When you are working in your business it is so hard to know when you need some help in an area. We feel like we need to do #allthethings #allthetime (yes- I double hashtagged) or else we are failing. It’s especially hard to know if something is right for you when that thing is a big investment. Today we are going to talk about one of the bigger investments you can make in your business (and in my biased opinion-one of the most important) and when to know if you need a designers help.

1.  You aren’t reaching your ideal clients consistently

The whole point of having a business you are passionate about is getting clients that you love and want to work with. Well then what happens when you aren’t consistently reaching those clients? You get burned out and frustrated and this whole passion thing gets hard. Now you might be saying- Well not landing my ideal clients may not be related to my website or branding. And you may be right, buuut in most cases your branding has everything to do with getting your ideal clients.

If you find yourself getting a ton of people who are price shopping or not your ideal clients, there might be something in your branding system (If you don’t know what that is- read about it here) that is attracting those people. You may want to consider working with a designer to help define and clarify your brand so it attracts the right people and repels all the wrong ones.

A brand is not just your logo, it’s your story and who you are as a business so you want to make sure that your branding reflects that clearly and a good designer will help you do that.

2. Your brand is not consistent or cohesive on all your platforms

This goes along with my point above. If your brand is not consistent across the board you will find yourself attracting clients that are all over the place. You have to remember that not everyone will follow you on all your platforms and so each one needs to provide the same brand experience. If your brand is on point on Instagram but Facebook is not so on point then you may find yourself fielding a lot of non-ideal client types on that platform. You want to make sure that everything from graphics, messaging, fonts, and images convey who you are and what your brand is about consistency whether online, in person, or in print.

Why is consistency so important? Because it builds brand awareness and creates a familiarity with your audience. The more your stuff is consistent the more someone is going to recognize and remember it. This leads to more clients and more people pointing at you as the expert- which is what we want as businesses. You never want an ideal client to be confused about your brand or your message by going to your different platforms. Think about it this way, if someone comes over your house they may go in different rooms. Now imagine your living room is a bright, airy, colorful space. Then they head into the bathroom and it is dark and dirty and has dust everywhere. They might feel a bit off put and confused as to why things aren’t the same in the bathroom. That’s what it’s like for potential clients when your branding is all over the place.

If you’re looking at your branding materials right now going “Yea, this looks a hot mess” then you may want to get together with a designer to see how they can help you make your brand more consistent.

3. Your website is not snagging you inquiries

Your website’s number one job is to be your 24/7 salesperson. You want your website to be snagging you inquiries even in your sleep. Now is your website doing that for you?

A lot of times we think that the objective of a website is to be pretty and easy to navigate. Although, those are super important a website also needs to be converting and turn those people landing on your home page into a client or subscriber on your newsletter.

Working with a designer will help ensure that your website is set up for success and conversion from the day you launch it. There are more things that go into converting a visitor on your website into a paying client and a designer will help you navigate alllll of that.

4. You aren’t too great with the design and tech stuff

This one is pretty straight forward- know your strengths. If you know that logo designing and building a website is not your cup of tea then outsource it. I know investing in branding and a custom website is pricey, but the time and frustration it will save you in the future is well worth it. I am slowly learning this myself as well and know how hard it is to give up control (the song Jesus Take the Wheel comes to mind in this scenario- don’t ask why haha).

Being a business owner also means making boss CEO decisions and business investments is one of them. Know where you need help and invest in that because that will free you up to do other things to help grow your business (because Lord knows there are always other things to be done).

If money is an object right now then I’d recommend starting out on sites like Squarespace which allow you to create really beautiful websites easily. You can always invest in a custom website when you have a few clients under your belt. You can always watch YouTube videos and read blogs on how to DIY your website, but keep in mind although this is the cheaper option it isn’t the best in terms

5. You have been in business for a bit and are ready to invest in your business and take it to the next level

Ok, so you have been in business for a little while, you are getting clients, but you are ready to raise your prices and attract a new set of clientele. Or you have been in business for a bit and after working with some people you are getting more clear on your ideal client and the direction you want to take your business in. You know the importance of having a clearly defined brand and are willing to invest in it, but you are hemming and hawing on it.

You want to work with a designer, but you are scared of the investment and not being sure of what you will get. This is permission to start looking into making that investment. Sometimes we just need someone to tell us that something is the right thing to do- so this is me telling you.

Now that you have that permission and validation, you might be like “where do I start?”. Excellent question and I have answers (ta-da *insert sparkling star emoji*). Stay tuned for Wednesday when we talk about what questions you should be asking your designer before you hire them.