What Does This Say About You?

When is the last time you took a step back from your business to take in the big picture and ask yourself what your branding is saying to your prospective clients about you?

Your brand is everything you show to the world about you and your business – your website, social media, business cards, headshots, the way you dress… all of it works together to tell a story about you and what it will be like to work with you.In this digital age, we sometimes forget that we still need to create a cohesive, and attractive visual representation of our brand even if we don’t have a brick and mortar store front.

So, how do you create a brand that’s professional, demonstrates your expertise, speaks to your target market, and that lets the real you shine through?

Answer the following questions to help you identify how well your branding reflects your personality.

After you answer those six questions, take a look at the other brands your ideal clients follow (this is why it’s so vital that you know as much as possible your ideal client). Is your branding complimentary to them? Do you “belong” in that niche?

If your brand identity feels disjointed or does not fit within the other businesses in your niche, it is time to get help. Also, if you aren’t sure — that is, if you don’t have the branding or design experience to identify how your brand works within your target — then it’s time to get help.

There are several options for you getting help with your brand identity:

– Hire a designer who specializes in creating brand identities. This is for sure the most expensive route, and you’ll want to make sure that you work with someone qualified or you’ll just be wasting time and money. A good designer can put together a personalized set of brand guidelines so that everything you create is polished and professional and sets you apart from the crowd!

Pro tip: If you decide to hire a designer, share with them who your ideal client is and what your brand stands for, and ask them to use that to develop an image that speaks to your ideal client.

– Ask friends and family to give you feedback on what you already have and try fixing it yourself. Google can be a great resource for learning how to create a website, design business cards, DIY headshots, etc. This is the cheapest, but most time-consuming route and may or may not yield the best results.

– Join the Travel Expert Marketing Academy. In the Academy we’ll help you develop your brand in a way that attracts and impresses your ideal clients. This option is the best of both worlds, it’s not nearly as expensive as hiring a designer to work one-on-one with you, but you have expert advice and training at your fingertips to help you develop your brand quickly and easily on your own. And if you still decide to hire out some of the work to professionals, it will still cost less because you’ll know exactly what you want – saving time and money!

If you’d like to learn more about the Academy, please join us for a free Travel Agent Marketing Masterclass and Academy Preview. It’s on replay right now, you can register here.

Your brand identity is equivalent to your brick and mortar store: keep it professional, provide adequate information about you and your services, and keep it easy to navigate. This is how you attract your ideal clients!