Welcome to the Elevated edit podcast. I'm your host, Blaklee Ramsey, and the goal of this podcast is to discuss all things personal development, wellness, and the art of editing your life in an elevated way. From mastering morning routines to mastering your mindset. We're going to sift through the noise and empower you to take elevated action. Make sure you catch the show notes for all the details. Enjoy the show. Welcome to the elevated edit podcast. I'm your host, Blakely Ramsey. And today we're talking about something that you could say is a bit of a passion of mine, and that is branding. Specifically, we are going to discuss how to create a magnetic brand that not only stands out, but also truly resonates with your audience. And I want to emphasize here that the definition of an audience is going to look different for everyone. Whether your audience has five people or 300,000 people, these same branding tips are going to apply. Whether you're an entrepreneur looking to expand or a stay at home mom looking to make some extra money online, creating a magnetic brand can help you achieve your goals. My goal for today is for you to finish this episode no longer feeling overwhelmed by the noise of social media or wondering how you're going to connect authentically with your followers. I want to give you clarity around your branding goals so that you can stop overthinking and start taking action. First things first, let's talk about authenticity. In today's digital landscape, authenticity is everything. Your audience is craving realness. They don't want filters and they don't want pretense. People still want to be inspired and motivated, but even the most inspired people and businesses go through tough times and your audience wants to see some of that. I'm not saying put all of your troubles and worries online, but if things don't go perfectly, laugh about it and show that human side, and it will resonate so much. This can be really scary for a lot of us, but I try to look at it as an opportunity. A few years ago, you could keep an audience engaged simply by being consistent. If you were scheduling posts, you were likely at the top, major props if you were also creative. But as far as authenticity, that was kind of far and few between, and it wasn't a huge marker of success. Today, the landscape is completely different. Being consistent is honestly the bare minimum. And this is a result of an increase in video and curated for you pages. TikTok has completely changed the game. So I went into the behind the scenes of Psychology of TikTok in episode four and I'll probably say this again in future episodes. But TikTok is one of those platforms that has completely changed the way that all social media platforms are ran. We are being spoon fed lots of addictive content and authenticity is going to be one of the few things that helps you stand out in the crowd. I personally think everybody is kind of getting worn out of like the curated this and that and people are leaning towards genuine content. Like when I scroll through my for you page, the people that are showing up and being themselves, weird, funky, imperfect, whatever it is, they are the people that are resonating and like, yeah, they might not resonate with me, but they have found their audience and I think that is so powerful. You've probably noticed that the most successful brands are the ones that are relatable and genuine. They share their stories, they share their struggles, they share their wins. Over the years, their marketing has probably changed. They've probably added platforms, taken platforms off, they followed trends, they've tried different things, but their branding is likely strong and consistent. When you show up as your authentic self, you build trust with your audience. They don't just see you as a brand, they see you as a person. And that is invaluable. Now, once again, I want to iterate that this might not always look like gaining thousands of followers. Personally, my follower count is pretty low across my platforms relative to others. However, I am fortunate to have a highly engaged audience. My DM's stay full, my email stays full, and I have a lot of really engaging and authentic and authentic conversations on social media. And for me and my business, that has been the most important thing thus far. Now that's not to say that there won't be a season coming up where that shifts. I've got some things in the works that I might want to create a large brand. But for me right now, having those core, that core audience that is like highly engaged really trusts me. And we aren't just commenting and liking on each other's stuff. We're pulling off of like the social media that is public. We're having messages in the DM's, they're getting my number and texting me, they are emailing me. We see each other in person and we're continuing conversations that we had online. And like I said, for me right now in this season, that has been so important and that has been what I'm been focusing on. And later on, if I do want to pivot, I can because I have created such a strong brand, I've created a strong foundation. So how can you tap into your authenticity. Start by reflecting on your journey. What motivated you to pursue your passion in the first place? What challenges have you overcome? This is your unique story and it's what makes you relatable to your audience. And I want to highlight here that your story does not need to be dramatic or sound like a lifetime movie. And don't put yourself in a box and think, well, nobody will want to listen to my story because it sounds like everyone else's. We all have a story and what makes it unique is that you are inherently unique. No two people have had the same life experiences and so you are going to have a unique story to