Your Brand Essence is...
The Wayfinder
You are the brilliant Wayfinder! In many ways the most glorious of the brand personalities. Like an expert navigator from an ancient civilization, your heightened skill is how you attune yourself to the times, and to your surroundings, finding your way by using all of your senses. You have your finger on the pulse with your forward-thinking and up-to-the-minute style sense.
Not only are you tuned in, you often see trends on the horizon, or lead the way by creating a “look” that hasn’t been readily explored. You are able to read the signs of the times and quickly adapt your products and messaging to meet the up-and-coming needs of your perfectly matched, ideal customers.
The historical significance of The Wayfinders, a classic book by Wade Davis, is about the genius of an ancient Polynesian civilization who, generation-after-generation, passed down the wisdom of navigating the waters without physical instruments. And they did it better than those who relied upon navigational tools. They achieved this by gathering data, not on paper, but by internalizing their findings and marrying them with intuition.
What does this have to do with you? It has to do with your level of genius my friend. It’s all about how you integrate your surroundings and are able to see what others can’t. And it’s just as much about being open and allowing yourself to observe and gather data. As a baby, you likely scanned your environment, noting changes in nuances... ears perking up with every sound.
You see, the Wayfinders passed down their experiential knowledge through the generations. There was no studying of books, or record-keeping tools, as we have today. Only the finely-tuned gift of experience, and insights, passed down as each generation learned the craft.
Through “the dynamic rhythms and interactions of wind, waves, clouds, stars, sun, moon, the flight of birds, a bed of kelp, the glow of phosphorescence on a shallow reef”, they were able to read the “constantly changing world of weather and sea.”
In a time when even navigators equipped with special tools were lost at sea, the Wayfinders discovered new lands, always knowing how to measure precisely where they were, and what lay ahead. Think Moana, the Disney movie based on the Polynesians who navigated the Pacific 2,000 years ago.
You have only tapped the surface of your Wayfinder capabilities, for you have a gift that is rare. Don’t let anyone convince you that your stand-alone style is anything short of brilliant. Remember that your brand style isn’t for everyone and it shouldn’t be! But those who are drawn to it will be avid fans and your greatest ambassadors, spreading the word about your collection.
How to Build Your Magnetic Brand Essence…
Do more of you and do it well! It’s all about amplification. What seems obvious to you, isn’t necessarily apparent to your potential customers. Take time to examine all your values, your untapped gifts, and the inspiration that ignites passion within you.
Your ability to adapt to the times makes your brand a “forever brand”, navigating the waters of the new culture. One of your greatest strengths is being open to possibilities. And, your Achilles’ heal? Not believing in yourself enough!
Make a list of all the treasures that are inherently you, and let that spill into all that you do. Allow it to permeate throughout your entire collection and all aspects of your business. The following are some areas to infuse what is intrinsically you, into your brand:
Your website’s look and feel
Your product descriptions
Your sign-up form
Your about page
Your newsletter, or email communications
Your blog posts
Your social media posts
It doesn’t all have to happen at once. Address one area in which to start and leave no stone unturned. As you achieve that feeling of satisfaction with each step, you’ll start to see the other areas in which you can strengthen all that is the energetic extension of YOU... The Wayfinder Brand.
What to Include in Your Product Descriptions…
Keep your visitors engaged by speaking to that one perfectly-matched customer on a level that resonates more deeply. Yes, it’s vital to include product details that answer your visitors’ questions such as size, weight etc., but save those details for the second half of your description copy and reserve emotionally engaging descriptions for the top.
Here’s where you want to engage your visitors and help them to experience how your pieces will make them feel. How your collection energetically aligns with their mindset. Write for the heart and write to address deeper needs. This could include descriptive copy on how to wear, or pair, the items, the benefits of the items, or how the product feels to the touch.
Whenever possible, include symbolic meaning, energetic properties, sentiments of the heart, or mindset attributes. Accentuate those benefits by using the language that speaks your brand, and appeals to your ideal buyer.
Emotional and Relevant Words:
State-of-the-art
Forward-thinking
Standalone piece
Streamlined
Self expression
Ahead of the crowd
Use adjectives and verbs that convey beauty, feeling, or qualities that are notable and enticing.
Recommended Book for Descriptive Copywriting:
Words That Sell by Richard Bayan
What to do when you feel stuck or overwhelmed...
You instinctively know which area of your business needs some TLC. You can conquer the feeling of overwhelm and analysis paralysis by choosing one thing. You don’t, nor shouldn’t you, focus on too many areas at once. Start with that one thing you know you could be doing next, whether it’s building out your collection, improving your photos, or getting your website up-and-running.
Small-bite goals will have you feeling accomplished and motivated in no time flat, when you focus on achieving those goals only, then rewarding yourself with some well-deserved acknowledgment.
Soon you’ll start to see momentum and open the floodgate of inspiration. Address one goal... just one. That focus alone will kickstart your ability to SEE. It’s all about seeing, because my friend, we ALL... don’t know what we don’t know. It is only by taking that first step into the light that we learn to ask the questions that need asking, and then we can start finding the answers that lead us to even better questions.
The writing is on the wall, and there is no one more apt to interpret that better than you!... The Wayfinder Brand. Once a Wayfinder, always a Wayfinder.
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