Losing Voice: When Marketing Becomes a Shouting Match

Sometimes, marketing can feel like you are playing a shouting game where the person that yells the loudest wins. And it can be exhausting.

If you can relate, know that it is perfectly normal, because sometimes I feel that way too. And especially now, with so many businesses fighting their way back from the brink of oblivion, the intensity of saving what may have been lost is high. We ALL are feeling the pressure to bellow “look over here, look at me, see me!” and shout it the loudest.

But what happens after shouting for days on end? You lose your voice. Think about that for a minute. Literally and figuratively. Losing your voice means you've lost your way. The way that is unique to you and what you offer. It is so important to continually realign yourself and your marketing efforts with what works best for YOUR business, YOUR target market, and YOUR brand. We aren’t cookie cutter, we were never meant to be. We are unique in how we do what we do, and how we offer those services. Even if thirty other people are doing a similar business in your hometown…you each are still doing it differently. But yet, when we get tired, when we feel desperate, when we feel pressure to compete, that's when we lose hold of the very things that make us appealing to those that are seeking us out.

And then, the loud “look over here” tactics start to feel wrong because it isn’t organic to how we are and who we are. The past couple weeks after my rebranding I have found renewed energy and passion for what I do, but in the launch it felt loud…"LOOK! I found a way to make this work…look at what I DID!" And even though it is sincere excitement (like…seriously, I love the direction RYB is going!), the drain game has begun.

Shouting from mountain tops just isn’t my style, so when I saw the quote below I thought it was a perfect opportunity to blog a little, in a quieter way, and share that in silence sometimes a greater marketing magic can be born. That's what my next steps are, allowing for the pause in between

Don't fear taking the quiet time to regroup your marketing efforts and rethink what it is you truly want to say, the stories you want to share and the services you offers. There are people still looking for you and what you provide, but the way in which you reach them isn't usually found by walking someone else's.

Here are a few helpful hints as to how you can stay the course and not lose your "voice":

Tip #1: Revisit Who You Are & Who You Serve: This helps you realign yourself with the "why" of what you do and can help firmly plant you back in a place of confidence. Review your mission statement, your values, your branding guidelines (if you don't have those written out, that comes before Tip #1!)

Tip #2: Think of Your Customers First: When creating any kind of marketing piece, be it digital or print, make sure you are keeping your customer in mind. Think about how they have come to know you, and what they would expect from you. Is what you are currently churning out going to seem inline with how they have come to know you, or will they feel estranged? If you want your customers to be loyal, you must be loyal in return by being the brand they have come to know and love.

Tip #3: Be Consistent: Keeping every element of your marketing consistent is an easy win when it comes to holding on to the voice of you and your business. If you are delivering a message on one platform, it should consistently be communicated across other platforms as well. If you are in the habit of staying active and in front of your audiences day to day, week to week with your marketing, it is far less likely that you will deviate from the path and need to start shouting.

And as always, I'm happy to support you in the consistency of owning your voice.

The Comeback

Friday afternoon has arrived, and for the first time in a long time, it actually feels like the close of a work week for me.

Like many businesses, this pandemic chopped my productivity and progress off at the knees. I was enjoying my work as a ghost blog writer for Dragonwing Girlgear, a totally amazing athletic wear company for teens/tweens. I was also on the verge of receiving signed contracts from a couple other clients as well when it all ended. Literally, radio silence.

And yet, here I am months later still fighting to keep Rock Your Brand going. Rebranding, investing in advertising, hopping on webinars to learn ways forward to reinvigorate the lifeblood of my business. And I guess that the thing is, this isn't just a "business", it is a dream. Something that a year ago I was convinced would be off and running by now, but sometimes the world has other plans.

Either way, today's post is about gratitude. Grateful for the clients trusting in spending their stimulus checks with me to help reinvigorate their own small business. Grateful for those friends and family that re-post, re-share and promote anything they think will help bring business my way. Grateful for a husband who has been doing the heavy financial lifting while I figure out how to not give up.

I believe Rock Your Brand is here to stay. I believe I am meant to help others. I want to support business owners in understanding which way is up when it comes to getting themselves out there with their brand, their messaging and laying the foundation of their online presence.

So with that said, I'm reviving some content from my old blog as it is just as valid and helpful as ever when it comes to tightening up that online presence. (You may download it as a .pdf ).

Online Marketing Presence Tipspdf

Helpful hint: Click the image to open in a new tab and for clearer resolution.

Online Presence Tips - Rock Your Brand

Believe in all that you are, and all that you offer. I'm always happy to take 20 minutes out of my day and chat with anyone that is looking for a little feedback and direction (simply reach out via the contact form below).

Happy weekend friends. Be well. xo

Hard Truths About Rebranding: The Impact of Social Distancing

Knock knock.

Who's there?

New branding!

New branding who?

New branding because the old branding was all based on a rock concert theme, and brand imagery of massive crowds...and in light of current world events...well...THAT branding seems a BIT out of whack.

So, how's that for a knock knock joke? In all seriousness. Although it seems I have come back from the oblivion with all rockets firing, it was a ROUGH couple months. And the worst of it was when I realized ALL my branding was based on the idea and theme of rock concerts, massive crowd shots, party imagery, rock n' roll lifestyle, etc. Even my logo lost it's way because some of the icons I used seemed just wrong in light of the now urgent need to lysol EVERYTHING anyone touches...you know, like a microphone.

Now please understand, I loved my branding. It was difficult to embrace the idea that this streamlined brand I had created would no longer play well entering the "new normal" (albeit temporary, still who knows how long that is?). I had to recognize that mentally and spiritually, I could NOT find my way forward operating with my brand as/is.

But the other truth here? If I was madly in love with my branding, I would have found a way to work around it. I would have selected different imagery that still related to the theme. My logo may have needed a minor tweak or changes by removing certain icons. I did not need to change my branding, but I could feel the unrest. It felt off, it didn't fit anymore. And it was draining any ambition, any productivity I might have had, right the hell out.

At the same time, as I reflected on my difficulties with embracing the state of our world in March and early April (I'm an empath so it was a brutal time), I started to change. As I emerged from the black hole of gloom and doom, I felt "reborn" and in touch with a different side of myself. A side I tend to hide away. And now, now was...and IS the time to let that transformation come through my branding. This soulful, creative, boho dreamer gal has been waiting to emerge...and so Rock Your Brand has adopted that new way of being too.

Brand transformation is HARD guys. I'm still working on transitioning the voice of my brand on my website, my social media, my marketing materials...the list goes on and on. It is a process. But everything I said above is what I talk about when I reference aligning your brand with WHO YOU ARE in an authentic, true way.

Don't be afraid to transform, because your business can follow you through that transformation. It may take work (and lots of tears) but it can be done. And if you ever need the support to make it happen, well, you know where I am...and you know I've been through it.

Be brave. We are in this together.