When we started Business Building Women we made a big mistake. Luckily, it didn't take long for us to realize the issue and correct it but I realized that many of the businesses we were talking to were making the same mistake. We hid behind our logo.
Picking a logo was one of the first big decisions we made and we put a lot of time and effort into it. We spent days deciding on a color scheme, fonts and general feel. Hannah is a free spirit who loves things to be outside the box and a little wild. I am a very much "by the books" girl and love things to look sleek and orderly. We put a lot of effort into combining our two styles and coming up with something that represented our mission.
Once the logo was chosen we plastered it everywhere! It became our profile pictures and cover photos. It was all over our website and articles. We were so excited to finally have a way for people to easily identify us. We forgot one crucial part of this, the "identifying US" part. Anyone looking at our Facebook, Instagram or website would have absolutely no clue who Hannah and Kandi were or even what we looked like. We were nothing but a logo and people don't connect with a logo.
In today's day and age of social media, people want connections! They don't want to follow a faceless corporation or business they want to follow people! There's a reason these giant companies have spokespeople. Logos are wonderful and we still proudly use ours but there is limited ability to connect with a logo.
Do people know who you are? If they came across a picture of you would they immediately recognize you as the owner of the company the love or would they have no clue who you are? If the chances are high that they wouldn't recognize you, it's time to make some changes!
Update your social media profile photos.
Use professional photos of your self in either your profile picture or cover photos. This doesn't mean you need to throw your logo. You can incorporate it into your photos. This is the header of our newsletter and we love that it uses both our logo and photos of us.
Show people the "behind the scenes" regularly.
Instagram stories is a fantastic way to connect with your network. Show people what it's like to run your business. If you make baby clothes, take a video of you sewing. If you provide graphic design, show photos of you working on projects. Snap a quick photo of you shipping out hundreds of packages or the assembly line you use to put the boxes together. The nice thing about the stories feature is that its a bit more relaxed. It doesn't have to be a professional photo shoot, it can be a little more real and raw.
Go Live on on Facebook or Instagram.
This one is scary, I know. However, it also the most solid way to form a connection with your customer base. Talk with them regularly! Share what you are working on, words of encouragement or something you are learning. They want to know you! They would much rather purchase a product from Kandi, the woman who also struggles with perfectionism and gives them practical tips on how to run their business every Tuesday than a pink and black logo.
Remember to stay professional.
Giving your customers behind the scenes access is amazing! Letting them see who you are, how you spend your time and what your beautiful family looks like is incredible! But don't forget that the purpose behind all this is to run a business. Your business platforms are not the place for your opinions on hot button topics and conversations that are polarizing (unless your business actually revolves around those topics). Form real connections but always remember that everything you say and post will be a reflection on your business and could easily cost you customers.
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