Branding… Not Necessarily a DIY Project

Earlier this month, we here at TwoFold Marketing began the process of updating our website. It was waaay past time! This process required a new layout, new blogs, new bios, new photography…ok, basically all new content. We also needed to increase our social media presence by adding a couple new platforms, which meant more content, more photography, and some video production. It’s important at this point to remind readers that none of this is anything new for the crew at TwoFold Marketing…we do these things all… the… time for our clients. The only piece of this puzzle that was new, was the fact that what we were doing was all about us. Our stories, our achievements, our brand.

We have become really good at helping our clients tell their brand stories. We research, we study, we discuss, and we question. We target and we test. And then we do it some more. This is the process that helps us provide nothing but cutting-edge service to our customers.
Part of that service includes honest discussion with our clients on what needs to be done to stay current with their digital footprint, their advertising, and their social status. Once determined, we then take those tasks off the plate of our client, because they have their business to run with all the ins and outs of what keeps their doors open.

So, back to our website and photoshoot….because we do it so often for others, we went against our own advice, and decided we could tackle our own project….on our own. And let me tell you…it was hard! It’s hard to speak about what makes your business so great, and what makes your business better than your competitors. People don’t usually talk about themselves that way, and it’s a bit uncomfortable.

For our photography, we worked with a photographer that we know very well, and has seen us in action with clients. After our staff photoshoot, she approached me, and inquired if I was feeling ok. My first reaction was, “Oh my gosh, do I look that bad?” But then she went on to say, “with your client photoshoots, you have so much to say, and you are usually giving me a ton of direction! You’re so quiet today.”

And at that moment, it hit me, marketing is not something that should be handled as a DIY project.

While it’s true the photography was only a portion of our overall project…it was that piece that showed me the light! We have spent years helping clients through the exact same process. The reason we were able to do it so successfully was because we were on the outside looking in. We could talk/share/write about the amazing customer service, or how their location was better than the competition, or whatever…..because we could see if from a different perspective.

So, the next time you are needing a little update on your business marketing, look to the outside. Grab a marketing professional that you trust, share the thoughts you have about your brand and your business strategy, and let them talk through what they see. More than likely, they’ll share things you never even considered. It’s all in the perspective.