tell. You just need to tell it. Next up, let's talk about your unique value proposition. This is what sets you apart from the competition and you need to articulate what makes you different and why your audience should choose you, why they should follow you, why they should trust you. Here's a little exercise. You can either pause the podcast now or if you're driving, you can just put this on your action list when you get parked and do it later. But I want you to write down three qualities that make you unique. They can be anything from personal experiences to skills that you have. Remember that what makes you special doesn't have to be exotic. It doesn't have to be extraordinary. Sometimes the simplest things resonate the most. For example, I have always prided myself on my insane work ethic, my creativity and my doses of sarcasm. People don't always like it, but you know, it is what makes me unique. These are the qualities that I bring to my brand and they resonate with my audience. For me personally, when I am working on my unique value proposition, that is what is truly going to make me stand out. And so when I'm working on my marketing, I funnel everything through that. Am I showing that I have a good work ethic? Am I showing that I'm creative? Am I being a little funny? I'd be a little sarcastic because I want people to resonate with me. I was in a branding class when I first, I don't even think I was in real estate yet. I think this was when I had my online boutique and in the class, it was when I had my boutique because it was a boutique branding class. Now I remember she said, if someone walks in your store and they have a conversation with you, are they going to be shocked because you're so much different in person than you are online? Or are they going to be like, wow, she really is the same person that she is online. And I think so many of us get in our heads because social media is something that you can go back and look at. It's something that people can send to others and make fun of, and so we overthink it. But we want to be the same person that people walk into our stores and see if they meet us in person. We're the same person. And so, yeah, that might not look perfect and everyone might not agree with that, but how amazing would would it be if your brand was truly who you really were? It makes all your marketing so much easier. There might be people in your space that are going to have the exact same mindset and perspective, but don't focus on that. What you need to focus on is being yourself and highlighting your true self. And that, I promise you, is going to make you stand out. Now let's discuss something that often gets overlooked. But I've been focusing on this lately and I think it's really important. And that is understanding your audience, or as they are often referred to in the branding and marketing world, your cohorts. Not everyone in your audience will resonate with every piece of content you create. And that is perfectly fine. But this is where identifying specific cohorts within your audience comes into play. Think of cohorts as smaller groups within your broader audience who share similar interests or challenges. By defining these cohorts, you can tailor your messaging and content to speak directly to their needs. So once again, I want you to take a moment and I want you to analyze your current audience. What common traits do they share? What challenges do they face? When you start crafting messages that feel personal and targeted, I promise you will see engagement soar. And I want to stress here that we don't need to worry about, oh well, if I create this kind of messaging, I'm going to lose this audience. If I create this kind of thing, then I'm going to lose this audience. I think so many people get bogged down with wanting to make everyone happy, that they create content for everyone. But there is a saying in the marketing world that if you create content for everyone, you're creating content for no one. So please keep that in mind. It is so pivotal sometimes to really niche down and really focus on your audience. Focus on your specific cohorts, focus on your specific sub audiences, whatever you want to refer to it as. Really focus on their messaging and what you think they want to hear. Because remember, that's what you're putting this content out for. You're putting content out that they want to hear. And look, this is another thing that I had to overcome because when I first started in these channels, I was like, okay, they tell you, oh, well, you need to have one person that you think of and you create all your content for that one person. But what I've discovered is that it's perfectly okay to have several cohorts at this point. I probably have about 15 to 20, and that might sound overwhelming and I don't want you to start with that many, but all of the content that I put out is going to have different messaging for my different cohorts and you're probably not going to be able to tell on your end. But on my end, it's like really fine tuned. And there might be like three people in that cohort that that message reaches, but if it reaches those three people, they're going to be like, wow, that message really resonates with me. And that is how you like. I promise you the trust and the connection that you're going to build with that audience when you're putting out messaging that speaks directly to them, it's going to be huge for you. So I'm going to get nerdy for a second with branding and marketing. Right now. One of my cohorts is 25 to 35 year old women who are entrepreneurs and also on their self development journey who are looking to create magnetic brands. So that is genuinely one of my cohorts. It is in my got a cohort file and that is I copied and pasted and put it into the