Show Notes

Welcome back to The Designer Practice Podcast, and I’m your host, Kayla Das.

In today’s episode, I’ll be speaking with Susan Friesen, brand strategist and owner of E-Vision Media, who is going to share how to define your private practice brand’s identity. And she’s going to give us some steps for creating a brand strategy so that you position yourself through your brand and connect with more clients.

Hi Susan, welcome to the show. I’m glad to have you here today.

Susan: Thanks so much for having me on your podcast. It’s such an honour to be here and be able to share with your audience some valuable insights that will help them stand out and attract more clients.

Introduction

Kayla: Amazing. So please introduce yourself, where you’re from, and tell us a little bit about what you do and who you serve.

Susan: Yeah, I’d be happy to. So, I am located in a little tiny town called Hope, B.C. We’re about two hours east of Vancouver. And 20 years ago this year, in fact, I started E-Vision Media as a full-service branding website in digital marketing boutique agency. And we focus primarily on helping female-owned service-based businesses. And of course, we do love our male businesses too, but I do have a soft spot for us, fellow females who often don’t have the support or the guidance that they need and what they really want when forging into the world of entrepreneurship. So that’s kind of why I’m very passionate about what I do. And so, over the years, I started off as a me, myself, and I. One woman band. But over the years I have built up a team of 10 people who all specialize in different areas of online marketing.

So, I am a brand positioning strategist. But we also have programmers and graphic designers and SEO, SEM specialists, copywriters, content marketers, social media marketers, and basically general handholding tech and support that we’re really well known for. So, we really do build lifelong relationships with our clients and we feel like we’re always a part of their team.

Brand Identity

Kayla: Fabulous. So, brand identity. Tell us a little bit about what a brand identity is and also what isn’t this?

Susan: So, brand identity. Yeah. Most people think that a brand identity is a logo and maybe their website. But as we know, it’s so much more than that. But many times, we just kind of forget about all those other elements and they’re really, really critical when it comes to creating a proper brand positioning strategy that will actually get you more clients. So, at the end of the day, brand positioning is how you come across to your ideal clients and what their perception of you and your business is.

So, it says that this big thing that we need to pay attention to. It’s basically everything and anything to do with your business. So yes, from a visual perspective, we’ve got your logo, your website, and all of the marketing materials, everything that visually would represent your brand. But there’s also the communication part of it, the audio and the text and what people hear as far as how you are coming across with your brand.

And then there’s also the tactile part of it. So, this is most important if you’re selling a certain widget or something like that. So that’s how the touch and feel of your brand. And then what I find is most overlooked. But the most important and the most fascinating part about brand identity is the visceral response. And that is that immediate first impression. It’s that sense, that feeling that we get when we encounter any part of what I was just describing as part of a brand.

So, if it’s somebody who sees your logo, what are they feeling? What’s that visceral reaction if somebody comes to your website? What’s that visceral reaction that they’re getting? Because that is what people are paying attention to. They are feeling, is this the right place I’m at or is it not in the right place? And if it isn’t, boom, they’re gone. It doesn’t matter if you are a life altering, you could make all the difference in the world to that person if they haven’t sensed that you are capable of fulfilling their need and delivering what you are promising, then they’re gone and you’ve lost them. It’ll be very, very hard to get them back.

So, at the end of the day, it’s your promise to your clients and how you keep that promise and how you portray that promise to that ideal client base that will convince them that you are the best choice that meets their needs. And that is all based on trust. And there you go. That’s a nutshell of what brand positioning is.

Why to Have a Strong Brand Identity

Kayla: That’s amazing. We’re definitely going to come back to that visceral response because I think that’s super important. But before we do, I’m curious on why it is important for private practitioners to have a strong brand identity? How does that help them in their private practice?

Susan: Well, you know what, it’s actually super important, and it’s based on what I was just mentioning, that brand identity, brand positioning is all based on trust.

Now, somebody in a private practice arena, whether you’re a coach, a therapist, a counsellor, you have to have trust. If you have not been able to build trust before you have a working relationship with that person, they’re not going to hire you. Every business really needs to develop trust. I mean, this is across the board, especially now that we’re in post COVID world. That element of trust has magnified in a much bigger way.

