A couple of weeks ago, we began a brand new podcast series called “Beyond Your Brand.” We’re exploring how to create a purposeful, connection-driven brand — and how to use your brand successfully in the future to create brand awareness and to grow a successful small business. 

In Episode 060, we shared, that according to Forbes, “Consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 23 percent.” So, the consistency with which you use your brand — from your web design to your social media to your marketing and beyond — can make a meaningful difference for your revenue.

In Episode 061, we shared how your brand can create an experience for your audience; your brand can showcase the value of your products or services and can help you form meaningful connections with your visitors.

So, today, we want to explore versatility — how your brand can be designed in a way that doesn’t limit your business, but instead, can be designed as a foundation from which your business can grow and change. So, whether your business currently has a few unique facets — unique offerings — or you simply want to ensure your business has room to grow and change in the years to come, today’s episode is for you!

Beyond Your Brand: Building in Versatility

When we’re speaking with prospective clients about pursuing brand and web design, one of the biggest questions and concerns our prospective clients share is: “How can I commit to a new brand or web design when I don’t yet know how I want to present my offerings?” Or “How can I commit to a new brand or web design if my offerings will eventually grow, change, or evolve?” 

First, I want to share: As brand and web designers, one of our favorite parts of the design process is using the details you share about your business and creating a beautiful, user-friendly, and purpose-driven way to present your offerings. It’s our job as brand and web designers — and truly our biggest honor — to visually present your business and its offerings in a way beneficial to your audience and to your business. 

In the end, we believe the key to creating a long-lasting brand and web design is leaving room for versatility — creating a strong visual foundation through your brand and web design, but doing so in a way that allows for your business to freely grow, change, and evolve without fear of your brand needing to be revisited every year. 

3 ways to better ensure versatility is built into your brand:

1. Consider the name of your business. At With Grace and Gold, we are by no means business naming experts. However, we have seen first-hand how the name of your small business can impact the way you perceive your business’s ability to grow or change in the future. We have seen how, when business owners use their own name as their business name, their personality, values, and expertise can be at the core of their business and brand. With your name as your business name, you can freely explore unique offerings and diversify your business. On the other hand, if your offerings — photography, design, events — are included within your business name, you might not feel the same level of flexibility. This isn’t to say you can’t diversify — but perhaps a more general name or your name would allow for a different type of flexibility. In the end, naming your business is a big decision, and naming experts can provide their expertise and guidance in doing so.
2. Focus on the experience and value you bring to your clients and customers. Think about a business you love and admire — a business offering different types of services or different types of products. Maybe the business offers photography and photographer education. Maybe the business offers coaching and a podcast. When the value of the business’s products and services are at the core of their brand, it’s likely you’ll connect with and resonate with their offerings as they diversify in the future. I think about Magnolia and how much I not only love the Hearth and Hand Collection at Target, but also how much I loved visiting The Silos in Waco, Texas.  How much I not only love Fixer Upper, but also how much I love watching the Magnolia Network as a whole. This shows, when a brand has clear values and a clear mission, their audience can connect with their current and future offerings — no matter how they diversify in the future. So, how can you focus on your client or customer experience and the values you bring to your business? How can you lay the foundation for a strong brand, by sharing the heart of your business?
3. Determine both your short-term and long-term goals. Your brand design should serve your business not only in the short-term but also in the long-term. Determine where you’d like your business to go — what you see as the big picture for your small business. When you build your business with your goals in mind, you can ensure the steps you’re taking today are bringing you closer to the business you’d like to be. A lot of overwhelm can happen if you try to offer everything you’d eventually like to offer today. Instead, begin with core offerings, build systems, allow your business to grow and sustain, and then add new facets of your business. (We explore a step-by-step approach in Episode 011: Your Passive Income Action Plan.) 

Since 2014, With Grace and Gold has provided brand and web design for creative small business owners. Hire With Grace and Gold or shop With Grace and Gold’s pre-made designs and Showit website templates – and come away with an elevated brand and web design for your small business!

About Brand It, Build It Podcast, Hosted by Kelly Zugay

Hosted by Kelly Zugay, co-founder of With Grace and Gold, The Brand It, Build It Podcast is a leading small business marketing podcast for small business owners, creatives, founders and entrepreneurs. Enjoy weekly, actionable episodes to build a successful, sustainable small business from the inside out.