script. From that perspective, if I'm creating an ad or creating a video or working on a graphic or whatever it is, I can filter what I'm working on through that cohort so I can go, okay, what are 25 to 35 year old women listening to right now? What are they watching? Is there anything that I can pull in? Is there anything like a song or a movie or a tv show that I can pull into my messaging and resonate with them a little bit more? Do you see how it kind of like, opens things up when you really niche down and you find that teeny tiny cohort? And at first it's going to be hard because you're going to go, well, I have a lot of people, I have a lot of guys that are following me, that's fine. Not every piece of content has to resonate with all of your audience. As long as you are being authentic and you are speaking directly to one of your cohorts, I promise you it's going to pay off. Niching down can be really hard, but it is so important and so critical, because if not, you're just talking out into the void, trying to make everyone happy. I also want you to think about when you're looking at your cohorts and you're planning your content around that, think about what kind of mindset are they in, what kind of, of growth are they going through, what does their life look like at that time. And I want you to really niche down and reach that specific audience that you are looking for. It's going to be so important. Okay, next we're going to pivot to something that people do enjoy talking about. I think like everything we've talked to prior kind of stresses people out a little bit. But people get really excited when it's time to talk about your visual identity. So this is going to include your logo, your color palette and your font. A strong visual identity is crucial for brand recognition. But, and this is a big but, here's the thing, it is easy to get caught up in choosing the perfect colors, the perfect fonts. My advice, keep it simple. I want you to choose a cohesive color palette and stick with it later on, if you want to add in some fun elements, you can. But I think when we try to do too much in the beginning, we either don't do anything well. That's usually what happens, is people want to create the perfect brand on day one. And I mean, you might have to start off with a logo that is time to new roman. Keep it simple, keep it clean. And then later on, when you feel really comfortable with your branding, with your marketing, then you can shift stuff up, then you can make it fun. You do not have to have it all figured out from the start. Your visual identity will evolve as your brand grows. So lean into that. Just start with what feels right to you and allow it to develop naturally over time. The most important thing, this is the most important thing in almost everything, but especially when it comes to branding and marketing, is that you get started. I feel like so many people get to this point where they get to the visual identity and they overthink it because they want it to be perfect and they have a thousand different logos and they can't decide and all the things. And then I, they get so in their head that they don't ever put the thing out there, just put it out. It might not look great, it might not be perfect, but just put it out there and then you can adjust as you go. And here's a little tip. I want you to give yourself a deadline. I want you to say okay, I am going to spend 5 hours working on my visual identity or I'm going to spend two weeks working on my visual identity. I want you to truly think, how much time is it actually going to take you? And I want you to put it in your calendar. I want you to set a timer. If you're like me, I will give myself a goal. Like for the elevated edit, this is perfect example. The logo was what took me the longest. I spent probably three weeks going back and forth with a logo. I was like, do I like this one? Do I like that one? What about this? And then finally I was like, girlfriend, we, it does not matter what your logo is until you actually put something out there. So I went into canva and I like, went to the top five fonts and I picked one and I made a logo. And yes, I will want to change it eventually, but I put it out there. And remember that whatever task you're doing is going to expand to the time that you give it. So if you give yourself 3 hours, it'll take you 3 hours. And if you give yourself three weeks, it'll take yourself three weeks. So you set your own timeline. But remember that I just said that. Remember that your brand is meant to evolve as you go. Everything is not permanent. It is not set in stone. So please don't let yourself get bogged down in this portion. Now, let's talk about content. Creating engaging, purpose driven content is key to attracting your audience. Every piece of content should align with your brand values and speak to your audience's needs. This goes back to your cohorts. This is why it's so important to have cohorts, so that you know exactly who you're talking to and you know what your audience needs. I think so many people start here in this step and they feel lost and so unclear. But if you have worked on your branding before you get to this portion, it's going to be so much easier because you're going to know exactly who you're talking to, you're going to know exactly who you are, and you're going to know exactly what you want your messaging to be, and it's going to make the marketing portion so much easier on you. You're going to have clarity and you're not going to be floating around like a lost duck trying to figure out what you need to post. You post four things in two days and then you don't post again for six weeks because you over thought it. If you take time and you focus on the branding, the marketing and the content creation, it