We are in the midst of coaching sessions and a lot of our discussions are centered around the importance of branding.

Branding is a way of identifying your business. It is how your customers recognize and experience your business. A strong brand is more than just a logo; it's reflected in everything from your customer service, business cards, website, social media, marketing materials and advertising.

As our coach Phil Pallen says “A personal brand isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity”.

A. Behind the scenes of your brand

a) Who are you trying to attract? Who are your ideal clients? The kind of people you want to work with? Who is the type of person who needs your services? Who do you want to work with? What are they like? What do they like? How can you position yourself to attract those people?

b) Your Qualities: Why should people work with you? How are you different than others in your business? What are your strengths? Weaknesses? What type of projects do you want to work on? What makes you stand out?

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B. Phil’s philosophies about lifestyle branding:

a) Use Social Media to promote your brand: The ones who get social media understand that their customers want something beyond a product or a service. These people are aspirational. They want an extension of the brand that feels relatable and not salesy. The best brands on social media are the ones that make you forget you’re even on a company social account – until you find yourself purchasing that product or checking into their services.

C. Our favorite brands:

a. Apple

a. Innovative

b. Sleek

c. Awesome Customer experience

d. Packaging

b.Anthropologie

a. Curated mix of clothing and accessories

b. Fun gifts and home décor. Fashionable and artsy

c. The Four Seasons Hotels

a. You’re not a number –you are known by name

b. Again, the customer experience. A great story on the “Think Blog”

“A busboy who worked for the Four Season told countless stories about how important the customer experience played out. A bartender once sent him to a corner bar to pick up a six pack of Rolling Rock even though it wasn’t on their beer menu. He knew a doorman who jumped in a cab to return a lost teddy bear to a kid at the airport. People spoke of the Room Service waiter who borrowed blueberries from another hotel at 3AM because they ran out. He was once sent out to get an emergency case of cranberry Perrier* and keep it in the back of the walk-in because someone heard it was Cher’s favorite. She stayed for over a week, but she never ordered it.”

D.Interior design brands:

a. IKEA