🌐 Justin's Blog

Your brand is just as important as your product.

In digital business, every detail, from pixel to prose, matters. Crafting a brand that resonates isn’t an added luxury, it’s the foundation.

From a foray into online education to dabbling in software, my learning has always been clear: Effective branding can be simple.

When I coach founders, I am often asked is which strategies work best to get more customers in a crowded market.

Well, this article will answer that question.

Let’s dive into the actionable tweaks that can deepen your customer connection and enhance your brand’s recall. This isn’t theory, folks. I’ve used these exact strategies for gaining impressive amounts of market share.

The Power of Consistency

Imagine you’re reading a book, and in the story, the protagonist’s personality changes every few chapters. Confusing, right? How could you ever get into a story like that?

I’ve found that founders make this same mistake. Their brands often mirror this inconsistency when their identity keeps shifting. Consistency, I learned early on, isn’t about stubborn rigidity but about establishing reliability across all channels.

In the world of digital products, whether it’s software, an interactive online course, or an ebook, consistency will always be critical to your success. This isn’t just about having a visually appealing visuals. It’s about ensuring that the core of your brand remains the same across every touchpoint. It’s the little things, and these little things add up!

For example, let’s talk visuals (since that what most founders tend to focus on). Colors, designs, and graphics aren’t just artistic choices — they’re statements. Each hue, each gradient, each font choice carries a weight of its own. And consistency ensures that this weight is balanced throughout.

Then there’s the tone. How does your brand sound to your potential customers? Is your tone formal, casual, or somewhere in between? Your brand’s tone should remain recognizable across all channels. From your YouTube videos to the welcome emails.

Keeping track of all these things is tough, so I recommend that you create a brand guideline. Don’t worry, this isn’t a huge document. Keep it simple and focus on specifying your color choices, typography, and tone. This way, whenever you create a new asset for your business, you can pull it up just to make sure it’s all remaining “true to brand”.

The Art of Storytelling

Stories are what make us human. And your brand, beyond its digital facade, is profoundly human. It’s a tapestry of ambition, vision, and journey. Every digital product you see isn’t just a tool, it’s a testament to someone’s dream and determination.

So, what’s your story? It’s essential to articulate it, not just for your audience, but for yourself. Was your brand born out of a gap you observed in the market? Maybe it was a series of events, some eureka moments, and a few sleepless nights? Or perhaps, it was a dream you nurtured over countless cups of coffee?

Once you’ve identified your narrative, the next step is weaving it in a manner that resonates. Not every tale is epic, and that’s its beauty. The little detours, the unexpected roadblocks, the small joys — they add layers of authenticity to your brand narrative. Remember, it’s not the grandiosity of the story, but its genuineness that strikes a chord. An authentic tale, told from the heart, bridges the gap between a brand and its audience.

Engage, Don’t Just Broadcast

Think of the internet like a big, noisy classroom. Everyone’s trying to get a word in, and it often feels like a shouting match. Some people have big voices, so they carry further. Yes, they can be heard, but it’s annoying, right?

Don’t be annoying.

Here’s some advice from someone who’s been through it: instead of shouting louder, try a different approach. Don’t talk at people, talk with them.

You see, there’s a difference between just “shouting” your message and truly engaging with your audience.

For example, let’s say that you walk into a car dealership and without even a hello, the salesperson starts rattling off all the stuff they have, the prices, the discounts, and so on. It’s overwhelming, right? That’s just noise. They are sending out information, whether you need it or even want to hear it. It’s annoying, and you’ll shut down. It’s similar with those annoying chatbots and popups that people use on their websites. What is the first thing you do when you see them? You close it.

Same scenario, but picture this now: you walk into the car dealership and the salesperson greets you and asks for your name. They smile kindly, and simply ask you what you’re looking for, getting to know your needs. At this point, you’re likely to at least share your intentions. It has now become a conversation, a back-and-forth where you get to know each other.

From my experiences with software, online courses and digital products, I’ve found that true engagement is where you find troves of gold. It’s not about diluting what you want to say. It’s about saying it in a way that lines up perfectly with what your audience wants to hear.

Okay, cool — but how do you do that?

Here’s what I did. It works, you should copy it and put your flavor into the process:

1. Be Curious

Get to know your audience. Who are they? What’s their day like? What challenges are they facing? When you’re genuinely interested in them, you can serve them better.

2. Make It a Two-Way Street

When you post content, invite conversation. Ask questions, encourage replies, start discussions. It’s way more fun and useful when everyone’s involved. Do this in online chat, Facebook Groups, social media, and anywhere your potential customer is “hanging out” online.

3. Hold Interactive Sessions

Live Q&As, webinars, and AMAs (Ask Me Anything sessions) are awesome. They’re live, they’re real, and they give your audience a chance to chat with you directly. I crushed it with webinars. I didn’t do them often, but when I did, they were always a net positive. You can then re-use the content across multiple channels, like email, YouTube, and blog posts.

4. Value The Feedback

Yes, positive feedback feels great. But constructive criticism? That’s where the growth happens. It helps you see where you can do better. Every bit of feedback means someone took time for you and your brand. That’s big. Even the most scathing reviews have some important takeaways and represent an opportunity to demonstrate how you do, in fact, listen.

5. Show the Human Side

People connect with people, not faceless brands. Share a bit about your journey, the ups and downs, the behind-the-scenes stuff. It makes everything more real. When I was growing GapScout, I tried the “Build In Public” route. It was incredibly successful for building a following and list of potential customers. People gravitate towards authenticity and stories. Telling stories is about as human as it gets.

6. Stay Agile

The digital world changes fast. What works today is probably going to be old news tomorrow. Keep an eye out, adjust as you go, and don’t be afraid to try new things. Want a clear example? No one uses Facebook pages anymore for their brands. It’s moved to TikTok. Maybe you haven’t started a TikTok because you think it doesn’t make sense for your business, but I want to challenge you to get out of your own way!

7. Respond and Be Present

Engagement means being there, consistently. If someone drops a comment or sends a message, make sure you get back to them. It shows you care. And don’t carry a different tone between public and private comments. People are savvy, they’ll pick up on that, and it won’t sit well with them.

Small Changes Lead to Big Impact

The internet as a bustling marketplace. You know how some market stalls grab your attention because they have just the right lighting or display? That’s the magic of small details. Small changes, like tweaking how we present things, can make a huge difference.

In the online business world, it’s not enough just to be present. You want your ‘stall’ to be the one people remember and come back to, and you do this one intentional step at a time.

#entrepreneurship