💫 You Brand Only Has 7 Seconds!

Did you know that your brand only has 7 seconds to grab your audience's attention?

But don't stress! In today's episode I share a simple strategy to help you make every second of those 7 truly matter. It's truly ACE 😉

Also! Are you eager for a bold new look? We're giving one lucky listener a complete brand transformation for FREE! Think new logo, fonts, colour palette, the whole fearless package. Entering is easy: just drop your name and business name in an email to hello@thefearlessdesigner.com.au or tag yourself in our Instagram giveaway post.

x Morgan

Connect with me:

• Follow The Fearless Designer on Instagram
  @the.fearless.designer
  
  
• Head to The Fearless Designer Website for more info
  www.thefearlessdesigner.com.au

Transcript

Guys, thank you so much for joining me here back on the Fearless designer podcast. I have a real shocking statistic to share with you today, and that is one that I came across when I was doing some research for a keynote speech that I'm writing. I wanted to get some of the most recent statistics around your design and branding and this one really popped off the off the screen at me and it is apparently you only have 7 seconds to grab your audience's attention. Only 7 seconds? That is shorter than the time it takes to boil my kettle to make a cup of tea now. It really kind of made me stop and think about that for a while and realise that with what's going on with social media and online platforms today that it's just quickened everything up. We only have 7 seconds. Is that enough time? Well, don't worry, I'm going to break down exactly how you can make those 7 seconds count, and I'm going to give you a couple of strategies that you can implement. Hopefully after listening to this episode that will make you feel a little bit more confident that those 7 seconds are going to be spent communicating exactly what you need your brand and marketing to be doing in that moment.

Hello and welcome to the Fearless Designer podcast. I'm your host, Morgan Macdonald, aka the Fearless designer, and I'm here to help you embrace your fears, level up your visual brand, and take your business to fearless new heights. For two decades, I've worked with business owners just like you, designing brands that are bold, consistent and authentic. I've lived a profesh corporate life as a graphic designer and I've also spent the last 13 years running my own brand and graphic design business. So whether you're running a six or seven figure business, craving a brand refresh, or just ready to add a little more wow to your visuals, I got you. Each week, we'll dive into fearless brand strategies, design tips that you actually can use, live brand audits, and interviews with fellow business owners who have dared to do things differently. So if you're ready to stop playing small, take control of your brand and lead with confidence, you're in the right place. Let's go.

We've all heard, I am sure that first impressions are everything, but let's talk about why that's true, especially when it comes to your branding. Whether it's someone scrolling past your Instagram profile or landing on your website or seeing your business card. Yes, we're still printing business cards. You only have this super short window to make them stop, pay attention and think, oh, I need to know more about this. I need this. I need this product or service in my life. Now for my target audience. I am in a very crowded market.

There are dozens of competing competitors, maybe hundreds, maybe thousands, that are offering very similar to what I do. So for those 7 seconds, what am I doing to capture their attention? The good news is, with a really, really solid brand strategy, you can make those 7 seconds work in your favour. And I've come up with a clear strategy to help you navigate those 7 seconds to make them count. Okay, are you ready for the strategy? Please do not judge me for the acronym and the name that I've come up with. It just seems too good. But the name of this clear strategy is the ace, your first impression strategy. And it's ace because you're acing your first impression. Now, I know it may be a little bit sarcastic, I know it's a little bit lame, but it is super simple and it ties up the three steps perfectly.

So the three steps to this strategy are aesthetic clarity and engagement. So step one is aesthetic. It's about creating a visually consistent standout look for your brand. Now, first impressions do really matter, and visuals are such an important part of those first impressions. I'm talking colour palette typography, the images that you use. Everything needs to be consistent, eye catching and aligned with your brand's personality. So when I work with my clients, we always start with the trio, the colours, the fonts and the logos. Sometimes there's icons that go alongside those logos, but these, this kind of suite creates your brand's vibe.

And these are the visuals that are going to stop people scrolling or entice them to your website. And I need you to make sure that all of these are super, super consistent so that your YouTube banner is the same as the look and feel of your Instagram and that when they go to your website, it's using consistent colours and fonts. It is quite difficult to maintain a very cohesive look, especially when using platforms like Canva that may or may not have your fonts or you don't know how to upload your custom fonts to your brand kit. So another tip I have for fonts is make sure you choose something that's really easy to read but has character. Another fun stat for you around colour is that using a colour significantly boosts brand recognition by up to 80%. So people will then associate like your clients, and your customers will associate colour with your branding if you are using it consistently enough. Okay, step two, which is clarity in the ace strategy, is about being really crystal clear on what you offer. So you've got their attention with your visuals.

They love the photography. They can see your beautiful face. They can see your colour palette and your fonts. Let's not lose them with confusing messaging. People need to know what you do, who you do it for, and why they should care. And that needs to be in within a few seconds. Like a few seconds of those 7 seconds. This usually comes across with a really well crafted tagline or a statement.

And this can go in that bio of your Instagram account, or it can be on your website header or within your banner on your website. Keep it really short and sweet and simple. Give it a little personality, and ask yourself, if a potential customer only was to read that one sentence about your business, would they understand what you offer and how it can help them? And if it doesn't, and I can't understand that, maybe it might be time to tweak your messaging. All right, let's hit step three, which is engagement, creating a connection that encourages action. Now this is the last part to the strategy, but you really want to spark curiosity and make it really easy for your audience to take the next step. Whether it's clicking a link, signing up for your newsletter, following you on social media, here are some really quick ways to create that engagement. So first of all, you could use call to actions that are clear and direct. Learn more book now join us.