And so, for coaches and therapists and counsellors, if they have not succeeded in being able to emulate that trust to potential clients, then they’re just going to really struggle in getting new leads and new clients out of that. So, by understanding the key elements that come up that are encountered in a brand identity, and the how those key elements resonate with your target audience, that’s what’s going to set your business apart from your competition. So, it’s all about understanding those key elements and how to create them in a way that will build and create trust with your target audience.

And as I said, right at the beginning, it’s all about how are those first impressions being made? So, what are they seeing? How are they seeing it? What do they hear? How, what are they reading? How are you reading? How are you coming across? What’s your voice? How are you presenting yourself? Is it very mature or is it very carefree and happy and things like that? All of that comes up with your brand identity. And then of course, what they read and how they feel and all of that stuff that I was just talking about. At the end of the day, what we want to control with our brand identity and how to elicit that trust is, how are we going to help them feel that trust after experiencing a touchpoint in your brand.

Elements for a Compelling Brand Identity

Kayla: You spoke about the key elements there, so can you share with me what those key elements are and also what goes into creating a compelling brand identity?

Susan: Yeah. And both of them are kind of the same thing. So, the key elements– and honestly, this is what many business owners, and I dare say a lot of coaches and counsellors and therapists, they kind of skip this step. They want to go and make a difference in the world. And doing all that paperwork, doing all that strategy, doing all that figuring out is just not something that they want to take a lot of time on. They just want to get out there and be of service.

But I’m going to share with you a little bit of that brand strategy and this is what those elements are that need to go into that strategy in order to be able to do everything that I was just talking about: about getting that trust and making that favorable first impression.

So, the first one actually is writing down and thinking about your purpose. Why are you doing what you want to do? And I hope that your audience, and I’m sure that your audience would not say, “Well, to make money.” Because if you’re just in this industry to make money, then you’re not in the right industry. You’re not doing what you’re on purpose to do. And so other than making money and being able to pay the bills, why are you doing what you’re doing? What’s your purpose?

And then figure out your values. Because your values is really important as well, how that comes across to your target audience, group of people. It needs to be in alignment because values, as long as they feel like your values are in alignment with their values, then that’s a huge trust indicator that will help them really be able to trust you. And so really get clear on what your values are and make sure that that gets shared so that they know that on your website, in your social media, your marketing materials.

Then another really big part of it is your unique selling proposition. How do you differentiate yourself? Because we know that the world is full of coaches, therapists, and counsellors. And yes, it can be broken down into a niche. There’s lots of talk about being clear on your niche. And then once you’ve figured out that part, how do you separate yourself from other people who are kind of going out to that same market. And I’ll talk a little bit more about that if we have time, because I think that’s a really, it’s a deep subject and again, I think it’s something that people tend to skip over. They’ll say, “Oh, well, nobody else does exactly the way I do it, therefore I don’t have competition.” And that is actually really wrong. That’s not the way to think about it.

But carrying on your brand’s story is also part of that key element. And this is your why. Yes, you’ve got your purpose, but also your deeper why. Why is that your purpose? And really understanding where you’re coming from and the transformation that you want to create, and why do you want to create it? Why you’re so passionate about it.

And then from all of that, you create the visual identity. And this is where we get into the logo and the website in your brand and marketing materials. But it’s so important that part of that is consistent. So having a consistent brand messaging strategy is super important because if you’re using one colour in this area. And on social media it looks completely different and your website is something else, then that inconsistency will also create distrust because they will think you are all over the map and that you are not at all in that space of mind that can help them. So being consistent across the board in your messaging, in your story, in your visual way that you come across is critically important.

And then also, I guess this is all part of the purpose and the why, but really understanding what your gift is to the world. What are you here to give? And it’s not about what are you here to take? So that’s why I started everything off with, if you’re just here to make money, then dig deeper because you’re here to give and make a difference, and really get crystal clarity on what that is.

So ultimately, everything needs to have the intention of building trust and gaining credibility and demonstrating capabilities that will make a transformation in their client’s lives and all of that strategy, all of that thought process needs to get to that ultimate goal of coming up with that blueprint, that foundation that you can use to build your business upon.

Kayla: That’s fabulous. And actually, something that I see is that for therapists, they know what they want to give out in the world because they help clients in their sessions. But I think where things get lost is that marketing side. Is before they even walk in the room. And you know, often therapists say to me, I know how to create connection and empathize and support my clients once they’re with me. But before they even find you or they find you and they land on your website or social media, or just beginning to learn who you are. That is where some of the difficulty comes in.

