While I’ve done my fair share of relaunches in my online brand building journey, this has by far been my most successful one.

You voted this week on Twitter for this topic, and you KNOW I’m excited to dish on everything I’ve learned, complete with successes and a few fails.

I’ve narrowed it down to my 6 biggest lessons in relaunching my business.

Give yourself some wiggle room in your timeline

I will be honest by saying this relaunch took longer than any other rebrand I’ve done. Part of this was because I worked with other pros for the first time on creating different design elements (more on this below), but really it’s because I wanted to do everything right this time around. That meant spending more time on the strategy and execution behind-the-scenes.

Instead of deciding on a specific launch date early on, I decided in late December to shoot for early February so I could be flexible as things started to come together. When you work with other people, you also have to work around their schedules so it’s best to reach out early so you can set a deadline that will work for everyone.

There were days when it became SO hard not to just launch my new copywriting email course early or share something that was unfinished, but I kept reminding myself that really good things take time. Remember that whole tortoise and the hare story? It comes in handy when you’re relaunching.

Function > Pretty

While I do love comments I’ve received from my community members who say they love the way the new website looks, I’m even more excited about the positive comments about how it functions.

I was very intentional about how I set up my navigation as well as the wireframes of each web page before writing copy and starting the web design. It’s nice to hear it shines through.

Yes, I want to learn how to organize my website navigation too!

I have a whole lesson dedicated to organizing your website navigation and optimizing it for high SEO-value in my new Copy CPR email course if you want to learn more below. Your visitors will thank you!

Be strategic about your behind-the-scenes looks

But why give sneak peeks in the first place?

It’s a great way to create consistent and high-quality content, give your audience an inside look into how your brand is being built, and generate more interest in your relaunch date. Who wouldn’t love the sound of that?

Building buzz around a launch is one of my favorite things to do for my clients and my business. Although you may feel like you want to share every detail all at once, it’s best to tease specific items one-by-one over time.

It’s up to you what you want to share with your audience.

For me, I was happy to share some of my new brand photos ahead of time and my moodboard, but I wanted to keep my new logo as a day-of launch surprise. There’s no right or wrong way to do it.

Here are a few ways that I shared inside peeks into how my brand relaunch was coming together that you can create for your own:

• surveyed my video workshop participants for their feedback on on-demand brand class topics a month before
• gave an inside look into the studio space I shot my brand photos on the day of the photoshoot
• changed my headshot on all of my social media accounts for one of my new brand photos two weeks before
• shared a sneak peek of my copywriting services page on an Instagram story the week before
• shared my new brand voice style quiz the day before

Invest in some pro help (no, really)

There comes a time when you can’t DIY every part of your brand anymore. Since I first started building my personal brand in 2013, I’ve been DIYing everything from logos to my website design to even my headshots.

While I’m thankful with how far my DIY spirit has taken me, when I decided to make the transition from coaching into copywriting and content creation, I knew it was time to invest in experts to help me pull off this relaunch.

I enlisted the help of two incredibly talented visual creatives here in Minneapolis. During my relaunch process, I worked with Allison on my visual brand identity (hello, gorgeous logo!) and Carly on all of my brand photography (hello, candid headshots!).

What resulted was a (dare I say) beautiful website that reflects not only reflects me but also connects with my ideal clients SO much more than what I had before.

Be smart about how you’re scheduling all other work

Like many small business owners, I wasn’t able to take a whole month off to solely focus on my own brand. I was (and still am) grateful I had copywriting and ghostwriting client projects flowing in while I was putting the finishing touches on my own website.

In addition, I also spoke at a few networking events, completely changed my onboarding and an ongoing client process, AND added a contributor blog to my #createlounge community during my relaunch.

There were a few moments where I thought “Okay Kayla, you’re close to overloading yourself”, but for the most part I was pretty good about juggling everything.

Get relevant feedback before you relaunch

It scares me to think about relaunching my website without truly knowing if it’s going to connect with my people. If you don’t ask for outside opinions, you won’t know for sure if it’s going to appeal to your target audience… you just have to guess.

When you’re looking for relevant feedback, it’s best to ask people you’re connected with who identify with your ideal client or buyer description, not your grandma or a friend in a completely different industry (although both people are probably lovely for feedback in other areas!).

You can do this by sending a survey to your subscribers, asking for feedback in your local or online mastermind group, or ask for your clients’ opinions.

The post 6 Things I Learned From Relaunching My Brand appeared first on Sindie.

Now things are going to look a little different around here and I’m excited to tell you more about it, but before I dive into exactly what that transition is going to look like, I wanted to take a moment to take a step back and tell you more of the story behind this change.

What inspired the transition from coaching to copywriting and brand strategy?

For the abbreviated version of my career story, I launched my coaching business in December 2015, a year into hosting my #createlounge Twitter chat and two years into blogging.

Because of my community, I was able to book out my services for 3 months before I even officially launched my business to the public.

My business was still a baby (basically a newborn!), and I had no idea what it would take to become a true boss, but I was excited to get started as I put in my two-weeks notice.

Q1 and Q2 were incredible. I was working with clients I deeply cared about and some of them even started to gain notoriety and press for their successful communities.

Then Q3 hit and everything changed.

While I’ve always seen myself as more of a strategist than a coach, I found myself aching to help my clients in a more hands-on way.

I noticed how my photographer and designer friends were able to give clients a tangible product at the end of their project and I deeply wanted to do the same in my business. I didn’t know what that looked like yet, but I knew I had to do something because everything felt “off”.

