3 Critical Decisions To Create Non-Sucky Branding For Your Consulting Business

When I started my first consulting business, my first step was market research.

The goal was to understand how the competition positioned and marketed themselves so we could create something completely different.

Which turned out not to be so hard: every single big firm had the same diverse array of smart-looking faces, with practically identical copy about the brilliance of their people, processes, thought leadership, yada yada yada.

Bor-ing.

Maybe they had a vested interest in looking alike, but I knew the only way for our little start-up to go head-to-head with the big boys was to be completely different.

Our “brochure” was a 1-page outlier manifesto that we lived and breathed in every possible way—we packaged that feeling into literally every aspect of the firm.

Not everyone loved us, but no one ever forgot us.

Think of branding like this: it’s the feeling you give your audience.

If your branding is feeling a little uninspired, perhaps it’s time to make (or revisit) three critical decisions.

Your firm’s positioning. Before you spend a dime on a graphic designer or copywriter, get hyper-clear on how you want to position yourself and your firm—the revolution you want to lead, the people you want to serve, your niche and belief system.

Bonus points for laying it all out in a single document (because it gets much more real when it’s written down).

The right strategic investments. Once you’re clear on positioning, spend some coin on compelling visuals, served up with in-your-voice copy that matches your brand. Make your website easy to navigate.

But that doesn’t mean you have to spend boatloads of cash—simplicity may well be your perfectly elegant solution.

Risks worth taking.  Just because you take your consulting seriously doesn’t mean your marketing collateral has to put your audience to sleep.

Take a risk or two, experimenting as you go. Maybe you skinny down your three targets to one and streamline your site just for them.

Or showcase your rocket scientist-style deep research in market-friendly ways your competitors aren’t.

Bottom line: creating non-sucky branding pays off in revenue and speed.

Because the faster your ideal clients recognize you, the less time you spend selling and the more time you spend delivering your magic.

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