Falling in (and out of) Love with your Business

photo: Mark Shaw

FALLIN’ IN (AND OUT OF) LOVE WITH YOUR BUSINESS? 

Let’s play True or False to find out…

1: Just the thought of marketing yourself and your business makes you throw up in your mouth a little bit: TRUE or FALSE?

2: You dream of a specific team of collaborators but don’t quite know how to connect with them: TRUE or FALSE?

3: When you look at your digital galleries, it’s a bit all over the place and even you aren’t sure what you’re selling: TRUE or FALSE?

4: You used to want to buy your clients a drink…now want to throw one in their face: TRUE or FALSE?

5: There’s a disconnect between how you envision your brand and how others see it: TRUE or FALSE? 

If you answered “True”
  to any of those questions, it’s time to
work through a few things.

Don’t sweat it; we all go through some emotional downs in our business (sometimes that leads to a side-hustle affair). Lucky for you, Editor’s Edge is a great relationship therapist. So just lay back (on our imaginary leather couch), read up and start fallin’ back in love with your brand.

WARD OFF NAUSEA: Authentic content is like ginger ale to ward off marketing queasiness. Create content that really connects with your ideal client and you’ll never have to bust out the barf bag again. 

PLAY THE FIELD (PROFESSIONALLY): Is there a special someone arranging flowers you have an Insta-crush on; or do you keep pinning images by the same art director? Reach out! Gush over how awesome they are (everyone loves a compliment) and propose a collaboration. It could be a match made in industry-heaven.

GET A (DIGITAL) FACELIFT: What you show is what you get. Sit down with Dr. 90210 to curate your perfect aesthetic. Giving your work a nip/tuck will make sure you’re keeping up with the (young) competition. 

EMBRACE EVOLVING RELATIONSHIPS: Your business isn’t as young as it used to be, you’ve outgrown a few things...like those clients who want everything to stay the same – including your rates! They say people come into your life for a reason, and you’re grateful for the support from your long-time clients, but you’ve got to keep moving forward. Be clear in communicating who your brand is and the type of work you're (currently) accepting; we bet they'll start taking you out for drinks. 

SEE YOURSELF MORE CLEARLY: Mirror, mirror on the wall…we all know how that tale ends. There’s no magic apple for this one, only honest feedback will wake you up and get you on the right path. Soon enough everyone will be seeing eye to eye with your brand clearly. 

It’s about falling back in love with your work. From embracing a new (leaner) look to finding your tribe, being true to your brand will take a sad song and make it better. Soon enough you'll be singing it from the rooftops!

Still wondering, “where is the love?”

We’ll help guide your search, 
just take a seat on our comfy couch.

Should I Stay...

photo: Josh Olins

SHOULD I STAY
OR SHOULD I GO (FOR IT) NOW?

Out with the old, in with the new.

That’s so 2017. Last year had its ups and downs but now it’s time to go full speed ahead into 2018! Did you take a time out in December to reflect on your successes (and learn from your f*ck ups)? Then let’s rock ‘n’ roll because you’re about to kick this year in the a**.

What’s our game plan? 

Kicking out the old, embracing the new and
stepping into 2018 with some swagger!

Let us help get
your brand in formation…

CLARITY

KICK IT:  First things first, let’s get the ball rolling! It can feel overwhelming to find a starting point but don’t let that paralyze you.

EMBRACE IT: Let the questions guide you. If you’re wondering whether your work is attracting the right clients or your Instagram needs a facelift ask the opinions of those you trust.

STEP IN: Did you find some clarity? Now it’s time to really refine it to drive change this year. Our 1C Consult can get you to that aha moment with some real talk constructive criticism that’ll empower you to get into action (like, now).

STYLE

KICK IT:  Vision boards are cute but ditch them for a more intentional Brand Mood Board this year. Honestly, pasting a picture of Kit Harrington on your wall isn’t getting you any closer to that Game of Bones anyway. 

EMBRACE IT:  Start with what gives you and your ideal clients the feels and go from there. Research for color palettes that you like, inspirational images (Pinterest is a rabbit hole of redundancy so look for eye candy outside of your field) and photos from your real work that remind you why you’re a rockstar. 

STEP IN:  Are you seeing a common thread come together? Ding-ding, your brand is getting it’s groove on, visually. Our Brand Style Services take it a step further by curating your brand’s Signature images, identifying inspirational images that craft a visual representation of your ideal client and tying those together with a complementary color palette and typeface guide. No more mix and match style branding!

VOICE

KICK IT: Quit the small talk. It’s time to figure out what you’re really trying to say instead of skirting the issue. No more Mr. Ambiguous Guy (or Gal).

EMBRACE IT: There’s no time to waste, you’ve got to talk the talk to walk the walk with your ideal client. We’re not saying you have to be an a-hole but there’s no use in trying to please everyone. Besides, you’ll be much happier when you can speak freely.

STEP IN: Cut through the chitchat and strike up a real conversation with your target client. Our Brand Voice Guide helps you use your words and find your message in a way that your perfect client understands. Bonus, for those who hate bragging about themselves, we can write up a bio that would make your frenemies jealous.

 

CONTENT

KICK IT: If you’re still slinging the same old marketing materials from Y2K, do the planet a favor and recycle them…now. With the way clients are absorbing informationand making purchasing decisions these days, it’s time to upgrade.

EMBRACE IT: “Curated Content” – it’s the buzzword that isn’t going anywhere. From tailored brochures to streamlined proposal templates, the branded content you put together is what’s going to power your business. 

STEP IN: Your marketing materials need to be pulling double duty – communicating your brand visually and delivering important information (i.e. how much you need to get paid) quickly to your client. With our Custom Marketing Materials we brainstorm together to figure out how to break down your services into easily digestible concepts, turn them into branded assets (think digital brochures, pricing pamphlets and client onboarding documents) and deliver them with a ribbon on top (ribbon by request only). No more long-winded, over-stuffed BS – just your brand message, clear, simple and easy to book.

ACTION

KICK IT: New Year, new you. We know; we’ve been there. But seriously, it’s time to kick the procrastinating once and for all. 

EMBRACE IT: Bust out the pen and paper because the tried and true solution for this one is goal setting. You have to take the time to establish priorities and how to game plan where you should be going. 

STEP IN: Truth be told, going at it alone as solo entrepreneur makes this particularly challenging but not impossible. Cue Creative Coaching! Bi-monthly consult calls help keep you on track (ahem, accountable) to those creative goals so you can work ON your brand and not just IN it. 

We’ve heard that parting is such sweet sorrow but there are some things worth saying goodbye to.

If you’re ready to kick it,
Editor’s Edge can get you
steppin’ in to the New Year!