becomes so much easier. And another thing that I want to emphasize because this is something that I get bogged down into, don't shy away from repetition. It takes multiple exposures for your audience to truly register your message. So if you feel like you're being obnoxious and you're repeating yourself over and over again, that's probably a good sign. That means you're making an impression. I have worked with brands before and I've told them the same thing. You're going to get tired of your message eventually. And that's a good thing because that means that you're being so repetitive that at some point people are going to be like, oh, when they think of whatever it is, if they think of a house cleaner, if they think of a company that fills up propane tanks, sorry, I can see my propane tank out of the corner of my eye thinking of examples off the top of my head. But if you are so consistent with your branding, people are likely going to overlook it. Overlook it, overlook it, overlook it. But subliminally it's going to pop in the back of their head and then eventually they're going to go, oh, Blakely is a great microphone fixer. And then one day one of their friends is going to need a microphone fix and they're going to go, oh, you know what? You should call Blakely. So don't stress out about repeating your message over and over again. Most people aren't seeing it. And like I said, it takes a while for people to really catch on to your brand. I read a book one time, I can't remember what it was called, but I think they said it takes roughly seven times for someone to even register your brand. Seven times. And if you think about it, most people aren't seeing all of your content that you put out. So in order for somebody to see seven of your posts, you have to be posting really frequently about the same thing. So don't, don't get stuck in the, oh, well, I just posted about that last week. Okay, post about it ten more times this week. It's perfectly fine. You are going to feel sick talking about the same thing over and over again. But other people aren't going to feel that way because remember too, they're being hit with so many different messages that you're really going to have to stand out from the crowd. And repetition is going to be one of the ways that you can do that. So I want you to brainstorm at least five content ideas that reflect your brand and will engage your audience. Think about what makes your audience tick and what challenges you can help them overcome. And this is a major tip I have for you that has tremendously helped me come at your content from a good space. Make sure that you're not trying to create content when you're stressed and overwhelmed because your messaging is going to come off as stressed and overwhelmed. And then guess what? You're going to attract people that are stressed and overwhelmed and they're likely not going to be your ideal audience. If you create content from a energized, happy, confident, calm place, that is the energy that you're going to attract and that's the kind of audience you're going to get. And I mean, your vibe attracts your tribe and it is. I mean, that's literally what this whole episode is about, is attracting the ideal clients, ideal customers, ideal audience that you truly want. Next up, we're going to talk about engagement. So engagement is more than just likes and shares. It is about truly building a community. I want you to ask questions, respond to comments and create opportunities for genuine dialogue. Your audience wants to feel connected, so show up for them. And this applies across platforms. So if you're commenting on something from your personal or business page, this applies to any, every little thing that you put into the digital space. Everything that you do online is a vote for your brand. So please keep that in mind. I see so many content creators, influencers, business owners. Yes. I don't think that we need to be muted. I think that we need to stand up for what we believe in. And I think that we need to be genuine and true. But I don't think that that means putting other people down. And I'll be perfectly honest, when I see a business owner putting others down on social media, that immediately makes me never want to have anything to do with that business. And I know if I feel that way, other people feel that way as well. So keep that in mind. That everything you put in the online space, it doesn't have to be on your business page. It doesn't have to be on your business Instagram. If you are in a group and you are commenting something that's really ugly and really heinous, that's going to come back on your brand. So just remember, everything you put in the online space is going to be a vote for your brand. Think back to what you have been commenting on things. What have you been saying to others not including your business page? On your personal page is your digital footprint. Does it make you look good? Does it make your brand look good. If you had ten customers show up that acted the way that you've been acting on social media, would you like those customers? And I don't say this to be ugly, we've all been there. There's definitely been times where I have not shown up as my best self on social media and it reflected on my brand and you have to deal with the consequences. And so just be really mindful. I think that the digital space and social media has so much power and we have so much opportunity to do so much good. So let's choose to do good with it instead of spreading hate and fear mongering and all of the dark things that we could get down. But we're not going to get down that in this episode or this podcast because that is not what this podcast is about. And I got off on a tangent and got lost. Let's see, blah, blah, blah, giggling, random