They're all really simple but effective. Add an element of humour and personality to your copy. Whether it's a little bit of warmth or sass, just let people feel like they're connecting with the real person behind the brand. And remember, don't be afraid to make it personal. I love adding touches of personality in everything that I do. Sharing stories, using fun emojis or even adding a little bit of humour just makes people feel like they're connecting with me and not just the brand. In talking marks, if you're creating connection that is really unique on Instagram, for example, but when you get to your website, you're not creating that same level of connection. It can also really go against that consistency piece which is coming in.

In that second step, make sure that you're using that humour or the connection of your stories and that on your website as well. It doesn't have to be like this stuffy business. You know, you are on my website, I do this. Add some personality to it. Work on your headings. Act like you're having a conversation with these people that are on your website. As long as it's concise and to brand, it will be a really good choice. So if you go ahead and follow my amazing Ace strategy, you'll be well on your way to capturing the attention of your ideal client and customers.

In those important 7 seconds, I had another stat that I wanted to mention as well. And that's as much as 80% of consumers state that they're looking for authentic brands first when deciding who they wish to support. So authenticity isn't just a trendy buzzword like being authentic. Be authentic. It's not a trendy buzzword. It's actually a core part of what makes your brand memorable and trustworthy. And it's something that I'm really super duper passionate about. Your brand should be a reflection of your values, your mission and what makes you you.

And if you want to create a lasting impression, your audience needs to feel a genuine connection, especially, especially on social media. One of the biggest mistakes I see is when a business tries to appeal to everyone and in the process they water down their message. When you're authentic, you attract the right people, the ones that resonate with your values and your story and your journey, and they followed along and they really get you. And it's okay if not everyone gets it. You're not for everyone and that is totally the point. So to align your brand with your values, it's really, really easy. Firstly, define your core values and start identifying what you stand for. Is it empowerment? Is it creativity as a community? What your core values are should be clear and consistent across all your branding.

Second of all, infuse your personality into your content. Don't be afraid to use your voice, your humour. Let your personality shine. The things that you think are quirky and weird, share them. It helps connect with your audience on a deeper level. And then share your stories. Tell people how you started, why you do what you do, why you enjoy it. Authenticity builds trust.

And trust is what turns a first impression into a lasting connection. Think about your favourite brand. I can think of a number of them and how they make me feel. And chances are it's not just about the products they sell. It's about how their message resonates with you. And that is the power of authenticity. All right, I've got so many real life examples that I can give to show how the ace strategy and authenticity work when you put them into practice. So I'm going to give you an example.

It is a client of mine, but I'm not going to use their name and I'm going to change things a little bit. Imagine you're a business coach and you're helping other women scale their businesses. Your brand colours are a really confident teal and gold, and your fonts are really clean but bold. And your tagline is something like empowering female business owners to scale fearlessly. The first thing people want to see when they visit your instagram. What do you think? Maybe it's a bright, polished feel that stands out and speaks directly to them. The bio is really clear. It says helping women scale to seven figures with strategic coaching.

Maybe your posts, they're engaging, they're relatable, they're fun, they're using the teal, they're using the gold, and they're really clear on what the next step is. But more than all of those things is they can see you. Maybe you share why you started coaching, how you struggled to find support when you were starting out, how you're passionate in helping others. Maybe use fun language that reflect your brand's energy. That's how you make a brand that's memorable. And you get those people in in those 7 seconds being totally authentic. So let's recap it. You have 7 seconds to make a lasting impression and here's how you can make it happen.

Follow my ace strategy aesthetic. Ensure your visuals are on brand, consistent and eye catching. And when I say consistent, I mean you need to be using these over months, years or whatever. They need to be consistent. They can change, you can evolve, but keep it super consistent. Number two is clarity. Be clear on what you do and who you do it for. If you don't know this, your audience will not and they will be guessing and they will not understand what you do and who you are.

Number three is engagement. Create a connection with really simple call to actions and lots of your personality. And then let's throw authenticity into the mix. Align your brand with your values, infuse your personality and share your story to build trust. That's exactly what I help my clients to do at the fearless designer. And if you're feeling really overwhelmed with this, please reach out. Just go on to my DM's on Instagram and I can chat to you about any of the stuff that I've discussed in this episode. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode.

I hope you found this short, sharp episode really inspiring and giving you the tools to go out there and make those 7 seconds really count. If you found this episode helpful, please share with a friend. Subscribe leave a review it means the absolute world to me and I can't wait to come back and chat to you again about design and branding for your fearless business. Hey there, fearless business owners want a total brand overhaul for free. That's right, I'm giving one lucky listener a chance to completely transform their brand from new logo, fonts, colour palette, the whole fearless package for free. Here's the deal. If you're ready to take your business to the next level and are open to a fresh and bold new look, well, this is your moment by talking full brand update. And yep, you'll get to share the whole process with our community, with your community.

And we're going to have a whole lot of fun doing it. To enter, all you have to do is drop your name and your business name in an email to hellofeelessdesigner.com dot au or even better yet, head to my instagram, find the post about the giveaway. Tag yourself. Tag your besties, anyone that you think may love a total brand overhaul for free. So get ready for your fearless brand transformation. I can't wait to see who's ready to be bold and fearless with me. And that's it for today's episode of the Fearless Designer podcast. I hope you're feeling really inspired, fired up and ready to go make some bold moves with your brand.

If you loved today's episode, don't forget to hit the subscribe button so that you never miss a dose of fearless branded goodness. And if you're feeling extra generous, drop us a review. It just helps more fearless legends like you find this podcast. If you've got any ideas or questions for future eps, please slide into my DM's or send me an email. I would love to hear from you. And until next time, keep being bold. Keep being fearless. And remember, your brand is your superpower.

So go out there and dare to be different. Bye.