6 questions to help you get clear on your brand identity and nail your marketing plan

Hey Friend!

It’s so important to create a solid brand identity when you start your business. You need to be recognisable and have your brand be something that feels so good to you. And friend, you need to do this even if you’re a solopreneur! Even if it’s just you running your business, you still need a brand identity!

When I started my business, I didn’t think I needed a brand voice. “I’m just me, I don’t need a brand!” I could not be more wrong. Your brand identity is simply the way you want to communicate with people, and the kind of experience people will have when they interact with you.

It’s super important to the sales process to have this nailed down. People are going to buy because of who you are, so let’s share more of yourself with the world! Today, I have 6 questions that will help you reflect on the most important parts of who you are so you can get super clear on your brand identity and build that into your marketing plan.

1. To nail your marketing plan, ask yourself: what is the biggest thing I see my people frustrated with?

Think about the things your audience are trying to accomplish in their life or business. What are the things that are super frustrating to them? What things are getting in the way of them trying to accomplish their goals?

Go a step further and think about how you interact with that frustration. What’s YOUR role to help them with that? This is where your brand identity will shine through. Do you:

• encourage?
• discipline?
• empathize?

The way you interact with their frustrations will give you so much insight into what your voice is and what your brand identity will be. Remember: there is no right or wrong brand voice. There’s just your voice.

2. To create a powerful marketing plan, think about why you are so passionate about what you do

When someone is truly passionate about what they do, it’s contagious. It draws people in and excites them. What is it about what you do that gets you going and drives you?

Think about what it is that fulfils and excites you. This will help you think about your big ‘why’ – something you should ABSOLUTELY be sharing with your audience!

Your audience wants to know what drives you. They want to know why you’re in this game. So it needs to be a big part of your marketing plan to share that with people so you can create the buy-in that leads to sales.

3. Your brand identity comes from your background. how equipped are you to help your people through their frustration?

Reflect on your background and the ways you may be equipped to help people. This could be your:

• skillset
• expertise
• experience
• personal journey
• formal training
• qualifications

These are your competencies. They have brought you to this place and it’s a core part of your brand identity. It’s also going to give you the confidence and authority when you’re showing up because you are equipped to help someone through their frustration.

4. Your brand identity gets to be fun too! what’s something people may not know about you?

While this can just be a little bit of fun, it’s also very useful to spend time reflecting on all parts of yourself. Sometimes the things you think about can end up being important for your marketing plan.

For example, I am a hardcore introvert. People wouldn’t know that about me because I’m very energetic and chatty, but I am very much an introvert. And I need to build that into my marketing plan and my weekly schedule, otherwise I’m going to get burned out VERY quickly.

It could also be that you have something vulnerable in your past that’s actually very useful for you to incorporate into your marketing plan because it’s relevant to what you do and how you serve people now.

The things you come up with don’t always have to be serious though. Maybe you’re secretly a TikTok star or have a passion for the outdoors, and that’s just something you want people to know about you as you build your brand identity.

5. How do you want people to feel when they read your content? this is the KEY to your brand identity

We spend most of our focus on what we’re going to say in our content, the tips the value, the call to action…

But you need to stop for a minute and think about how you want people to feel. This is absolutely crucial to your band identity, probably the most important part. Everyone is going to have their own style and own way of approaching the same information, so you’re going to find your unique voice in the way you talk about that information.

Are you the type of person that wants people to feel inspired? Encouraged? Energized? Convicted?

There’s no right or wrong answer here. You can even aim to make people feel angry with your content! (think political campaigns or activism)

Think about the kind of person you are and the kind of emotions you want people to experience when they interact with you. Centre your brand identity around those core emotions. This is going to help you stand out and differentiate yourself from everyone else out there doing the same thing as you.

6. What aspects of your personality are you most proud of, and how can you incorporate them into your marketing plan?

This is your business and you should absolutely be taking advantage of your own strengths! ESPECIALLY when it comes to your brand identity and how you show up online.

So for me, I am very talkative. Always have, always will. It’s one of my gifts and I’m very proud of it. So it was a no-brainer for me to start a podcast. I love getting to explain things to people, so being able to serve by providing information on a podcast is the perfect fit for my marketing plan.

What’s that thing for you? Maybe you love to write, so your strengths lie in creating content that connects with people. Perhaps you are amazing at the small talk and networking events are where you can see the most growth in your business.

There are so many ways to market and to run your business, so it’s important that you find the way that works for YOU! You have full permission to be yourself and build a business based on those strengths.

I have a bunch more questions in my brand voice guide to help you go even deeper into this topic. And it’s free so go download it and keep learning about yourself!

Chat soon!

Sarah

P.S. Listen to the full podcast episode for all the details!