stuff. Oh, basically I was just going to say when I share things, specifically Instagram stories, so I'll talk about Instagram stories for a second because that's where I get the majority of my eyeballs on my business. That's where I get the most views, that's where I get the most engagement is my Instagram stories. So I really focus on that. It's a little bit of business, a little bit of personal. I share a lot of funny, I think it's funny. I share a lot of funny things. And when I check my Instagram, I have dozens of DM's because I'm being my genuine self. I share videos about cats. I love music. So I'm sharing a lot of music videos. I'm sharing a lot of inspirational stuff. I am sharing a lot of business things, especially right now. I'm sharing a lot of stuff about the podcast. I like to, I also like to build up others on my Instagram stories. If my friend starts a business, if my friend does whatever I'm going to share. So I'm constantly, I want to show people who I truly am. And no, I'm not putting my whole life out there, but I do think it's so important to kind of like show your silly side. You don't have to be so serious all the time. Um, there was a time where I was very serious with my social media and I got very serious, stagnant business and I don't want that anymore. I want the business that I have now. And I'm getting the business that I have now because I'm showing up silly and goofy and authentic and it's working for me and I'm loving it. Okay, friends, let's wrap this up because I can feel my train of thought starting to trickle away. Creating a magnetic brand takes a lot of work, but it is absolutely worth it. If you're ready to dive deeper into branding, I invite you to check out my upcoming course, your magnetic brand. It is designed to give you all the tools and insights you need to stand out in a crowded online space. And this course is not going to be like a course you've ever taken before. I personally am not good at taking long courses that have a ton of worksheets and it's just drawn on and on and on forever and ever, ever. And you get stressed out and you end up never finishing. You get maybe two or three things out of it and you're like, why did I spend that money? And why did I waste that time? This course is very concise. It's very entertaining. At least I think it's entertaining and it's super laid back. It's very chill, but it is also jam packed with information. I probably should have charged more for it than I did, but this is my first course and y'all know I'm all about putting out high quality, high content stuff. And because this is my first time doing this, I want to just kind of test it and see what I need to work on, get feedback, see how people resonate with it. And I'm really excited for it. So a link for the course is going to be posted on all of the elevated edits social media platforms on October 16. I will also have a link in these show notes as well as the next couple of episode show notes for you to purchase the course. And if you use the code elevate, you will get 20% off. So that is a podcast exclusive deal. Once again, code elevate for 20% off. And if you want to get on the email list, you can go to the show notes and join the email list that way. Or you can go to any of the social media platforms and click the link in the bio and you can join the email list that way. In the email list is going to get the course a little bit earlier. The email list is also going to get an even bigger discount and the email list is going to get a little something something extra. So you're really going to want to be on my email list. You can even dm me your email address and I'll add you to the email list. I am so excited about this course. It is something that I have been working on mentally for years. If you know me, I have read books, I have taken courses, I've gone to seminars. I have spent a lot of money when it comes to learning about branding and marketing. And branding is kind of like my baby and I am so excited to bring this course to life. I'm so excited to bring it to y'all. I've been working on it actively for months and it has truly been a labor of love. It was way harder than I thought it was going to be, but it is so, so, so good. It is packed with so much value. It is not going to take you that long to do. You're not going to have tons of workbooks. It's a couple of worksheets. And I promise that you're going to walk away with more ideas that you can put down on paper and it's just going to give you so much clarity around your branding. And I really hope that all of you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed making it. Thank you for joining me today. If you have found this episode valuable, please subscribe, share with your friends and leave a review. It would help my podcast and my brand grow so much if y'all would take the time to do that. So I really, truly appreciate every review, every share, every comment. I'm even getting text about the podcast and when I get DM's and text about the podcast, I can screenshot that and of course take your name out and use it for my marketing. So I really appreciate all of the support that I've been given. It is crazy that this is only the 10th episode and it has already been such a great journey. I can't wait to see where we're at 100 episodes down the road. So with that, I will see y'all in the next episode. Thank you for tuning in to the elevated edit podcast. I hope you found today's episode inspiring and full of actionable tips. Don't forget to check out the show notes for all the resources and links mentioned. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with your friends. Follow us on social media for more updates and inspiration. Until next time, keep growing, glowing and elevating your life. See you soon.