Leverage Your Brand To Accelerate Business Growth

Being heard above the noise is a real challenge , but if you harness the power of your brand to build genuine connections with your clients and your community , then you might find yourself with a waitlist of folks who show up week after week after week . So the question is how can you ensure that your studio and you , as a teacher , stand out from the crowd ?

Well , in this episode , I'll be sharing some tips to establishing a recognizable brand . Let's dive in . Well , hi there , I'm Saren Glanfield . I'm a business and marketing strategist just for boutique fitness studio owners like you . If you're ready to be inspired and make a bigger impact , you're in the right place .

All you need are a few key strategies , the right mindset and some support along the way . Join me as I share the real life insights that will help you grow a sustainable and profitable studio . This is the Pilates Business Podcast . Welcome back to the Pilates Business Podcast .

I'm Sarah Ann and I'm thrilled that you're here with me again today and we're talking about one of my favorite topics and that is your brand .

Now , way back when , when I started working with boutique fitness studio owners , we talked a lot about branding in the beginning , and we talk about a lot about branding in the beginning when I still work with my studio owners today , because I think it's very easy to skip over this part .

It takes a lot of deep work and it's often easier to fill our time and our plans and our calendars with tasks and to-do list items that keep us busy , and there is always going to be more and more to do , but when it comes to building a really sustainable , strong business , I want you to be able to have a real connection with the people that you work with

and I want your business to stand the test of time , and that means that you really have to invest in your brand .

Now , when I say brand , I know you probably are skipping to the colors of your logo or the style of your logo , but really , when it comes down to having a really strong brand , it's about so much more than that , and that's really what I want to dive into today , because , when it comes to your brand , it really is a big part of who you are , and it

really is an essential component of what makes those very well-known studios and very well-known teachers stand out . Those teachers who have a full schedule , those classes that are full , the studios that are full , have often most of the time invested in their brand , Sometimes unknowingly , sometimes subconsciously , but more and more .

What we're seeing is that this is a bigger focus for those studios who are doing very , very well and , as a result of that investment of energy and time and clarity , they have a very strong presence and an even more dedicated following of loyal clients .

So it's very easy to get caught up in the logos , the fonts and the colors , which obviously is absolutely critical to get right as well . But there is so much more to it than that . A pretty logo will only get you so far , because your brand is more than that .

Your brand is what people think and feel when they hear your name or see your name pop up in their social media feed , or when they drive by your studio or when they hear someone talk about you .

So I want to share with you today just a few things to get your , perhaps , the branding juices flowing and when it comes to establishing a very recognizable brand . I wanted to share just some of the top tips with you today .

So , first of all , when we think about the reason why I think one of the reasons why branding and the topic of branding keeps us sort of focused on the logos and the colors because those are the easy things when it comes to branding . So when I say to studio owners , have you invested in your brand ?

And they say , yes , I've got my logos , I've got my colors , I'm ready to go , then I know that we've got a little bit more work to do before they are in a really strong position to have an established brand .

And that's because the work that really it takes to establish a strong brand is more about the values that you have or you'd build your business around , and your business and your brand must be authentic to who you are , as a person , as a teacher , who you are and what you want your business to really be .

You want to really think about your brand as the roots of a tree . That is something that is grounding you and grounding your business and in values that you genuinely care about .

So you want to start off by really thinking about your purpose and your mission , what it is that your business is there to help its clients to achieve the problem it is solving and what it is you're promising to deliver to your clients .

In addition to this , you're going to want to think about what is important to you as a teacher , and when we do this deep work , what we find is that you get a lot of clarity around the business and the type of business that you want and what it is you want your business to look like for your clients .

And when you do this work and you know your values , then you're building a business from a place of strength and resilience , and that truly is what happens . When you have a strong business , you have a very strong brand . So , first of all , you want to make sure that you're super clear on your values .

The second thing is , you also want to spend a bit of time thinking about what it is that you do that makes you unique , and I'm going to just give you a little tip here , because it's sort of one of the things that we tend to go to again is that studio owners will tend to go towards the features of what they do as being this what separates them from

competition , but often those features can be replicated by others , and what I'm looking for you to define and to get clear on is what makes you unique . But that cannot be replicated by others .

And sometimes and oftentimes , this is tied to your values and what you care about in your business , and everybody is different , and I'm not looking for you to try to be different necessarily , right , sometimes I think that doesn't actually serve us very well , but I want you to get super clear on what it is that you care about that makes you unique , that you

care about that might be a little bit different to what other folks are offering . So you want to think about that uniqueness , perhaps as different kind of shades of a color , and it's not that you might be radically different from others , but that you might feel a certain way about something or you might think a certain thing about something .

