3 Things Brand Founders can do to Improve Brand Awareness and Boost Visibility

The Brand Whisperer’s Ultimate Guide to Boosting your Brand’s Exposure as its Founder

The role of a brand founder is not easy, as we’re sure you know. The personal story behind a brand, and the various reasons it came to be, are often the most memorable and engaging tools in its’ arsenal. However, in amongst the mounds of paperwork, and admin of running a business, it can be easy to forget those reasons, and share your story with others. Doing this can be amazing for your brands’ visibility and awareness, but can also help make connections, form partnerships to customers, as well as increasing sales, which ultimately is your biggest and most important goal as a founder. At The Brand Whisperer, we find ourselves guiding brand founders on this topic all the time; what to share, what not to share, and how to share it, so we thought we would put together a list of our top three tips on how to discuss your founding story and boost brand awareness to relevant and engaged audiences.

Tip 1: Refine your Brand Ethos, Values and Story

Every brand has a purpose and a reason for being, but sometimes it can be difficult to distill this onto paper, and into words that do your brand justice. If you don’t know your own story, then no one else is going to! We recommend, if you are at the very beginning of your business journey, that you keep a journal, something to reflect on in the months to come, with exactly what is motivating you to begin this venture. When defining your brands’ values, try to think of three keywords or phrases that define who YOU are, and what matters to you. For example, at The Brand Whisperer, we pride ourselves on “shining a light on sustainable businesses” and are “specialists in the field of Beauty and Lifestyle PR”. For businesses that are already firmly established, having a few key statements and a well written USP also help with this. You should be able to describe your business to anyone who enquires in a few short sentences, and if you can’t, then it may be that you need to fine-tune exactly what your purpose is. By having your story and values well defined, it helps you, and people coming into contact with your brand, to remember the story, which is highly important when looking to gain exposure.

Tip 2: Speak at Events

Speaking at events is something that we encourage our clients to do regularly, as it’s an extremely valuable opportunity to share your story and boost your brands’ visibility. It is difficult to find a more engaged audience than one that has paid to attend a specialised event, so this is a time to make an impactful impression and make lots of great contacts. Our superstar client WIZZ&CO, founded by Fashion and Beauty Retail Trend Expert Wizz Selvey, has been making the most of events post lockdown, and has found this to be invaluable for her reputation and WIZZ&CO’s brand awareness. In the past month alone, The Brand Whisperer has helped organise three speaking opportunities for Wizz, which have included Clean Beauty London and The White Label Expo.

“Speaking at events in the recent months has really improved my business’s visibility as it has turned followers and those who connect with me online into real-life contacts. It has allowed me to learn more about my audience, and their needs and has built longer-lasting connections that have resulted in more clients for WIZZ&CO.”

Tip 3: Attend Networking Events and Relevant Industry Talks

You don’t just have to speak at events, attending them is also really important. Local networking events, or specialised industry focused events can be fantastic for your brand, and great for gathering feedback. For example, if you are a sustainable skincare brand, attending retail trend talks, vegan beauty events, publication-run consumer beauty events, fashion weeks etc. is all relevant to your brand. Meeting other founders, journalists, influencers and likeminded people will help to boost your reputation and gain valuable insights into what is trending and getting people talking. We recommend taking business cards and product samples (if applicable) to these events, as you never know who you might meet!

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If you would like to discuss how to develop and define your brands values, improve your brands visibility as its founder, and learn more about how PR can help to boost brand awareness, then get in touch.

To learn more about our services, or to get an insight into our clients, head over to our Instagram page or get in touch via Siena@thebrandwhisperer.co.uk

We believe in shining a light on achievements. There’s one right here! Written by our lovely Account Executive, Natasha Cassidy.

The KKW Beauty Rebrand is making Headlines, but what is a rebrand?

What is rebranding and should you consider it for your company?

