Answering YOUR Questions: Help! My Branding Lacks Consistency!

A question from the lovely Jamison Daniels:

"I'm working on locking in on my brand and finding my online voice! Any suggestions? #ifeellikeilackconsistency Your thoughts?"

Awesome, Jamison! We're gonna dive deep here, so wear your swimmies! 

Friends, I did a Branding 101 article, but it was more about how to create your branded zinger line (those of you familiar with Sam Christensen have PLENTY of these to choose from, and all are wonderfully compelling!) than about first getting your overall marketing feel.

So locking in your brand is exactly how you explained it, Jamison--it's creating a unified voice that echoes across your online presence, your headshot, your work, and your hard-copy ships. Like the biggest brands out there, there's no question WHO is speaking when you read a tweet/blog/see a clip/etc. And it's just darn hard for us to do that, as spirits, as souls, as human animals; as people with a zillion different moods at any given time. And--to add to this!--as actors who INSIST, "BUT I AM AN ACTOR AND CAN PLAY ANYTHING!" So we keep trying to pull back and be malleable, but what we REALLY do is muddy up others' perception of our brand and send them packing.

As I'm sure it will not surprise you, Dallas Travers has an incredible tool for this. :D One that FLIPPED my idea of marketing into a totally understandable, fun territory! In her article she calls it her Target Audience; she's also referred to it as her Marketing Magnet. It is most favorite tool I've ever learned from her, and it's totally illuminating. Let's go through it!

1. You don't have to market to everyone. Just. One. Person. You want as authentic and unfiltered a version of YOU as you can possibly offer. To keep this pure, you must imagine you're marketing to a single, perfect person; your very biggest fan in the world. Who would love you most? Someone you know? A fictional character? A celebrity? Your mom? Whoever it is--whoever resonates with you SO MUCH that they can't not be your biggest fan--they're your 'marketing magnet.'

2. Spoiler Alert: This might be VERY frustrating. I've seen a LOT of actors have difficulty with this exercise; sometimes it nearly stagnates them! Or for some it's clear immediately, the way it was for me. Either way, accept and welcome however you deal with it--you will come through with clarity!

3. Got that Magnet? COOL. (Yeah, it's okay if there's a huge time lapse here.) Now it's time to figure out HOW to market to your magnet!

4. Flesh out your Magnet's daily life. Consider every possible thing about this person. Likes, dislikes, favorites; the way their home looks, the car they drive, the magazines they read and the music they listen to; the foods they eat. Write it all down and get really specific. The way that we know Bart Simpson reads MAD magazine and how we might assume Julia Roberts listens to Norah Jones. The way we imagine Johnny Depp's bedroom looks. The way you imagine Tom Hanks' office looks. Your mom's new recipes she can't wait to try out! Yeah, get it ALL out.

5. Use these clues to tap you into HOW to market to your magnet. So, if someone's magnet was Donald Trump, what would draw him? I'll guess rich colors (dark reds, navys, hunter greens), heavy card stocks, gold leaf, anything financially-based (a one-sheet based on Money magazine? Or Fortune?); designs that felt aristocratic and Ivy League. Right? Wouldn't he LOVE to open something like that? Or if Julia Roberts were to look at your website, wouldn't she ADORE all those warm, feminine autumnal colors and that sort of whimsical-but-practical-woman font that you've chosen? ;) And for both examples, you'd also use verbiage that would appeal to each. Use these clues to figure out how to best design both your ships AND your online presence. 

6. Get creative! MAKE some ships; design your website; make a Twitter background! ALL using colors, themes, fonts, blurbs and verbiage that resonates with your magnet. Share articles and videos on FB or Twitter that your magnet would love! Get postcards of places your magnet would like to go; buy stickers that your magnet would love. EVERYTHING you create is to please them, got me?

7. Stay consistent! (Are you surprised?) As the theme here seems to be, consistency is king. :D  STICK TO IT! We all know and respect a brand that stays consistent and strong, even if it's not 'for us.' I don't drink Mountain Dew, but I can sure as hell describe everything about it and point out people who DO love it. That's the power of their marketing. Be consistent with your message! 

And the biggest part here is the spoiler. So you'd better not read it until you've done 1-7.

Okay?

8. Notice anything strange about your magnet? Yeah, me too. I don't think I need to tell you that your magnet is pretty much you, in a super-marketable nutshell. It's hard to look at ourselves objectively and see what a pure brand we are; it's much easier to do that through the mental re-routing of your magnet. And as you get more and more comfortable marketing under the safety umbrella of your magnet, you'll realize that it's a beautiful, unfiltered and totally authentic sharing of YOU. Exactly like your marketing should be. ;)

How'd you like them apples, Jamison? How about y'all, readers? Comments, questions, successes, difficulties? Share with me--I'd love to celebrate you or help you out! Here, FB or Twitter! :D

Oh, and BT-dubbs? My magnet is the Muppets. As I'm sure you won't be surprised. ;)

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen