Sarah Hart

Yes! I’m ready to launch! Thank you for having me.

Sarah Hart

That’s such a good question.

This brand positioning strategy starts with going deep how do you want people to feel and when you can create that feeling with the images, your font choices, the colors that you choose, you do create that connection with people right off the bat which is crazy because I think you just have two seconds.

Sarah Hart

When people visit your website for the first time, you just have two seconds. A brand positioning strategy you could do is have some sort of emotional connection so people start going to your website and they start saying, “Hmm! Oh my goodness! This person sounds amazing!”

People start jumping on your list and become your return customer who gobbles at every offering that you have. It is crucial that people feel this when they look at your business.

I know it’s such a huge deal to have and it’s hard because it’s definitely an emotional process. It’s not something that you can just, “Oh, I’m going to choose these fonts and colors and then all equals our brand that’s going to attract these people.”

Sarah Hart

It’s a personal process which means you have to go deep into who you are and what I see a lot is that people try to be someone they’re not. Maybe, they try to be someone whom they admire and they see their website. They start trying to create a persona versus who they are online.

When you try to be someone else, those people who are going to truly fall in love with you for your whole personality, they’re going to stop at your website and they’re going to leave in two seconds because you are not showing who you truly are.

Sarah Hart

I see a lot of people who are trying to be someone else, which isn’t an effective brand positioning strategy.

In my case, if you’ve seen my website, I’m super girly. I love florals. I love nature like I started drawing when I was a young kid down the cottage. And so the brand positioning strategy that I do on my website is I put this beautiful nature collage because it reminds me of where my creativity comes from.

If you can create that in your visuals, then people are going to start messaging you and say “Oh my goodness! I went through your website and I’m just in love with you.” That’s kind of a long answer but yeah! It’s a powerful brand positioning strategy.

Sarah Hart

That’s such an interesting question.

Sarah Hart

I would more put that on your graphic designer. That’s just because I’ve noticed being a graphic designer and brand positioning strategy expert over these last 6 years that businesses are changing or becoming less of like these corporate businesses and more of these lifestyle brands, these personality based brands.

I’ve been working 100% with lifestyle brands these past two years, and what I’ve noticed is that the same brand positioning strategy is not going to work like it used to.

I’ve worked for companies and done dentist and corporate websites. That is a 100% different brand positioning strategy than with working with a client and they are their brands and business.

Sarah Hart

For example, I’m sarahhart.ca versus Apple who sells computers. I think your designer should know that and be able to take you on a different process where it’s more of emotional process.

For example, with my clients I always do an hour long session where we dig in and figure what their passions and values are.

Sarah Hart

So when I’m listening and you want to give your designer direction, I would tell them that, “Hey, I’m a lifestyle writer. I’m a personality-based brand,” if you are and say “I want this to represent my whole personality not just my product or service.”

Sarah Hart

Yeah. I get my people to do an exercise where you just visualize your ideal day. I think a lot of us have done this before. We visualize your perfect day and you got to use your intuition here.

Sarah Hart

Maybe you pour yourself a nice cup of tea and get really cozy and then from there, you can start making decisions and certain emotions will pop up for you in that exercise. Those are the emotions that you are going to want to convey because if you’ve ever done an exercise where you imagine your ideal day, the same type of things pop up for you. Those are the emotions or feelings that you want to convey.

For example, on my website I want to have delight because I’m a very positive, bright person so that’s a huge part of my brand was to create this delight

Sarah Hart

My brand positioning strategy is I use yellows and bright colors. My pictures are all with me laughing in the sands. That was a big part of my business branding.

Also having this stemming quality to my work and having florals. There are lots of florals in what I do and that’s a part of my brand positioning strategy.

Sarah Hart

What are your values? How do you want someone to feel when they take their first look at your website? What are you passionate about? That’s what I always see as good questions that would lead to an effective brand positioning strategy.

Every time I have one-to-one with my clients, whenever I ask them what they’re passionate about, that’s when the good stuff starts coming out because then I can hear in their voice when they light up.

Sarah Hart

When they light up, I start scribbling it on those words, “What is she saying when she’s lit up?” That’s what I translate it to her business branding.

I think a good designer is going to get you inspired in a talk together and will be able to visualize because for me, it’s a cool and total process but I can visualize someone’s design. Once they get into it that lit up moment, I can see it because I can see “Okay.” Well, they’re saying, “That has this color palette to it.”

Sarah Hart

I do have a free quiz that people can take on my website. You do the quiz and then you’re put into one of six different personality types and I give you fonts and colors suggestions and all that good stuff to get you started with your brand positioning strategy  and get you thinking about what your business should feel and look like.

Sarah Hart

Oh my goodness, that’s such a good question.

