Impactful & Intentional Author Brands

Have you ever thought about the importance of branding your author platform? Or do you think that it’s something that only business owners and influencers need to worry about?

I can tell you right now that branding yourself as an author absolutely does matter!

Well, it’s true!

Otherwise, you could be missing out on opportunities to expand your reach to more readers, chances for publishing your books, and more.

And while you can definitely choose to ignore the importance of branding your author platform, I highly suggest that you at least give it a think.

Click the play button on the podcast player to listen now!

https://youtu.be/k9UFQpwiTkk

In this episode, we’ll be discussing: 

* The 3 questions to ask yourself to gauge how your current author platform is working for you.* How to tell if branding is going to be the next best step for you.* Why branding is the simplest way to get your book(s) in front of more readers.

Resources Mentioned:

* Subscribe to my newsletter* Gift yourself my freebie

Music Credits: 

* Music Credits: Introduction Music: https://audionautix.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com Background Music: Naya by HaTom https://fanlink.to/HaTom Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/naya-hatom Music promoted by Audio Library Naya – HaTom (No Copyright Music) Outro Music: Modular Ambient 04 | Royalty Free Music

Thank you so much for joining me today. If you enjoyed this episode, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast here. And if you're feeling extra inspired, leave a review here. I will be forever grateful to you. 

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Anna: [00:00:00] Why does branding your author platform matter? Because it helps you-- the author-- reach more of  people that you want to read and buy your books. 

Hi, I'm Anna, a brand strategist and designer walking with authors. Like you.

The value of using empowerment in brand messaging

Let's revisit who can use branding and brand strategy. Do you think that only small business owners can use those tools? If you said yes, I'd beg to differ.  How about authors, writers and visual storytellers? Can they use branding to their advantage? Well, I think that the answer is a big old yes. In fact, I'd say that branding your author platform is essential to your success.  

Today, we'll talk with published author Sierra Barela. She'll discuss her own brand strategy, messaging, and important brand visuals. She's even going to offer some free advice about how an aspiring writer can start to brand her own author platform. 

Stay tuned. 

In this episode, we’ll be discussing: 

* What drew Sierra to writing [2:08]* Her challenges as an author [5:24]* The importance of the author platform for all authors [8:25]* Copywriting, brand messaging, and branding her author platform [11:15]* Sierra’s essential visual branding assets [15:22]* Her branding advice for aspiring authors [18:50]

Resources Mentioned:

* Subscribe to my newsletter* Gift yourself my freebie* Follow Sierra @sierravbarela* Read Sierra’s books https://www.authorsierrabarela.com/shop

Music Credits: 

* Introduction Music: Water Wood & Stone Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com* Transition Music: Catalyst https://www.purple-planet.com  * Outro Music: No More by HaTom_music from Pixabay

Thank you so much for joining me today. If you enjoyed this episode, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast here. And if you're feeling extra inspired, leave a review here. I will be forever grateful to you. 

Transcript:

Anna: [00:00:00] Let's revisit who can use branding and brand strategy. Do you think that only small business owners can use those tools? If you said yes, I'd beg to differ.  

How about authors, writers and visual storytellers? Can they use branding to their advantage? Well, I think that the answer is a big old yes. In fact, I'd say that branding your author platform is essential to your success.  

Today, we'll talk with published author Sierra Barela. She'll discuss her own brand strategy, messaging, and important brand visuals. She's even going to offer some free advice about how an aspiring writer can start to brand her own author platform. 

Stay tuned. 

Anna: You're working hard,

Crafting a brand message by building relationships, focusing on the impact she wants to make, finding her niche, and taking risks

[powerpress]

So tell me, dear listener, when you think of a brand strategy, what comes to mind? Is that the way that your brand looks? Is it creating a marketing strategy to sell as many products as possible? 

But what if I told you that there was so much more? 

It?s about building relationships with you customers or clients. It?s about showing up amidst the feeling of not being good enough. It?s about taking risks. It?s about making the necessary changes to better serve your audience. But most importantly, it?s about leaving the planet a little bit of a better place because you were here, serving. 

It?s what allows you to make an impact while making a profit. 

So how do you do that? I believe that you do that through your brand message.

Your brand message is about who you are, what you do, who you serve, why you do it, and how you do it differently. Your brand message is the core of how you can leave the world a little bit better because you were here providing your services. Making an impact while making a profit. 

But that's not always an easy path if you don't know exactly how to define any of you who?s, what?s, why?s, and how?s.

Today we?ll be interviewing one of my very lovely clients Lee Stiffler Meyer. She's an amazing photographer and does beautiful work. We'll be talking with her about her own journey to craft a brand message and strategy. A message and a strategy that allows her to serve her community through her services. How it allows her to make an impact while making a profit, and all while doing what she loves. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

[skipto time="3:24"] Lee?s background as a photographer

[skipto time="6:20"] Lee?s transition into photography from her previous career

[skipto time="14:25"] The impact she wants to make with her business

[skipto time="17:44"] The surprising power of relationships to craft her brand message

[skipto time="21:59"] How continuing to learn her craft and taking risks helps her grow her business

[skipto time="30:43"] The changes she?s made to bring more intentionality to her strategy

[skipto time="36:48"] How to connect with Lee online

Conclusion

Today, we heard about Lee?s journey of building  her community and building relationships. We heard about how she?s been able to show up, even with her doubts and challenges. (Which I think just makes her that much more of a rockstar!) 

Lee also talked about the impact that she wants to make--and is making--in the world with her services.

All of those things put together helped to form a brand message that informs and empowers her strategy. It allows her to make the impact she wants to make in the world. Leaving the world a better place because of how she serves. 

