Though for the Week
The things you know could fill a book; the things you don’t know could fill the universe
Bernard Lonergan wrote about three levels of knowing:
Knowing what you know
Knowing what you don’t know
Not knowing what you don’t know
*tip of the cap to Adam Grant’s book Think Again for deep diving the first two levels.
For example:
I know how to drive a car
I know I don’t know how to fix a car
It would take less than a month to get to the moon by car
Here’s the tricky part. I didn’t know I didn’t know that third one, until I read about it. Now, technically, it moves into either the second or first category (depending on the complexity of the information).
That’s how knowing works.
What the things we don’t know could fill
Who cares? I get it.
But there are things that can save us an immense amount of time, energy, frustration, and resources, if only we knew about them!
Let me shine a light. Here are 5 costly mistakes you didn’t know you are making
5 Common, Costly Mistakes in Branding
1. Misunderstanding Branding
Branding is the process of intentionally shaping perception. It’s not a logo, design, catchphrase, advertisement, product or personality - it’s all these things and more.
Every touchpoint that leads back to your business is part of your brand because it communicates something about you to the world.
Why it’s costing you money.
People don’t like thinking hard; it’s genetic… When you misunderstand how to craft perception, you easily end up creating confusion. Confusion leads to frustration leads to quitting.
The more consistent and concise your branding, the easier for your audience/client to understand your value, and, ultimately, their benefit.
2. Marketing ≠ Branding
Branding is crafting perception. Marketing is the act of conveying that perception.
Branding is picking out your outfit, dressing just so, taking a picture, adjusting the filter. Marketing is choosing what Social Platform to send it on, at what time, and with what hashtags.
They’re more closely related than the Egyptian Pharaohs (sorry, historical joke…), but they are still distinct and can cause you trouble if misused.
Rule of thumb, don’t send the picture before you put the clothes on… (aka do the branding before the marketing).
Why it’s costing you money.
Imagine spending money on something you don’t know anything about. Now, imagine spending money to get someone else to spend money on something you can’t connect to their ACTUAL needs. 😳
3. Doing it Alone
Self-serving, I know 😳
Can you do it on your own? Yes! (that’s partly why I started this blog and my IG page).
But hiring a professional help can make it easier, faster, and better/deeper (that’s the other reason I started this blog and my IG page.)
Why it’s costing you money.
Trial and error can be a bear. The time, money, and effort that goes into it is enough to cause burnout and excessive frustration (more frustrating than someone putting on a regular blanket in a Snuggie commercial…)
The longer it takes you to perfect, the more money you leave on the table.
4. Chasing Trends
Going viral is a dream for many; but the CDC is pretty sure it’s not a good idea (and so am I). When you chase trends, you compromise the consistency and uniqueness of your brand - essentially, you set yourself up to look just like everyone else who’s involved in the trend.
Why it’s costing you money.
Let’s say you finally went viral using that “Steppin’” trend from SupaDupaHumble. When people show up to your social page or website are they going to find more content like that?
If not, the disconnect will lead to lost sales.
5. Targeting Everyone
I know, there are millions of people who could benefit from your services. But getting your message in front of all of them in a meaningful is pretty near impossible (especially before you’ve established any legitimate brand presence).
The phrase “niches to riches,” while shallow and petty, is spot on. Spend the time getting in front of the people MOST LIKELY to interact, engage, buy from you. Once you’re making big waves there, begin to expand your circle of influence slowly so that you don’t alienate your original audience.
Like this:
mental skills for baseball players
mental skills for athletes
mental performance for athletes
mental performance for high performers
and so on out, slowly widening as you go.
Why it’s costing you money.
Talking to everyone is the same as talking to no one. Spending your time and energy on the large, broad target is keeping you from connecting with those you will actually buy from you.
Narrow your focus, increase your impact (nod to Justin Su’a there).
So Now You Know You Know (Or You Know You Don’t Know…)
As G.I. Joe so wisely reminds us, “knowing is half the battle.” Now that you know, what are you going to do with the information?
You didn’t read this far because you enjoy my subtle wit. You’re trying to build your brand so that you stand out and generate clients.
To do this, it starts with branding.
Branding is simple enough to understand, but putting it into effective action is an art form. Stop spinning your tires, wasting your time, energy, and money trying to do it alone.