I was thinking about a conversation I had today with someone and we are talking about her website and she mentioned she wanted to change her photos on her website because she was worried she was going to turn off her clients by having these photos on her website that are absolutely beautiful and she was in love with them.

Sarah Hart

I think what the legend does is know when that’s a fear they thought.

When we have a website online and we’re 100% public or 100% out there, it’s scary. It is and it’s hard to put your whole self online and not feel “Oh, I got to hide this part of myself. I don’t want to show this part of myself.” It is hard not to try to edit yourself.

So a true legend knows when you are having fear-based thoughts and know that “Oh, that’s just something that’s going to keep me down. That’s not going to let me light up my legend.”

Sarah Hart

If you are a 100% putting yourself out there like putting all your values online, maybe you have a manifesto with everything you believe in on your website or you have beautiful quotes that stand up for what your values are or you have a website that maybe is little bit controversial.

Maybe they say it’s a little bit controversial but you know in your heart that your dream clients are going to love you for who you are and when you stand up for that and say no to those fear-based thoughts that are telling you to edit yourself and dilute your personality, that’s when you truly become a legend online.

Sarah Hart

I love that, yeah.

Sarah Hart

What I’ve noticed too is when you do let go and you say, “You know what? If I don’t attract these people I don’t care. I’m only going for my dream clients.” Other people are actually going to come. You’re still going to get those people who are not vegetarians because your people love you so much, the people who you do love. They love you so much that they’re going to be telling everybody how awesome you are.

So even those people that you were scared of shooing away, they’re actually going to want you even more because your dream clients are going to love you so much.

Sarah Hart

Oh my goodness. I love that.

Sarah Hart

I love that. I say too like, if it scares you put to online, if it makes you nervous then do it. I think that, that’s a good rule of thumb. If it feels scary to do it, then you should do it.

Sarah Hart

People would say “I can’t believe you posted it.” A little while ago I think I posted that I was a huge fan of Aqua, the 90’s band. I was like “This is embarrassing. I know I shouldn’t post this.” And then I had many people saying “Oh my goodness! I love that! I love that band.”

This just proves that every time if you’re nervous or something about looking stupid or turning people away, people will come back and say, “Oh my goodness! I love that and I love you even more.”

Sarah Hart

I love that you mentioned about the experience because people want to be part of your world. It’s not even about your product anymore.

They want to be a part of your world because your world is a 100% you and so much fun.

Sarah Hart

I hundred percent recommend you swirl it all together.

I just had someone ask me that today. They are asking if they should have a business name for themselves or if they should just be their name. I was like “A hundred percent use your name because your offerings are going to change.”

Sarah Hart

I don’t know about you guys but for me, my offerings have changed 10 times this year. If you’re under your name, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing. You can change. You can evolve like you are a human being. People then are following you and your lifestyle.

Maybe one week, you’re teaching social media and then a year later, you’re teaching workout.

It doesn’t matter if you’re all under one brand. Your branding is not about the product, it’s about you. People are going to follow you and buy from you because of YOU.

Sarah Hart

Bring it all together. When you try to divide yourself up, one, it’s a lot of work for you. You have to have multiple websites and two, it’s a lot of work for somebody.

Again it’s going back to that persona thing. You have this one persona and this one product that’s different and it’s pushing away from yourself.

For some people, that’s fine if you do have a product-based business. That’s totally fine, but like you were saying, there is an evolution going on right now where people want something personalized.

Absolutely, I would suggest for people to bring it all together.

Sarah Hart

Yeah! If you guys are using Pinterest at all, it’s a good exercise I like to do.

Sarah Hart

If you just want to start visualizing what your new website or branding would look like, get into your lit up space where you put on your favorite song, I think we all have a song.

Put on your jam song, make yourself a nice cup of tea or whatever makes you feel good and just go on Pinterest and don’t edit yourself and just start pinning things. Just start making a board and don’t edit. Just completely use your intuition and connect the visuals that are appealing to you while you’re in that stage and you’ll find it’s fun.

Sarah Hart

When you’re done, you have a hundred or so Pinterest pins and you’ll see a pattern. Noticing this pattern will help you find your unique business branding. You’ll be on Pinterest and you’ll say “Oh! I see this colors,” “Oh! I see these images.” That would be my suggestion for people listening is just to get that board ready and inspiring you.

Another brand positioning strategy is whenever you feel that you’re saying “Oh, yeah! I’d loved to do this for my website,” and you’re excited, and then you start editing yourself and like “Oh. Maybe if I did that, then this would happen.”

Sarah Hart

If you ever notice that your excitement goes down then that means that you’re editing yourself and you should stop doing that a hundred percent because when you’re lit up is when you’re going to be creating your best work.