That makes your experience just a little bit different . And that is all it needs to be . It doesn't . You don't have to reinvent the wheel , right , but that it is something that you want to find and to lean into to make sure that you have something that you can lean on to make your to stand out from the crowd , right ? Some ?

Usually , like I said , this is tied to what is important to you , and when you know what is important to you as a teacher , it gets easier to pinpoint what sets you apart . Okay , and it doesn't always have to be what happens inside of your studio . It doesn't have to be about the experience you deliver .

It could be something about who you are and the way that you are teaching or your unique perspective that you have . So you want to make sure that you are letting your clients see more of that in your marketing messaging , which again distinguishes you from the competition and helps make sure that you stand out .

So once you know your values and you know what makes you unique , that's all fantastic , but the work isn't over , because when you have those things that's kind of the roots that I was talking about within your brand , right , and then from there , you want to make sure that that comes through loud and clear in every single piece of marketing that you put out .

And so typically , what I see is that folks tend to skip to this part of their marketing . They step over their values , they step over their purpose , they step over their mission . They jump to this part and they start talking about what they're doing , and this leads to being in a place where often , studio owners are spinning their wheels in marketing mud .

That's what I say . You're spinning your wheels in the marketing mud . You're trying to figure out what's going to work for , what's going to resonate with your clients . You're trying to figure out what's going to make people sit up and take notice . And you're spinning your wheels . You're trying lots of different things .

You're perhaps copying what you're seeing other people do . Perhaps you're getting frustrated because you're not really getting results , and it's often because your marketing messaging is not rooted in something that actually creates connection with others .

So once you know your values , you know your purpose , your mission and you're clear on all of this , then you're in a place to really build a strong strategic marketing messaging and implementing that inside of a plan . So you want to talk about it and when you clear on what it is , you want people to know about you right , which is where you get to .

Once you've done the deep work , then you're in a way more powerful position because then you're not looking for people to necessarily , you're not guided by the likes or the lack of likes .

You're guided by that principles that you truly care about , those values that you care about and you now have something that you believe in very , very strongly , that you are no longer as sort of perhaps bending and swaying to what you think people might want to hear about from you , but you are truly talking about things that you genuinely care about .

And so , getting on social media , sharing your stories , sharing your insights on your emails and in conversations you're having when you introduce people to your business , this is how you truly bring your brand to life . And again , when it's something that you genuinely care about , oh my goodness you guys , it's a whole lot easier . So , what drives you ?

What motivates you ? What are you proud of ? What do you see happen in your clients' lives that is a result of the work that perhaps they do inside of your studio ? What inspires you ? Who inspires you ? Talk about all of this , and when you talk about what you do with passion , what you'll find is that other people get fired up about it too .

When you're enthusiastic about what you do , that enthusiasm is contagious . And again , if you're talking about something that you love and that you care about , you will find that it becomes a lot easier , because if you are trying to be contagious about sorry , enthusiastic about something that you're perhaps not as excited about , you're not super thrilled .

By talking about that , energy will also show through . So this is why it's so incredibly critical that we build a brand from that rooted place of what you genuinely care about and what's important to you . So be thoughtful about this , because and then you can start talking about it . So you want to talk about all the things that you care about .

You will naturally then do that with a passion , with that enthusiasm . That enthusiasm will be contagious and it will build that sense of trust with your client base . Because all of this shows through . We're human beings .

We can read each other very , very well on so many different levels and immediately it will be clear to your audience that this is something that you genuinely care about . So you want to make sure you're talking about it . Now you also want to make sure that you are showing up consistently and regularly talking about it .

So oftentimes , one of the mistakes I see , or many business owners make , is that they will show up and they will talk about their brand , and they'll do this once , maybe twice , and this is really unfortunate , because your brand messaging is perhaps one of the most powerful tools that you have in your marketing toolkit .

Ok , so we don't want to just talk about it once . We want to be very consistently and openly and actively talking about your brand messaging on a very ongoing , frequent basis . It's kind of like you know , if you think of your business like a garden , you will want to take care of it . It needs constant care and attention to be blooming all year round .

And , yes , there are seasons where it is truly flourishing , in those spring and summer months , and perhaps seasons where you have a different kind of care and attention you give to it .