Image: Pexels

Rebranding is a word that gets thrown around in every sector, especially in fast-paced industries such as Beauty and Cosmetics. However, most of us don’t fully understand what a rebrand actually is, why they happen, and if they are beneficial. In recent weeks, the Beauty magnate Kim Kardashian has decided to rebrand her Cosmetics empire KKW Beauty, and this news alone has vastly boosted visibility for her brand. With almost every lifestyle publication in the world having an opinion on what to expect, is a rebrand always a great idea to boost brand awareness? Or would it be a waste of time for your brand? 

So what is ‘rebranding’?

Image: Pexels

Rebranding is, in short, the process of changing the corporate image of an organisation. The idea behind rebranding is to elevate an existing brand's status by creating a new identity, which can be a tricky process; think of it as a balancing act of maintaining your company values, while updating parts of your business that are either outdated, untrustworthy, visually unappealing or ineffective. 

Rebranding is not just a visual change, it also draws focus towards reputation and public image. A new symbol or name may show the world that you are ready for a new chapter, but if your reputation is not maintained, it may all be for nothing.

When and why should you rebrand?

Image: Pexels

Rebranding often occurs for one of two reasons: when a brand sees an opportunity to grow (proactive rebranding) or when a company can no longer operate and must be changed (reactive rebranding). If you are reading this article, then you are most likely thinking about proactively rebranding. Assuming you want to proactively rebrand, let's talk plainly and simply about when a proactive rebrand is suitable:

If your brand is outdated - Sometimes what worked for a brand 20 years ago is not enough to keep it relevant in a modern day market. For example, hanging packaging to be more sustainable or creating a new sleeker and modern logo can make all the difference in sales and engagement.

To meet the wants and demands of a new, or larger, customer group - Brands grow, and sometimes the image doesn’t suit it's new demographic any longer. This is normally the reason for a rebrand, as your audience will tell you if something doesn’t work (this is one of many reasons why brand owners should keep conversation flowing with customers).

If you want to focus on another element of your business -  Your brand may offer three different services, and you want to introduce a new service that you are more passionate about. In this case a rebrand that shifts the focus is needed to help grow your new service and put it at the forefront of your business. 

You, as the owner or CEO, feel unhappy with the brand - Often business owners become unhappy or find that their brand growth has ground to a halt. A rebrand is the perfect way to inject a new lease of life into your company, or change elements that you have grown tired/bored of. But be careful, don’t just rebrand because you ‘feel bored’, leave this for when you feel growth is slowing down and you need to breathe new life into your brand. 

So, is a KKW Beauty-style relaunch and rebrand right for you? Well, think about the key fundamentals before making any rash decisions that could have long-lasting effects on the integrity and reputation of your business. Our advice: get the timing right and implement a solid plan. Remember that a rebrand is just as much about reputation as it is a visual change, and this is where a PR firm makes a huge difference! Where possible, enjoy every moment of your rebrand, and get direct feedback from your customer base - as we are sure it's not something you will want to do often! 

For more advice on rebranding and PR together, please contact hello@thebrandwhisperer.co.uk 

Written by The Brand Whisperer’s Account Executive: Natasha Cassidy 🎉 

How to PR Sustainable Brands, by The Brand Whisperer team

A Guide to Promoting Ethical Beauty Brands

Creating a PR strategy surrounding sustainability at a time where industries are becoming increasingly digitalised can be challenging, especially as certain buzz words such as “Organic” and “Eco-friendly” are flung around online like they are going out of fashion. As much as we love all brands that love the environment, we are going to teach you why brands can no longer call themselves ‘Sustainable’ without backing it up with concrete facts, awards and proof that they really do keep Sustainability at the heart of their brand. 

The first question you may be asking us is why should PR agencies care about Sustainability? Well, not only is it a moral and ethical decision, but Sustainability is one of the key pillars for most magazines and businesses. In fact, magazines such as Marie Claire, ELLE, Country & TownHouse and Conde Nast Traveller, along with many more, now have sections dedicated to this. It’s not just journalists we have to please, as a PR agency, it is also the consumers - especially if your PR agency also deals with marketing content and strategies. In a recent survey, 76% of UK adults agreed that they try to act and consume in a way that is not harmful to the environment [Mintel]. This is a huge percentage of potential customers for the brands that you manage, and is also an important statistic for us to keep in mind when having conversations with new clients.

