As a copywriter for entrepreneurs, I’ve worked with many amazing business owners who are absolutely killing it in their industries. But as I help them create things like blog posts and newsletters and sales pages, I’ve noticed a trend:

Many of them don’t have a clear, cohesive identity that serves as the foundation for their brand. I’m talking about a brand identity.

What the Heck is Brand Identity?

In a nutshell, your brand identity is all the elements of your brand that define your business and formulate the basis of everything you communicate to your audience.

In an ideal world, these elements come together to form a cohesive foundation for all your marketing. But in reality, that doesn’t always happen—at least not from the start. While some people do invest in creating a brand identity before starting their businesses, not everyone does. Plenty of new business owners simply print a few business cards and then hit the ground running.

And that strategy may work for a while. In the long run, though, the businesses that thrive are the ones that have built up a strong brand identity that communicates their values, while consistently delivering on their promises.

Uncovering the heart of your brand

As I’ve recognized this prevalent need for something more fundamental, I’ve created a copywriting package for my clients who want to uncover their brand’s true identity. It’s a service I hope to see more and more creative entrepreneurs and business owners choose. Why? Because it allows us to get to the heart of what they do. That foundational copy can then be used in numerous capacities to benefit their businesses.

Here are the 7 keys to creating brand identity copy:

1. Company tagline. This is about capturing the essence of your brand, in as few words as possible. It doesn’t need to necessarily describe everything you do, but it needs to speak to your audience and convey your company’s purpose.
2. Mission and values. Every business, no matter how small, no matter the industry, has a mission. It’s your WHY. It’s the driving force behind your organization. It might not even be obvious to you as the business owner what that mission is—or you might know it, but not be totally confident in articulating it. That’s okay! When we start peeling back the layers, we’ll get to the heart. 
3. Unique selling proposition. This is just marketing jargon for “what makes you different.” Again, if you haven’t worked on creating your brand identity before, you might not know right away what this is. As your copywriter, I’ll work with you to determine what aspects of your business truly set you apart in your industry. 
4. Company and/or personal bio. One of the laments I often hear from my clients is, “I have such a hard time writing about myself!” I get it. You can be so close to something that it actually hinders your ability to articulate it well. Often what you really need is an outsider’s perspective on your business, in order to really hone in on the most important pieces. Having a bio that is part of your cohesive brand identity is crucial for running your marketing efforts efficiently. Whether you’re being featured on a podcast, you’re submitting a guest blog post, or a publication is running an article on your business, there’s a good chance you’ll be asked to provide a bio. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel each time if your bio is part of your brand identity.
5. Company history. Everyone loves a good story. We love to hear about Steve Jobs starting Apple in his garage, and J.K. Rowling writing the first Harry Potter novel on a typewriter as a single mom. Likewise, I love chatting with business owners about how they came up with the idea for their company, and the way they hustled to make it all come together. I include company history in your brand identity because I think it’s important to remember where we started and why, and because we connect best with our audiences when we’re authentic and open about our story.
6. Brand voice and tone. This is the fun part! How do you want your brand to sound to your audience? How do you want to make them feel? What are some of the words and phrases you catch yourself saying all the time? By fleshing this out, we create a voice for your brand that speaks to your audience and truly sounds like you.
7. Audience analysis. If you want to really be effective in your marketing, you need to know who your audience is. Hint: it’s not everybody! Everybody can’t be your customer. As we go over the various aspects of your brand, we’ll work through who your ideal client is. Then we’ll create an audience analysis that helps you determine how to best speak to those specific people.

Having a solid brand identity is crucial to effectively communicating and connecting with your audience. Ready to get to work on your company’s brand identity copy? Get in touch with me here!