The power of FOCUS when it comes to branding

The Power of Focus: Why Your Brand Needs One Clear Message

As entrepreneurs, we often fall into an exciting but dangerous trap – wanting to do it all. "I want to create all the things! I want to work with everyone!" Sound familiar? While this enthusiasm is admirable, let me share why this approach might be holding your brand back.

The Modern Marketing Challenge

We live in a world that's:

• Overwhelmingly cluttered
• Constantly demanding attention
• Full of competing messages
• Increasingly ADD/ADHD
• Chaotic with information overload

The "Website Girl" Story: A Personal Lesson

Let me share a personal experience. Despite offering comprehensive brand strategy and creative services, someone once referred to me as their "website girl." While I appreciate being known for quality website work, it was just one small piece of what I actually did. But here's the crucial insight: out of 30 different services I offered, that's what stuck in their mind because it was tangible and simple to remember.

The Common Entrepreneurial Pitfall

Why do we fall into this trap?

• We have multiple talents
• We want to serve everyone
• We say "yes" to various client requests
• We're excited about numerous possibilities
• We fear missing opportunities

The One Thing Exercise: Finding Your Focus

Here's a powerful exercise to help you clarify your brand message:

1. Draw an upside-down triangle
2. At the top (wide part), list:
   1. Everything you want to be known for
   2. All the services you want to offer
   3. Every type of person you want to help
3. Start filtering down to ONE core message

Note: You can still offer other services, but your primary message should be focused

The PR Secret: The Broken Record Technique

In the PR world, success comes from:

• Choosing one clear message
• Repeating it consistently
• Saying it again... and again... and again
• Maintaining this message until people can repeat it without you in the room

Key Questions to Ask Yourself

When developing your focused brand message, consider:

• What's the ONE thing you want to be known for?
• What do you want people to say when you're not in the room?
• How do you want people to describe you and your business?

The Bottom Line

While you don't have to abandon all your services or target audiences, your brand positioning and messaging should focus on one clear, memorable message. This focus allows people to understand, remember, and share what you do with others.

Your Next Steps

1. Complete the upside-down triangle exercise
2. Choose your core message
3. Start implementing the broken record technique
4. Monitor how people describe your business
5. Adjust and refine as needed

Remember: The essence of effective brand strategy isn't about limiting what you can do – it's about being memorable for what you do best.