My five year old LOVES unicorns. She colors unicorns, plays with unicorns, and talks about unicorns every single day. My five year old and her obsession with unicorns recently taught me a lesson about how confusion can kill your brand. 

 

 

She just recently had her fifth birthday and I wanted to celebrate with some balloons. I went to our local grocery store and saw this giant, and I mean giant, unicorn with this most majestic mane. It was probably 3 feet by 3 feet and had five different spots for helium to be filled because of how enormous it was. 

As the cashier was filling up this balloon I was thinking about how ridiculous this half hour long process was, but I just knew I needed to get it for my daughter. I knew she would just die when she saw this giant unicorn balloon come through the front door. 

I was right. She absolutely loved it. It was this experience that led me to my thought. 

My little girl does a really good job of staying on brand. It is really clear to me that if there’s anything involving unicorns, she will love it. Because she was so clear about her brand, I was convinced to buy this insanely huge unicorn balloon for her because I knew she would love it. 

 

 

How Confusion is Killing Your Brand

I recently did an experiment with my Instagram followers where those who left their handles in my story, would get a follow and a shoutout from me. I wanted to see how many people within my community would support each other by doing the same, and what would happen if they did. 

However, when I visited the Instagram accounts of those who participated, I was surprised with how many accounts I couldn’t share. There are two main things I look for on an Instagram account that make a brand stand out. Many of the accounts didn’t have these two things, so I didn’t know how to give them a shoutout when I was unsure of their brand message. 

So, what are the two things that make your brand stand out? 

 

Two Things to Make Your Brand Stand Out 

 

 

1: Be Clear & Specific 

The very first thing I look for in your Instagram bio is who you serve, why you serve them, and what you want them to do. 

If you say you are a photographer, that is not specific enough. Photography is not a niche, it is an industry. Plus, it’s very vague on who you serve. Yes, people now know you can take pictures for them, but what kind of people are you specifically targeting? 

If you say you’re a Southern California high school senior photographer, now we are getting somewhere. Your target audience will immediately feel more of a connection with you. The more specific you are, the more you will attract the right people–and the more your community will grow. 

If you try to market to everyone, then it might as well be to no one. Your content will become noise and people will turn off to your posts because it’s not relevant to them. When you become more specific about who you serve your following will increase. 

Being clear and specific also can mean being short with your mission statement or purpose. Although Instagram allows you 150 words in your bio, that doesn’t mean you need to use all of them. 

I’ve been doing some revamping of my own brand, trying to hone in on my target audience as well. I recently updated my Instagram bio to say “helping business moms create clear brand message so they can create content that converts.” 

That’s it. Simple and straightforward. In this one sentence you gather the first two elements–who I serve and why I serve. The third element–what I want them to do–is covered just below with an invitation to listen to my podcast and to click on a link to my website. 

Listen to my full episode to find out specific steps to take to be more specific on who you serve. Once I took these steps, I had less questions about what to post and who I was posting for. It’s a game changer, so make sure to take a listen! 

 

 

2: Have Shareable Content 

Shareable content means posting a reel that is funny or is teaching something. Another example is having a carousel post that has a relatable quote, thought, etc. However, it doesn’t stop there.

Whatever it is, it needs to be easy to say and easy to understand. This doesn’t apply just to your shareable content, but to your brand altogether. 

If people can’t repeat what you say to their friend then your content won’t be shared and you won’t grow. 

On the other hand, when you get really clear with who you are and how you are going to create the content, that becomes power. 

 

Know Your Why 

I mentioned earlier about knowing your why behind what you’re doing for your business. I wanted to got a little more in depth about it because knowing your why is what fuels your fire to keep going.  

While making money or taking your business to the next level are good things, there must be something deeper within that makes you want to do what you’re doing. It’s about knowing your potential and meeting it. 

My why to my business is what helps me keep going. I even get teary eyed whenever I think about it because I’m so passionate about helping my community of mom entrepreneurs. 

I started my business 14 years ago and I was so lost. There were no resources, but I kept going. I spent a lot of money and wasted a lot of time to get where I am today. I did that, so you don’t have to. 

That’s why I am so grateful you are here. I can’t stand to think about you sitting at your computer and feeling stuck because you’re just unsure of what to do next. (Especially because you don’t have the time to be stuck as a mom and businesswoman!)

Let me be that person for you. The person who can help you create the content that touches people and changes their feelings of hopelessness and despair to hopeful and joy! I believe in your message, in your business, and in your brand. I believe your light can impact the world for good. 

We, as moms and entrepreneurs, are supposed to stand up and make a difference. That’s why it’s so imperative to have a brand message that is clear and shareable, so we can make that difference. 

 

 

Want Help Getting Started?

This Thursday, I will be auditing Instagram bios. Make sure to follow me on Instagram @iammichellegifford and watch my story, so you can get yours audited! 

Your bio is a crucial part of your online business. You are powerful and your bio should reflect that. Your content should also reflect your brand message over and over again. 

For more helpful tips about brand messaging or content strategy, subscribe to my podcast! You can also check out my website and the resources I have available for you. 

You’ll definitely want to take advantage of my content banking. All you have to do is text “content bank” to 951-309-7885 and I’ll text you a link right back. You can also sign up for the content bank here. This will help you never run out of content ideas again.