How to Understand and Implement Brand Values
Podcast Summary
This a condensed summary of the episode.
Branding is crucial, and I've spent the last few years honing my skills as a designer to help you understand it better. I’ve been creating content for over a decade, whether through blogging, social media, or online graphics, and I’ve learned quite a bit about branding. If you want to dive into the fundamental components that make up a strong brand package, such as fonts, colors, icons, imagery, and mood boards, check out our episode on Branding101: Effective and Easy Branding for Artists.
Today, we’re going to discuss brand values—because beyond aesthetics, branding is about the tone of voice, standards, and quality of your work. In this episode, we assume you’re working on a long-term creative or entrepreneurial project. Before we get started, let’s ground ourselves with a reminder. If you're just starting out, whether you're a bootstrapping Billy or a DIY Daniela, be kind to yourself.
Persistence is a virtue
The best thing you can do is keep trying. Persistence builds momentum, even when you’re just practicing to build confidence. Consistency is key. As someone who creates in the digital age, I know the importance of showing up regularly.
Algorithms prioritize consistent creators, which affects how your content reaches your audience. So, hold onto consistency as a core value in your journey. If you’re a multi-million dollar artist with a team, take these values with a grain of salt. You’re the artistic executive of your vision. A decline in creative quality often comes from removing human elements in the decision-making process.
Defining your brand values can help maintain cohesive, high-quality messaging and aesthetics that benefit everyone involved, not just the face of the brand.
Today, we will cover three main topics: defining audience traits to frame your brand values, abstract values to guide your mission and brand, and the ever-important ROI (Return on Investment). Stick around because understanding ROI is vital for your growth as a creative or entrepreneur.
Define your Audience
First, how to define your audience. Create a simple list of traits. If you're a musician, your fans might enjoy nature, have dogs, or love camping. Break it down further: women in their 20s or 30s who enjoy hot girl walks, are creative, fun-loving, and sometimes type-A.
For my example, I focus on creative, independent women because I see a gap in podcasts made by women for women on creativity.
Tailor this to fit your niche. Next, consider abstract values like trust, kindness, brutal honesty, and encouragement.
These values shape your tone and mission. Human beings have range, so your brand should reflect that. Define what these values mean to you and use them to guide your content and interactions.
Return on Investment
Finally, let’s talk ROI. We want our branding efforts to translate into measurable success. Think of your time as an investment—track your output and stick to a schedule. SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely) help in this process. Create goals that are within your control, like producing consistent content, rather than likes or follows controlled by algorithms.
Reflect on these three prompts to align your values and goals:
1. What do I care about and how do I demonstrate that through my work?
2. Who are my fans? Who do I support and inspire?
3. What’s my offering and how does it impact my audience?
After reflecting, revisit your branding to ensure it aligns with your broader vision. If you enjoyed this episode and want more on branding, follow us on Spotify, give it a like, and share it with a friend. This has been Jules, and I’ll see you next week!