Below we have broken down some useful things to consider when creating a successful PR strategy for sustainable brands, and raising your environmental status. 

Verify The Brand 

You may have a brand that is ‘Vegan’, ‘Cruelty-Free’ and ‘Zero-Waste’, but if it’s not officially certified by an industry body, then consumers may not trust these claims. By certifying a brand, you instantly build trust. 

Here are some of the bodies we recommend being verified by:

Fairtrade

The Fairtrade Mark is a registered certification label for products sourced from producers in developing countries. The mark is used on products certified by Fairtrade standards and on promotional materials promoting the product(s). 

Leaping Bunny

The Leaping Bunny Certification is awarded when companies pledge to end animal testing at all stages of product development, in addition to recommitting to the program annually and being open to third party audits.

Vegan

The Vegan Trademark is used on labels worldwide as the authentic standard for products free from animal ingredients and animal testing. 

Positive Luxury/The Butterfly Mark

The Butterfly Mark is a third-party accreditation mark that identifies the luxury brands that meet the highest standards of verified innovation and environmental performance, offering transparency at points of sale and equipping consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions. 

Accredited by PETA

Companies listed as accredited by PETA have either signed PETA’s statement of assurance or provided a statement verifying that they do not conduct or commission any animal tests on ingredients, formulations, or finished products and that they pledge not to do so in the future.

Packaging 

Having ethical/recyclable packaging is a great way to promote a brand, as journalists and consumers respond amazingly to advancements in this area; which can be seen in the surge of plastic-free packaging. A brand that is a great example of this is Object, a sustainable Shampoo and Body Bar company. Journalists and influencers love working with this brand as it was built on sustainability, and this is visibly reflected in their packaging. Object’s packaging is made from a blend of recycled cotton (removing waste and carbon from the fast fashion industry) and bamboo, to give the box that cardboard-like feel, and fits straight through your letterbox, making sustainable shopping from home even easier. This makes the brand stand out from the competition and shows that they have really thought about all elements of design.

Charity Collaborations

Of course, working with a charity should come from a place of sincerity, not just as a way to build relationships and status. Finding a charity that is of personal significance to the brand is also a great way to raise money and awareness for a particular cause. This could be achieved through events, product profit percentage donations, donations at the checkout or even through collaborations with the charity itself. A selfless way to give back to whichever community your brand identifies with. 

Collaborate With Influencers And Other Brands, Fully Committed to Sustainability 

B2B and influencer collaborations can be a large part of growing a brand's following but it can be viewed negatively if you get it wrong. For example, a fast fashion brand collaborating with a sustainable influencer does not make sense, nor will the influencers followers be interested (they may even protest the collaboration). Instead, view each brand's key points and goals for growth and use these to understand the types of opportunities that you should be looking for. After all, there is a thing as bad press … no matter what you might think. 

Teach/Show The Journalist Something New About Sustainability 

Statistics, new information, expert testimonials and the latest product drops are music to a journalists ears. They want to learn something new, because if it is new to them then the likelihood is that it will be new to lots of their readers. Use your brands as an opportunity to share something new, it will always be an essential part of your success. 

DO NOT GREENWASH 

*We repeat* DO NOT GREENWASH. Greenwashing occurs when a brand exaggerates or misleads the public and other businesses that their brand is more ethically viable than it actually is. This is the quickest way for sales and reputation to plummet. Instead, be honest! If a brand is not as ethical as they could be, that is okay. Encourage the brand to work on this and show their efforts as part of new campaigns and launches. Transparency is key. 

To learn more about our skincare recommendations, or to get an insight into our clients, head over to our Instagram page.

We believe in shining a light on achievements. There’s one right here! Written by The Brand Whisperer’s fantastic PR intern: Natasha Cassidy 🎉