And really what I’m hearing you say is that really the person you are in your therapy sessions, it’s kind of who you need to show up as–

Susan: in your brand.

Kayla: In your marketing. Yeah.

Susan: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, and you’re very right because especially when we’re talking specifically about coaches and therapists and counselors, you are the face of your brand. So, who you are as a person is also your brand. Because you can’t fake that. You can’t hide parts of you, some e evil part of you or whatever, when you’re working with your clients, this is who you are. And so that needs to translate so that when you’re doing your marketing on your website, social media, newsletters, whatever it is, the people who don’t know you yet, haven’t met you yet, haven’t had that experience with you yet. We want them to get that visceral sense of what their experience with you would be like if they did work with you.

Creating a Visceral Response

Kayla: So, let’s talk a little bit about that visceral response piece. Because I really want to bring it back to that. How would a therapist or coach start identifying or creating that visceral response in their branding, wherever it is.

Susan: Well, it really is a combination of everything that I was just talking about is having that foundation understanding clearly how they need to position themselves in front of the people who don’t know them yet. And then emulating that through the words that are written down, the visual component, the colours that are chosen, how they’re coming across, like even just that tone of voice. It has a wide spectrum of possibilities and opportunities, right? And it all depends on them. What is that experience like when they are talking with their client? Is it very subdued and quiet and gentle and soft, or is it. “Okay, let’s get going. Rah Rah Rah, Cheer, Cheer, Cheer, kind of a voice, right? And that kind of voice needs to go and translate into the written part of how you come across. And that in of itself will give people that visceral response of, “Oh, I really like how this person is coming across.” And then of course, from that pure marketing perspective, we also need to make sure that we are identifying what they’re going through and what’s the outcome? What do they want life to look like after they have worked with you? And you’ve talked about that, the empathy, right? They understand empathy and so that empathy needs to come through as well, right? So that when somebody is reading a website page for instance, they can say, “Oh my gosh. They get me. They understand exactly what I’m going through,” and that really is that visceral response, right? They feel it first before they articulate it.

Steps for Creating a Brand Strategy

Kayla: Yeah, I agree a hundred percent. So, tell me a little bit about how you bring your clients through creating a branding strategy.

Susan: So, what I do is, and I’ve worked with a lot of counsellors, coaches and therapists, so I understand that they have a mission in life. They have a purpose in life. But they have no idea how to come up with this brand strategy. And they have to, unless they’re by some miracle, people are just knocking on their door, which is really a miracle.

So, what I do is I take them through a multi-pronged approach to help them get that clarity that they need to build that solid foundation for their brand identity. And so just to give you an overview. First of all, I help them define their value statement and then their position statement and their brand promise and their mission statement. So, all of these things are formulas that we can walk through and come up with that clarifying statement. And all of those statements can all go onto the website on the About Us page and things like that. So, everything that we do is kind of repurpose throughout all of the marketing materials that are needed.

And, so then what we do is we get into defining who their ideal client is. I mean, we can’t not do that, but it’s interesting that a lot of people will come to me and say, “Well, I work with anybody. I can work with this people, and I can do that, and I can do this, and I can do that.” and I go, “Well, that’s fabulous, but from a marketing perspective, that’s not going to work for you because the brand messaging needs to be very specific to that group of ideal clients so that we do gain that trust, that they understand that you know what they’re going through,” right? So, it isn’t just anybody who is breathing.

Now I’m going to clarify though that that doesn’t mean that just because from a marketing perspective, we have defined this group of people as our ideal client base, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to turn away anybody else. If you can still help somebody else that’s outside of that circle, fine. But we’re not going to try and market towards them. We’re going to market towards the group of people where it is a love fest with them. And that’s what I do when I work with them to figure out who their ideal client is, and we have a strategy, we have a plan of figuring out, “Okay, what is the group of people who give you the most joy to work with?” And it’s a vice versa thing, right? It’s a love fest. They love you; you love them. They pay their bills on time. They tell people about you. They’re your biggest cheerleader. Those are your ideal clients, and sometimes it’s difficult to figure that out. So, we go through a whole checklist of things on how to get clarity on that.

