Do You Have Scary Brand Syndrome?

I love Halloween

 

Spooky fun, dreaming up original costumes, throwing a themed party, decorating, and of course, the idea of being frightened out of your mind by creepy movies and attractions.

We like to be scared this time of the year because we know on some level that we are safe. It’s what is known as a ‘controlled fear’.

Ghouls, vampires, scary movies, haunted houses, the unexpected, ghosts and goblins…all good, scary fun.

What’s not so fun (any time of the year) is if you have what I call Scary Brand Syndrome…a brand that makes people run the other way, or worse yet, not notice you at all.

Here’s what Scary Brand Syndrome looks like:

 

You find it difficult to describe + connect to your Right Audience

You haven’t identified your Brand’s USP (Unique Super Power)

You have lots of ‘experts’ telling you what you should be doing

No one really understands who you are, much less what you actually do

You haven’t taken the time to understand how to create emotional connections to your Brand

You dread sending people to your website

You think your opt in is lame

Marketing your Brand feels hard and uncomfortable

 

So what can you do to make your brand something people run towards rather than away from screaming?

 

Narrow your focus. You cannot be all things to all people. You’ll find your brand getting more and more diluted until it’s unable to be found at all. What specific problem to you solve for others? Think about how they feel, what they struggle with, and how they want to feel.

What do you do best? I mean really, really drill down on this and get beyond the tangibles. What is the value that you provide to people?

Mine is Genuine Empowerment

Intuition is Queen when it comes to branding. Listen to your Inner Voice about how your Brand shows up. No one is more vested in this than you. Period. Don’t wanna do a newsletter…then why are you? Don’t wanna blog…don’t. Not a Twitterer? Don’t be on that platform.

Draw a line in the sand around your beliefs and values. What do you truly believe about the work you feel called to do…and OWN it. I confess that I teetered around the idea of whether ‘personal brand’ was an actual concept and whether people could be ‘branded’…wishy-washy, ineffective, and uninspiring. Well I call bullshit on that; a personal brand is vital in today’s world; and I’m just the person to help you craft one that is resonant, aligned, and distinctive.

People connect to people. Upping your EQ, building relationships, telling your story, tapping into your Leading Archetype are just some of the things to help understand how you and the people around you relate to each other.

If you think your website sucks, figure out why and fix it. Stop using it as an excuse not to put yourself out there.

Marketing doesn’t feel like such a House of Horrors when you figure out what works for you. Trying to fit yourself into someone else’s blueprint, formula, cookie-cutter mold, or system can be one of the scariest things ever. Synthesize information and tailor it to you.

Branding doesn’t have to be scary or frightening; save that for Halloween.