Todayโs consumers are particular about where they spend their hard-earned dollars.
Thanks to our current economy and the pandemic, consumer behavior has shifted, and people value their time and money differently. Clients no longer want to spend hours at the salon or settle when it comes to seeing a stylist.
They want the best value of their time/money, or theyโre not interestedโฆand some clients are leaving their stylists over it.
The best way to show clients that you are the best value is to streamline one thing: your brand message.
Letโs dig into what it means to have a streamlined brand message on Instagram as a stylist or salon owner!
Wait, whatโs a brand message?
Is a brand message a slogan? A tagline? An Instagram handle?
Glad you asked!
According to Hubspot, โbrand messaging is the way your brand communicates its unique value proposition and personality through verbal and nonverbal messaging.โ
This message can inspire and motivate them (a.k.a., make them want to buy your product). Itโs how consumers have a relationship with your brandโฆ And friends, weโre in the relationship industry.
In other words, itโs not what you do. Itโs how you do it.
With a brand message, youโll look more appealing, making clients feel like they get more for their money and time.
Define Your Brand Positioning
Ready to dive into creating your brand message? First, letโs define your brand messaging. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What is your value proposition?
- What do you bring that nobody else does?ย
While answering, remember that the following no longer resonates with todayโs consumers:
- Iโm a great listener
- Iโm trustworthy
- Iโm kind/caring
- Iโm professional
- Iโm talented/experience
- Iโm educated
While these things are important, they can be said about 99% of the professionals in our industry. Instead, consider what makes you unique. Think about your X factors and Zone of Genius (not sure what these are? Check out Thriving Stylist Method!). Hone in on what you do that nobody else does.
Give yourself time to work through these questions. Dig deep, get outside your comfort zone. Thatโs where the good stuff is.
Complete a competitor analysis
Once you uncover your brand positioning, itโs time to figure out what youโre doing that your competitors arenโt.
Again, go deeper here than the surface level. Great head and neck massages are nice, but chances are, thereโs at least one other stylist in your town doing the same.
Review your competition. Look at their websites, their services, their social media. Then look at your own online presence and offerings. Where are the gaps that you could fill?
Develop your unique brand voice
Brand voice is how you deliver your brand message. It is the unique personality that your brand presents to the world. It would ideally attract your dream clients and repel those who do not align with your business.
Your brand voice must be consistent through all communication, including social media, website, blog posts, emails, and ads. No matter who handles which communication channels, that brand voice must not change.
A good way to keep your brand voice consistent, especially when you have other people using your brand voice, is to make a brand voice guide. This can be a simple document or a Google Sheet that lists:
- Things your brand voice says
- Words/phrases it doesnโt
- How you address your audience (โHey,โ โHello,โ โWhatโs upโ)ย
- How you close out communications (for example, the Thrivers Team writes โXOXO, The Thrivers Teamโ)
You can add more or less, depending on how much detail you want included on your brand voice guide. And remember, this is a document that grows with your business, so donโt worry if it isnโt complete yet.
Decide what to include and exclude
Developing your brand message also means defining what parts of your life you want to add.
Letโs use Britt as an example. She is a mom and wife, and has talked about being both on the podcast. But if you look at her Instagram grid, she doesnโt show pictures of her husband or kids often. They’re important to her but, since she doesnโt teach how to make easy school lunches, they’re not a part of her unique value proposition.
Could she show her family to be authentic and vulnerable? Sure, but it has nothing to do with the brand message.
Not showing these things doesnโt mean youโre being inauthentic. It means showing the pieces of your life that are most critical to the consumers youโre trying to attract.
But there is such a thing as overexposure. Donโt be so transparent that youโre almost naked. That level of authenticity also doesnโt support your brand message.
The key is to show who you are but also that youโre the unique value proposition that your dream clients want to see. Ask yourself what do your clients need to see to know your competence and the value you provide.
Your brand infusion plan
Ready to put all the pieces together? Ask yourself these questions to get started:
- How will you use visuals to get this good work across?
- What messaging will you need to share?
- What vibe do you want clients to get when they see you?
- What values do you want to show?
Use all the work youโve done in the previous steps to answer these questions to create your brand infusion plan!
Take your time to think your brand message and all its pieces through. Make sure youโre being consistent, authentic, and YOU.
Need help building your brand message or any other brand elements? Click here to learn more about how Thriving Stylist Method can help!
