Take a look at the first pieces of content you ever created. (Are they still publicly available?)

What are your *first* impressions?

Want to hear mine? When I look back at my original content… it’s #cringeworthy.

My tone was super bubbly and friendly – which isn’t *bad* per se … BUT it wasn’t me! I was absolutely trying to emulate what a particular successful #bossbabe was doing at the time.

Oh, and… the article was all fluff. It was entertaining… and fun… but now looking back?! There wasn’t an actual *point* to having my audience read the article. Honestly, I didn’t provide much of value in it. (This is now a cardinal sin for my brand. As a Sage archetype, I back up my ideas and points. We go deep in our content. When we show up, we show up.) 

And don’t even get me started on the design! The colors, fonts, and imagery were all over the place… and *so* different than what I have today.

Did you have a similar reaction when you looked at your throwback content? First, let me reassure you: That’s okay! In fact, it’s a great sign. This means you’ve grown. You’ve matured as an entrepreneur and you’re slowly but surely defining who you really are – and what value you truly provide to your audience.

🎥  As always, if you love videos, hit play below. If you’re more of a reader, keep scrolling to consume this information in article form. 

Why is Consistency Important?

#1 – Psychological studies show that people need at least SEVEN touch points before they recognize you or feel confident buying from you. Yup, you heard that correctly… SEVEN encounters with your content. These touch points *reinforce* your brand identity (as long as they’re consistent). They can be content, visuals, catchphrases… and recurring themes across all the media you use.

#2 – Confusion kills sales. There are literally thousands of brands and millions of products out there. BUT we *do not* buy when we’re confused. We buy a product or service when we find one that adds to our sense of identity, solves our problems, fills a need, or even one that fulfills a future aspiration. If we’re not clear on how your brand or product does one of the things above, we look elsewhere. Plain and simple.

#3 – Familiarity builds trust and like-ability. KEEP SHOWING UP! When people recognize you, they start to become familiar with you… and then they start to LIKE YOU.

#4 – People don’t pay attention. They are busy, and there is a lot competing for their attention. You need to reinforce your message…repeatedly… 10x more than you think. You need to reinforce your brand identity again and again, via various media platforms. And, do NOT worry about sounding repetitive. Because while YOU are living / breathing / sleeping / eating your brand and catchphrases, your audience only registers little pieces of your message at a time. (Plus, you have new prospects and customers joining your orbit every day.) Hearing your consistent messaging and values strengthens your peoples’ belief in you.

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^^^ Pin for reference or to read later! ^^^

Trying to Market Before You Brand?

#1 – Revisit the foundation of your brand. Think about why people should do business with you. Instead of posting randomly across social media platforms (“Hmmm… what’s my next Instagram post going to say?”), you need to develop brand clarity FIRST. Once you have that, THEN develop consistency across all the media you utilize.

#2 – Set standards for yourself and your team. This means educating team members about your brand. You can’t be effective if you’re the only person able to articulate your best brand. Empower your team. Help them create messages, content and visuals that use a strong, singular voice that attracts ideal clients… and keeps them coming back!

Your cure.

If you’re not growing as fast as you’d like…

If there are inconsistencies across platforms and within messages…

Don’t despair!

The antidote is: Go back to basics! Ask yourself: “What does my brand stand for? Who does my brand serve? Which of my standards are clear and in what messages?”

Of course, you can define and refine your brand internally. But it’s often difficult to step back and “see” your brand clearly.

It’s hard to sift through all the intriguing design concepts you like and decide on the voice you want to project.

It’s challenging to develop a cohesive and powerful brand image by yourself.

That’s how an expert advisor can help… one who assists you in sorting through those great, creative ideas (even the middle-of-the-night ones) and find the ones that put your best brand forward! This is what I do with my one-on-one VIP clients and it’s called…

The Clarity Code Program

We start with all the ideas and design styles you’ve tagged, bookmarked or been inspired by while doing some preliminary research—those messages that speak to your ideal clients on an emotional level.

We bring them to the forefront as your brand’s high standards. This builds the brand consistency that makes you a market leader. Your brand starts to instill the trust that leads to ongoing client relationships.

Soon, you’ll start to field more inbound leads, shorten the sales cycle, and build a base of loyal clients who think of you first when looking for solutions. That’s the goal, right? Reliable consistent clients who keep coming back. Clients who’ll be excited to work with you because you’ve shown them… time and again… who you are and what you stand for!

If you’re an advanced entrepreneur who’s feeling any of the pains above, I would love to help you through this process with my Clarity Code Program.