Your Branding Bat Signal: How to create messaging that attracts the clients you want

Your Branding
Bat Signal
How to create
messaging that attracts
the clients you want
HOW DESIGN LIVE 2019 | Creative Freelancer

So, why do you do what you do?
Copyright © 2017 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.

“I have always wanted to
design (write, create) for a
living.”

“I believe in the work we do.”

“I care about my clients.”

“I want to help people.”

How do you stand out when
everyone’s doing the same thing?

Being great at what you do
isn’t a brand.
It’s a prerequisite.

There are a lot of  
“branding experts.”

Their advice is always the same:

“Stand out!”
The advice is often the same:

Here’s what I’m
not going to do.
•Tell you to Tweet.  
•Tell you to use Instagram. 
•Tell you how to treat
your clients. 
•Tell you how to do your
job.

We’re going to talk about how to
approach your messaging
so that it sounds
like you.

I’ve spent my career trying to create
content worth reading and watching.

I help people transform the way they
think about, talk about & communicate
what they do.
I AM A BRAND MESSENGER.

I delivered a TEDx talk that
has nearly 5 million views.
“Stop searching for your
passion”

And in order to be more
than a commodity, you
have to offer more than
the job you perform.

It just isn’t about the what
anymore. It’s about the
why.

“People don’t buy
what you do. They
buy why you do it.”
- Simon Sinek

Why do I do what I do?
I believe most people and
companies settle for average
messaging to communicate
their above-average work.

good
passionate
dedicated
Being
is not enough.

Doing your job
well is table
stakes.

Your brand is more than
a website, logo, tagline
(You need them, sure. But that’s not it.)

It’s also not  
your resume.

what you and your work
mean to other people.
Your brand is one thing:

And that means
the message
is everything.

“Marketing is the generous
act of helping someone solve
a problem. Their problem.”
–Seth Godin, This Is Marketing

There’s only what you are
doing to help the people you
serve
become what
they want most.

“It’s impossible to create work
that both matters and pleases
everyone.”

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

YOUR MESSAGE SHOULD BE
universal & uniquely yours.

Big mistake:
Trying to get bigger
by going broader.

The generalist dies a forgettable death.
Generalist

It’s not a narrowing of your options;
it’s a sharpening of the edge
that you lead with.
Rethink “niche”

You are not for
everyone. And
everyone is not  
for you.

Focus on the promise.
Get past the product.
#1

Don’t sell the feature.
Sell the face.

your business your brand

your business
is how you make a
living
your brand

is what that
business means

your business
kills cockroaches
your brand

promises a pest-
free life

your business
sells a shirt that looks
good untucked
your brand

promises that you
can look like an
entrepreneur

What are you
promising?

What are you
promising?
Great design
Excellent service
Thoughtful & engaging
process
On-time delivery
Stand-out results

The problem?
Everyone agrees
with this list!
Great design
Excellent service
Thoughtful & engaging
process
On-time delivery
Stand-out results

Where you agree,
you cannot differentiate.

Case study:
CTM Media Group

“We’re one of the largest distributors of travel and
tourism information in North America.”
(They say)

Sorry, what?

Brochures are not a winning position.

So, what are they
really selling?
A magic window. 
An opportunity.

?What is your  
magic window?

#2
Prove it. Use language to
demonstrate who you are.
Don’t just say you’re different.

Nima is a start-up that
sells clothes for tall men.
Starting with one t-shirt.

What Anthony wants to
do is
elevate language/tone  
around what it means  
to be tall.

He also needed a name
for his signature T-shirt.

Wolf & Whale
Branding Blueprint

?What are you saying
to your audience?

Be unapologetic
& direct.
Don’t pander.
#3

Case study:
The Optimal Service Group
of Wells Fargo

“We wish our clients
were more patient.”

Case study:
Monument Wealth

“We’re not just money
managers…
We function more
like…a design firm.”

They don’t want to
work with everyone.
Not even close.

You love jargon.
You only trust people in suits.
You want an order taker or ﬁnancial custodian.
You throw a ﬁt every time the market dips.
You try to control the world with your thoughts and
are legitimately upset when it doesn’t happen.
You hate dogs. (Seriously, that’s a dealbreaker.)
You won’t like us if…
93 Copyright © 2019 Terri Trespicio All rights reserved.

Your success as a
freelancer comes
when you can turn
the business away.

#1
#2
#3 Be unapologetic about what you
believe.
Use language to demonstrate how
you’re different.
Focus on the promise.

–Jay Baer, Youtility
“Stop trying to be amazing
and start being useful.”

This is
legacy-level
branding.

Go from being good at what you do
…to being known for it.

It’s not just about the outcome.
The process of going deep on your
brand can shift you and your team.

The key is to access
genius—in yourself
AND your clients.
(The Gateless method)

Start asking better
questions.

Text
“TerriT”
to
44222
Get the slides +
free guide

territ
1. Text “territ” to 44222 
 
2. Reply to text with
email 
3. Check your email
and confirm.
44222

terri@territrespicio.com
Visiting from outside
the U.S.?
Text
“TerriT”
to
44222

3:15pm today
How to Get & Keep
Media Attention
Right here!

I leave you with a story
about brand consistency.

Meet Carl
I’ve never met this man.

Carl has a
consistent look
and feel to his
brand.

This is Carl  
on the street.

Carl is consistent.
(#swipeleft)

All brands evolve.  
Even Carl’s.

“Time to stop making average
stuff for average people.”

What’s one bit of wisdom you
never believed until now?
QUESTIONS LIKE…

QUESTIONS LIKE…
What problem isn’t getting enough
attention?

QUESTIONS LIKE…
Is this a good look for me?

Text
“TerriT”
to
44222
Thank you!

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