Usually, I’d return to my vision journal and scribble mind maps and goals on a piece of paper until it all made sense, but this time felt different. I found myself called to a season of patience… so I waited.

I decided in this time I would take a step back from making any big decisions about the direction of my business and focus on personal development and inner work instead.

Little did I know that by focusing on other areas of my life, I’d also find the “golden ticket” for my business.

Months later over tacos and queso, which is how all good business ideas are formed, I admitted to a good friend out loud for the first time my deepest desire.

“All I want to do is write.” 

I didn’t know what that would look like then, but after months of reflecting, journaling, reading, and praying, I was already thinking about what I was really good at (writing, community, strategy/planning, serving) and how I could fuse everything together.

Now I’m happy to say I’m returning to my background in marketing with copywriting and brand strategy and it feels SO good.

I’ve collaborated with a few of my coaching clients on copywriting for their websites and every time, I say to myself, “Now THIS is what my business should feel like.”

I get cheerlead for my clients, help bring their vision to life, and hand them that coveted tangible product at the end. Dreamy!

In that waiting season, I thought I was taking a step back but what I was really doing was taking a few giant leaps forward. I just didn’t know it then.

What changes can we expect?

New website design and brand identity

With a new direction comes new brand visuals, of course! I’ve been looking like a heart-eyes emoji for weeks while putting together all of the creative projects. I’m waiting until early February (exact date to be announced soon) to fully launch the new brand and website but you can follow along on Instagram.

This is also the first time I haven’t DIYed everything myself, meaning I’m investing in branding design with AllieMarie Design and portrait photography with Carly Milbrath. Both collaborative partners are in Minneapolis so it’s been great to work with people around the neighborhood.

More copywriting and brand strategy inspired content on the blog

With this transition, it’s probably not a huge shocker that I’ll be focusing more on copywriting and brand strategy (including social media and content marketing) but I won’t be letting go of my creative process or community posts either. Some I’ll post here, others I will be posting on the new createlounge.com website, launching January 11th!

The post My Brand Relaunch: What, When + Why appeared first on Sindie.

You’re excited to put your plans into action but aren’t thrilled about tackling the sales page.

Besides, you know much of your launch’s success is determined by the sales page, namely the sales copy.

If your words don’t resonate, visitors won’t be enticed to click the glowing red ‘buy now’ button. Before pressing publish on your sales page, here are a few questions to ask yourself while reviewing your copy.

Do you know who you’re talking to?

Most of us will nod along, thinking we already know who we’re talking to. We may have a broad picture of what our target audience looks like, but do we know the specifics? I’m talking beyond an age range, gender, location, and median income.

I recently shared my in-depth exercise on identifying who your ideal client is that may help. Try this activity before you move forward so you can ensure you know the ins and outs of what your ideal client or buyer wants and needs. Everything gets dreamier when you know who your people are!

Have you introduced yourself?

In order for your target audience to resonate with your copy, they have to first resonate with you and your story. There are many ways to do this.

• State your full name (okay, this is a no-brainer but it had to be said)
• Give your real reasoning behind creating the product or service
• Include an approachable headshot that shows the true essence of who you are
• Be transparent about if/when you struggled with your audience’s pain points too
• Explain why you’re passionate about your audience and the solution you’re providing
• Bonus: add an audio or video clip to explain your product or service

Do you understand their pain points?

The main purpose of the product or service you’re selling is to offer a solution. In order to provide the best solution possible, you must understand your audience’s struggles. These are often considered “pain points”.

If you’re like me, leading with a big pain point can seem rather… painful. Luckily, there is a way to speak to your audience’s pain points without feeling like your copy has to breathe negativity. Hallelujah!

For example, when my community and brand coaching clients work with me, it’s often because they know they’re excellent at creating valuable content but just aren’t attracting the right people or building a strong community. Their biggest pain point then is launching to crickets.

While writing something like “Do you fear to put in months of hard work only to have no interest?“ might be true, leading with “Say goodbye to crickets and hello to your people“ is better because it says the same thing in a much more approachable way. Use your gut as a compass as you review your copy.

Are you leading with the right hook?

You may spend hours writing your sales copy but if you don’t put the same amount of attention in crafting your hook, those hours could be unrealized. It’s similar to email marketing where the subject line often dictates if a person is interested enough to open your newsletter so that small phrase has to be on-point.

If you’re not sure if you’ve got the right hook, do some social listening research to see what people are truly struggling with or answers they are looking for. You can also write a few hooks and then reach out to a few people you’re connecting with who fit your ideal client profile to get their opinion on which one they connect with most. This will give you even more tailored feedback.

Do you know what words they gravitate toward and stray away from?

So you know who your audience is and what their pain points are, but are you using the right words to convey your message? This is when we get into the really good stuff. You have to know what words attract (and repel) your target audience in order to capture their attention.

Not sure where to start? Here’s a quick activity you can do to help you choose the right words. Take out a piece of paper and for 2-3 minutes straight, jot down all of the adjectives you can think of. No editing, just brain-dump them all onto the page.

Then when you’re done, put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes (refer back to your description from the first question) and go through the list. Cross out the words that don’t match your client and circle the words that feel like the right fit. For my clients, I know they love words like ‘ease’ and ‘grow’ but run away from words like ‘traditional’ and ‘supposed to’. Then you can start to fit these words into your sales copy where it makes sense.

The post Is Your Target Audience Resonating With Your Copywriting? appeared first on Sindie.