Your 'brand' is more than just a pretty logo.
Your ‘brand’ is the feeling people have when they interact with you. It’s the collective experience of your clients across all touch points - web, social, print, email, and in-person exchanges.
You know quote, “At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” (that was Maya Angelou, by the way)
Well, it's exactly the same with your brand.
Each interaction creates an experience, which in turn creates your brand image.
Here's the truth: You can curate your image all you want, but at the end of the day, client experience is what actually builds your brand.
Creating an amazing, cohesive brand includes providing an experience that teaches people that they can trust you. Showing up consistently builds trust — and in the long game, that's exactly what creates loyal fans.
Part of a great brand experience is translating the experience you provide for clients (i.e. customer service) and what image you're presenting (i.e. your visual identity).
Client experience is the foundation of your brand
Imagine this: you’re looking for an insurance broker. You find a nice-looking website, but it's nearly impossible to get ahold of an agent and when you do, they’re short and impatient.
Despite the image that portrayed online, your experience of the brand is not great. Will you be back? No. Will you tell your friends about your negative experience and maybe even write a review? Probably.
Your experience has determined how you perceive that brand.
Over time, experiences like this build up and start to affect a brand's public image.
Flashy visuals won’t hide a poor customer experience. It will only create dissonance and mistrust.
The truth is, most service providers and small businesses have the opposite problem. Their visuals devalue their incredible services.
You work hard to do a great job for your clients. Make sure your brand image shows that.
Amazing services can be devalued by unprofessional visuals that look cheap, dated, or unprofessional. You know this is happening when:
people don't want to pay your prices
building trust takes a ton of time and effort
you do lots of quotes but few bookings
OR you're overrun with small, low-priced, time-consuming projects
If new leads are few and far between, it could be that your brand visuals don’t reflect the same level of quality & professionalism that customers actually experience.
You need to make sure your amazing client experience is reflected in a professional brand image.
How to create a great customer experience
Know your values: What do you want to be known for? What do you want to bring to every client interaction? What value do you bring, beyond simply a product or direct service?
Define goals for your client experience: How do you want them to feel when they interact with you? How can this be reflected in your brand visuals?
Map out your audience journey: Make sure that your experience goals are being met at every step along the way
Invest in a strategic brand identity: Working with a professional designer to create a purposeful brand identity can elevate your brand, raise the perceived value of your services, and speed up the trust building process. Plus, it's a great confidence boost for your brand to look as incredible as the work you do for clients!
Keep providing amazing service!
As business owners, founders, and leaders, you do your best to provide amazing services for your clients – it’s time to bring that into the rest of your brand.
If you need help figuring out how to integrate client experience with your website or visuals, give me a shout. I’m always happy to give away as much free advice as I can!
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