But you do want to think about your branding in this way because you want to continue to feed it , you want to continue to care for it , you want to continue to nourish it and in order for your business to bloom and to grow , you need to be consistently and very proactively talking about your brand messaging .

And so when you work with your clients , like many of you do and so when you work with your clients , like many of you do , you work very closely with your clients and it can be really easy to fall into that sort of gray area where you're already familiar with your clients . You probably see them every single week .

You might almost feel like you know them better than they know themselves , which is an interesting spot to be in , and so sometimes you feel like they probably already know all of these things .

But the reality is that oftentimes they don't , and even if you told them once , they may not have been openly listening or hearing what you have to say , and so it really does pay you back in boatloads to be talking about your brand and your values and your purpose on a very regular and ongoing basis , and what you find when you do this is not only do new

clients sort of fall in love with you a lot quicker , but those clients that you have had on an ongoing basis , who keep coming back , will feel a much stronger connection to your brand . Okay , so be sure that you are not ignoring those clients that already you might think already know you , but that perhaps they could do it a little bit of a reminder as

well . Okay , now you also just want to make sure on this sort of same note before I move on to the final tip , is that we want to make sure that we are not overstepping that gray line of over familiarity Oftentimes .

You want to make sure that let's put it this way you want to make sure that your relationship with your clients remains professional , and one of the ways that you can do this is by really coming into your marketing , messaging and communication from a place of what does my brand want ? Who is my brand ? What does my brand need me to share with my clients ?

Because there is a line no matter how well you get along with your clients , there is an exchange of value taking place . They are paying you for a service . They are a client . So that means that you definitely want to represent your brand in the best possible light at all times .

No matter how well you know your clients and no matter how well you might know them and you feel like you know them , you always want to make sure that you're on time , that you're reliable and you're always professional . Your brand is fragile .

Truly , it only takes one or two maybe even if you get lucky , to less than great experiences for a client to question whether they want you as their teacher . Okay , so be mindful of that .

I know that I have worked with many , many , many different teachers over the years and many of them have become wonderfully , wonderfully great friends , people who I've shared life experiences with , and for many years , through having babies and getting married even , and to this day , we still work together , and when we work together , for that hour , it is a

professional relationship , and I think that is a really important boundary for you to set for yourself and your team , and also for your clients , all right . So , final tip , I want you just to be you . No relationship survives unless it is authentic and real .

And in this world , despite the hype over social media and those perfect pictures and digital everything , we are human beings and we need real connection and a supportive community .

And although a perfect Instagram post of the perfect exercise and the perfect filter you know gets a bazillion likes is awesome , you know , that moment of perhaps joy that brings you is fleeting right .

But what's more important is , and more awesome than all of that actually is , when you do what you do , help the people that you help , you truly make an impact each and every day to the people that you work with , and that truly is at the heart and soul of your brand .

So , please , don't get too wrapped up in chasing those likes and those followers , because what really matters is the work that you do each and every day , when you show up with your clients , the impact that you make on their movement , on their joy , and all of the ripple effects that you and I both know happen as a result of people moving their bodies and

taking care of themselves on a very regular basis , and you facilitate that . So , in all of your work , in all of your brand , in all of your marketing , let your personality , let your brand , let your messaging , let what you do shine through . So there you have it A few tips , five tips actually on how to build a really strong brand .

And now these might not have been tips that you thought I was going to share with you today .

I'm sure you thought that there was going to be some font or some font size that you should have on your website , and those things are all important , but without the things that we talked about today , you'll find that you will continue to spin your wheels in that marketing mud .

So , when it comes to building a recognizable brand , it's really truly about being true to yourself , knowing your unique strengths and consistently showing up for your clients , and if you're able to do that , you have the power to create a brand that not only stands out but also deeply resonates with your clients , and that's what really matters .

So I hope this was helpful to you as you go about building your boutique fitness studio business and if you enjoyed it this episode and all I had to share with you today , please take a quick minute , go to wherever you're listening to this and rate and review this podcast .

It would mean a ton to me and would help to get the podcast out into our communities so that more teachers and studio owners , just like you , can feel encouraged and supported on their journey in our industry . Did you love this episode and want more ?

Head to spring3.com and check out my free resources that will help you run a profitable and fulfilling studio business . And before you go , one last reminder there is no one way to do what you do , only your way . So whatever it is that you want to do , create or offer , you've got this .

Thanks again for joining me today and have a wonderful rest of your day .