Courage to Flourish
Some famous brand slogans and messages
When you care enough to send the very best. Hallmark Greeting cards
Because I’m worth it. L’Oreal
Your Brand Image Identity
At this stage, you can chat with your chosen graphics or branding specialist and describe the work you have done on the underpinnings of your brand. You should be able to communicate your message, your target audience, brand values, philosophy, positioning and key words to determine first ideas of your brand’s tone, colors, logos, and visuals.
Where Will You Get Clients?
There are many channels to advertise a brand today. The expensive ads such as TV, radio, national newspapers, magazine and online campaigns never work for something as personal as image consulting. Our advertising needs to be in-person and intimate. Social media, online letters, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have become effective launching pads for us. Online videos, tip sheets, Q&A sessions, free presentations, zoom calls and classes are more approachable ways to connect to people.
Today, many image consultants start with a small website and a LinkedIn account. From there, they need to branch out to gain exposure. The personal connection has never gone away! They may first have to connect to you but make it easy for people to talk to a face and a real person when they want their own questions answered. Our female clients love personal, touching and caring attention and information that they can apply themselves. Our male clients love simplicity, ease, convenience and logical information.
At London Image Institute we work with our students on the skills and methods of training, teaching, coaching and facilitation classes and consultations for men and women. The graduates can design customized programs on Personal Branding and Executive Presence which include appearance, etiquette and communication to name just a few of the skills they have under their belts.
