I’ve done some really hard work today (and there’s a valuable lesson in it for you).
I put down my phone (except for one small Words With Friends break). I dedicated a whole day to working on my business. I answered some really hard questions, like:
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Where do I want to take my business?
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How do I want people to see me?
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What do I want to be known for?
In all of that, I decided that I really needed to clarify what the Joyful Communications brand is all about (and you’ll see some exciting changes rolling out from this)! One of the best branding exercises I’ve done with clients and in my corporate roles is to work on your brand archetype. This means asking the question: how do people connect with your brand?
This lovely infographic is a visual guide to archetypes by Iconic Fox – I’ll tell you in a minute where I see Joyful! This is one of the best guides I’ve read, because it breaks things down clearly. If you don’t have time to read the whole article, here’s my summary: every strong brand is rooted in one of 12 ‘archetypes’ that connects on an emotional level with your audience.
Why is this important for your business?
I mean, don’t you just want to get out there and find more customers?
It’s not as easy as that – I’ve never come across a ‘customer tree’, although I suspect it lives somewhere right next to the money tree! Even if you put yourself right in front of 100 of your best ideal customers, you need to have a message that’s going to connect with those people. Refining that message takes continual work. The needs of your customers will change, and so your message has to keep changing as well!
But this is branding – how does this relate to copywriting?
Branding and words are completely inseparable. I’ve seen businesses with killer graphic design but then a spelling mistake ruins their message for me. Conversely, if you don’t know your customer well enough, you can use too many words and your brand will miss the mark.
To get my branding right, I need to know how to write the messages that I’m putting out there. The visual and the words have to match – otherwise, you end up with dissonant messaging. Your brain instinctively wants things to match.
This is why it’s best to have copywriters and graphic designers working together – and why I nearly always work alongside other creatives. The collaboration between words and images gets my clients the best possible outcome…a polished brand that resonates with customers in the right way.
So, back to Joyful…
If you’re interested to see archetypes in action, here’s how that looks for me. Some brands are clearly just one archetype, but sometimes you’ll have a mix: a core archetype and an influencer archetype. I’m in that category…I’m 70% Hero and 30% Sage.
The Hero archetype is focused on Mastery (think Nike, Adidas or even someone like ??). Joyful isn’t about fluff or giggles. We help our clients build better, stronger businesses and communicate clearly with their customers to solve problems. This means:
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doing what we say we will do
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breaking down corporate jargon into plain English
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finding the right words to cut through a noisy marketplace
This works for our clients, who are service-based businesses that don’t particularly want fluff. We do a lot of work with mining and heavy industry, and believe me when I say that you just can’t wax lyrical about fabrication or safety gloves (although if it was what was required, we totally could try!).
The Sage archetype is focused on Understanding (think Google, the BBC or most universities). I’m also a learner at heart – probably why I’m studying my PhD! – and I most certainly end up in ‘teacher mode’ when inspiration strikes. In fact, I think that’s how I started writing this post! I love teasing out a principle and applying it to a situation, particularly if it’s a game-changer for a client.
How can this help your business?
I’m going to take the scary step of sharing (and therefore committing) what you’ll see from Joyful over the next few months. This includes:
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Collaboration on a brand new podcast series, launching in May
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Regular, helpful blogs like this one
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A free checklist that will help you get your ‘words’ in order
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A new product offering
Which of those are you interested in? If you don’t want to wait, reach out and let’s talk about how we can apply what I’ve learned to your business.
That’s what I’m all about!
