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The Most Common Branding Mistake we See (and How to Avoid it)

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Hey Hello Studio

One of the first national brands we worked on was a website that sold photo cards.

The business was going through a branding refresh, and our team worked really hard to get the stakeholders to identify what was unique, special, or exciting about the brand. 

How’s it different from everything else out there? 
Who’s going to absolutely love it, and feel like it was made just for them?

That’s what we call a brand’s “special sauce.”

The only answer we could get was: “It’s for everyone. Like Ben & Jerry’s.”

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You’ve probably heard the saying, “When you try to market to everyone, you market to no one.”

Well, it’s true.

That business struggled for a few years, started deep discounting, and then closed their digital doors.

Meanwhile, their main competitor, who had a MUCH smaller selection & charged 5-10x as much for the same type of product, continued to grow—and is still thriving today.

Why? Because they did something incredibly unique—carried trendy designs from independent artists—for a specific niche—high-end stationery lovers.

When you don’t give customers a good enough reason to choose you over someone else, they look to price to decide.


"When you don't give customers a good enough reason to choose you over someone else, they look to price to decide" —The most common branding mistake we see (and how to avoid it)


When you do, they buy from you, tell their friends about you, and show off your stuff like a badge of honor.

It’s also important to point out who had a leg up in this situation:

  • The brand we worked on had the backing of a $3B company with years of experience in the industry.
  • The competitor was founded by a 38-year-old female investment banker with no industry experience.

It’s easy to think you need a ton of experience or fancy qualifications to charge a premium, but you don’t. 

You just need to be positioned uniquely and give your niche exactly what they want.

We have dozens of stories like this, but what’s more important is how it applies to you.

A few questions to ask yourself:

  • What’s your brand’s unique positioning?
  • Who’s it perfect for?
  • Are you plastering that message everywhere you possibly can, telling anyone who will listen, and asking your niche how you can serve them better?

If not, write your answers on a post-it and stick it somewhere you’ll see it daily. 

It’ll help you stay laser-focused on who you’re serving and how. 



Ready to go from “My customers won’t pay those prices” to “I’m worth a premium?”

We can help. We build powerful, beautiful, strategic brands that people love. 

Our specialty is unlocking the unique value behind your brand.

We know your brand’s visuals and copy are only as strong as its strategic foundation, and we’re OBSESSED with getting yours right.

Learn more about our branding services.



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