If you would like to have help clarifying your brand message, so that you too can start making a positive impact through your services,  I?m now booking projects for the months of April and May. 

All you have to do is to follow the link in the show notes below and fill out the contact form provided. And we'll get started on your beautiful brand message, so that you can build your impactful and profitable brand.  

The Surprising Truth About why a Messy Brand Strategy is the Better Way to Go

[powerpress]

Creating a brand strategy that works for you isn't always a straightforward process. And in a lot of cases, it can be a bit of a mess from the outside. It can be especially messy when you throw in a chronic illness. All the health issues, hospital stays, lots of doctor visits, and all the medicine! Basically, you�ve got a whole lot of things to juggle while trying to pursue your dreams. But that doesn't mean that a brand strategy can�t be intentional and impactful.  

This is part 2 of our interview with Elizabeth Amber, a woman living with cystic fibrosis (aka CF). And if you haven't listened to part one yet, I highly suggest you go back and listen to it before continuing with this episode. 

During the last episode, we talked with Elizabeth about how having a brand strategy helped her pursue her writing career by finding a strategy that worked with her health instead of against it.   

Today we are going to be continuing that conversation. We'll continue our conversation with Elizabeth about the lessons she�s learned from living with cystic fibrosis and recovering from a transplant. While getting a little bit messy by experimenting with different processes to discover her brand strategy. We�ll also hear how she�s learned to stop comparing her strategies to society�s definition of �the right way,� and finally how she�s learned that she�s needed to set boundaries to make her strategy work for her. It may have appeared a bit messy, but it was the strategy she needed. 

So let's grab a cup of coffee and dig in.

In this episode, we discuss: 

[skipto time="3:15"] Lessons from living CF and transplant

[skipto time="14:40"] Getting messy - experimenting with different strategies

[skipto time="17:38"] Defining profitability while living with a chronic illness

[skipto time="31:33"] Defining your boundaries

Get in Touch

I would love to hear from you. If you have any experience about how you've been able to balance your health well, taking care of yourself for your family and pursuing your dreams or ambitions. I'd love to hear from you. You can send me an email with my address listed in the show notes below. Just click on that link and send me a quick message.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

Music Credits:

* Intro Music: Water Wood & Stone Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

* Outro Music: No More Music by HaTom_music from Pixabay

* Transition Music: Catalyst https://www.purple-planet.com

Episode transcript:

* https://annamcveytyson.wpengine.com/6qs7

Want more?

Connect with Elizabeth Amber @creamandsalt on Instagram

Listen to the other podcast episodes here

Message Anna 

How a brand strategy can help women living with a chronic illness to pursue their career ambitions

[powerpress]

Part of the reason that I started this podcast was to encourage and empower women--like you, dear listener--from all walks of life to show how having a brand strategy can help you pursue your entrepreneurial dreams, and this goes for women living with chronic illnesses, physical conditions that limit your energy and time to do something besides just paying attention to your health. So today we�re discussing how using brand strategies can help women living with chronic illnesses pursue goals and still take care of their health.

Why is this important to me? Because I myself am a woman living with a chronic illness, cystic fibrosis (CF). CF is primarily known as a lung disease but it also affects the way I live my life. Physical, mental, and emotional barriers are common. And time constraints are part of the package too, since there�s a lot of time dedicated to just staying well and preventing lung infections. There�s more to it, but that�s the gist.

So I began to think about all the other women out there living with chronic illnesses who still have dreams and goals they want to pursue. Just because we have limitations and need to take care of our health doesn�t mean that all ambitions fly out the window.

So this episode is part 1 of a short series all about empowering women with chronic conditions to pursue your dreams and how leveraging a brand strategy can help you use your time and energy to be intentional about what you do and how to make it fit your needs.

We�re talking with Elizabeth Amber, another woman living with CF, and discussing how she has intentionally pursued her own dreams for her writing career, even while waiting for a transplant.

In this episode we discuss:

* Elizabeth�s Background [03:18]* Her Unconventional & Beautiful Pursuit of her Writing Career [07:33]* The Journey to Form Her Own Brand Strategy That Works for Her Health Needs [14:10]* Elizabeth's Definition of Success [18:39]* The Art of Working with the Energy She Has to Work Without Spreading Herself Too Thin [26:52]

Get your free journal prompts here:

Are you wondering what is a good first step to start your own brand strategy? Well, I�ve got you covered. A good step to start your own brand strategy is to define your brand values. But do you know how to define them? I�ve got you covered again. I�ve created journal prompts for you, that ask thought-provoking questions to help define and refine your values.  It�s the easiest way to get started on your own brand strategy. The free journal prompts will help you find your values without wasting time trying to come up with your own. You can download them here. Go on, you know you want to. 

Music Credits:

* Intro Music: Water Wood & Stone Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com* Outro Music: No More Music by HaTom_music from Pixabay* Transition Music: Catalyst https://www.purple-planet.com

Episode transcript:

*

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In less time than it takes to make dinner.

Your days are filled with chasing after your kids, serving your clients, planning dinner, trying to get that last load of laundry folded, and so much more...It�s like you never have enough time to get #allthethings done. Forget about making time to build your brand! There�s no way you can possibly fit that into your already packed days. From one business-owning mom to another, I get it. I�m a brand strategist, and even I struggled with this in the beginning. But what if I told you that starting to build your brand doesn�t have to be exhausting or time-consuming? I�ve got some knowledge that I�m happy to share with you, and it all starts with discovering your brand values. 

It�s a simple place to start without adding yet another overwhelming task to your to-do list. