Deep-dive: Branding
Following advice from Albert Einstein
When I entered private practice as an online therapist I was excited. I signed up to a directory, I made my website on Squarespace, I picked teal (my favourite colour) for my theme, and I chose a curvy font for Instagram which I liked the look of.
I thought branding was made up of a logo, a colour scheme, and some fonts. I made a logo on Canva and followed a grid pattern colour scheme on Instagram. Let’s go!
For a few weeks, I was in my own bubble enjoying my choices. The more I put myself out there, the more I questioned if what I had was enough. I became curious. I began asking for feedback. A tip here, a tip there. “It makes sense”, I thought. I made some changes. More experienced professionals questioned:
My colour scheme
My font
My ideal client
My website layout
My Instagram content
My strategy
My messaging
Have you ever felt really protective over something? That is how I felt. I had made my choices with good intentions. I’m a therapist, not a marketer/website designer/Instagram strategist. It was seemingly so easy for people to point out what was not ‘up to scratch’ - it made my heart sink every time.
With hindsight, I can see that everyone who offered me advice, paid or unpaid, had positive intentions. It objectively was easier for them to assess what puzzle pieces I had and what pieces were missing. At times, I truly didn’t know what I didn’t know.
Plus, I wanted to get on with my private practice. It’s a delicate balance of working in your business and working on your business. I had the classic situation of being fully booked which meant I had less time for brand/marketing refinement. Then my clients completed their therapy sessions with me, and I was back to figuring out my marketing jigsaw! It’s a well-known cycle, but awareness alone doesn’t stop patterns from repeating. Unfortunately 🙃
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results ~ Albert Einstein
When I celebrated the 1 year anniversary of my business, I had achieved my goals for the year 🎉 Let’s enjoy this for a moment.
However, in my heart, I knew I wanted to do things differently in year 2 of my business. No more overthinking about all the different elements. I wanted clarity and cohesion. I wanted anti-burnout protection. I wanted my website to work harder for me. I wanted to be CLEAR about who my ideal client is and how to speak to them. I wanted a framework for developing effective content.
Ultimately, I wanted my online presence to reflect my passion and the value I offer.
Googling got me in touch with a Brand Messaging Strategist & Copywriter - a unicorn of a professional who has helped me refine my mission, my USP, my brand messaging pillars, my website copy, and the result: CLARITY. Hooray!
Spoiler: my visual branding still has teal at the heart of it. It’s only right.
After hours of preparation, market research, copywriting, tweaking, I can now reveal…
My brand new website:
I am absolutely delighted with the result, and I’m very excited to work with new clients in 2025. If you or someone you know would benefit from working with me please get in touch or share my website far and wide! 🌍
Phase One: Website - complete!
Phase Two: Marketing - in progress
Stay tuned for how Phase Two goes 👀
Community question…
How have you found branding your business or developing personal branding?
I'm finding it difficult. The branding thing. I think I need a pro. Love the new site. I am also partial to teal. Actually colour,colour I like colour. Anything from corporate blue and grey.
Great website 👍 and I personally LOVE the teal 🥰