So once that’s done, then we figure out the USP, what differentiates them from the competition. And so, this is an interesting process because I had said before, just because nobody does it the way I do it, doesn’t mean you don’t have competition. And also, competition is not just another counsellor, another therapist, another coach.

Competition really is anybody or anything that that client, potential client would go to, to try and get help. That anything could be looking at YouTube videos. It could be going to their clergy. It could be talking to their best friend. It could be their doctor. The possibilities are huge. So, we have to get into their heads and think about what alternative would they go to if you didn’t exist? And then in the marketing materials, then that’s where you would define, “Okay, this is what differentiates me from them.” So, we have to really be careful about understanding who that USP is.

Once we figured out what their USP is, and by the way, USP means Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Positioning. So, it’s basically at the of the day, how are you unique? How can we set yourself apart from others who can solve the same problem. And that’s kind of what I mean by. How can we set you apart from that other person’s best friend or going to a YouTube video or doing all that kind of stuff? So that’s where we take what that unique selling proposition is and compare it with the possible competition so that we are setting it apart and rising it up and making it a no-brainer that people will choose you over those other options that they have.

So then once we figured that part out, then we go into defining the brand messaging and that voice so that we can build a cohesive and memorable brand that inspires confidence and builds credibility and gains trust in our clients. So that consistent brand voice of messaging can help establish trust with our potential clients. And that’s, at the end of the day, what it’s all about. So we want to think about, How you want to be perceived as and craft the messaging that is clear and concise and resonates with your target audience. And that’s kind of what I do when I walk through with our clients. And then we go into actually fulfilling it, creating, designing the logo, designing the website, creating the marketing materials and all that kind of stuff because we now have a blueprint, a foundation to work upon.

Differentiating Yourself from Others

Kayla: That’s fabulous. And actually, I might be going a little off topic here, but you mentioned about how we differentiate ourselves with others. It’s also outside of just other therapists or other coaches, it could be your friends. It could be books, could be anything. And I think that this is also a really important step if someone even wanted to create, say, a passive income stream. And I know that we’re going a little off topic, but it really helps with the brand too. Because if you want to start creating products or you want to start scaling a private practice, your business may include some of these things as well. And you’ve already positioned yourself because you already know who these people might be and how you would differentiate yourself for those products as well as your one-to-one services.

Susan: Absolutely. It’s all hand in hand, right? If you have your one-on-one services, but anything else that’s branched out from there still needs to resonate and be consistent with the brand because unless you really want to attract a completely different target audience with your passive income stream, then you’re going to want to have that brand consistency in place for any marketing and brand positioning for those extra items that you create. Absolutely.

Free Guide

Kayla: So, you have a free guide as well to help listeners bring these steps a little further. Can you tell us a little bit about your free guide and how it can help listeners with creating a private practice brand identity?

Susan: Yeah, absolutely. I’d be happy to thank you. It’s called Unlocking Customer Trust and Business Growth, and then it’s a seven-step guide to defining a compelling brand identity that appeals to your perfect clients.

And so, in this guide, we’re giving them the opportunity to define their business purpose and values. Identify your target audience and craft your unique selling proposition. Develop the brand story and messaging and know how to define your visual identity and consistently communicate your brand identity.

So, a lot of this guide is a lot of what I was already talking about, but I go into a little bit more detail to give you the foundational points on how to get going on all of that. So, by following those seven steps you’ll be able to create a compelling brand identity that actually appeals to your perfect clients and helps drive business growth.

Kayla: Perfect. So, to sign up for Susan’s free seven step guide to defining a compelling brand identity, please check out kayladas.com/susanfriesenfreebie.

Or you can simply scroll down to the show notes and click on the link.

Conclusion

Susan, thank you so much for being on the show today. It was so great to have you here.

Susan: Oh, it was my pleasure. Thanks so much for having me on.

And just a reminder that building a solid brand identity foundation is a complex subject and we just covered the surface here. But I trust our audience now understands why I’m on a mission to help entrepreneurs who might be struggling because they may have skipped those important steps. And so hopefully we’ve peaked some interest there.

And the good news is that it’s not too late, if they did. It’s never too late to step in and start building that foundation.

Kayla: Amazing. So, thank you everyone for tuning into today’s episode, and I hope you join me again soon on the Designer Practice Podcast.

Until next time, bye for now.

Credits & Disclaimers

Music by ItsWatR from Pixabay

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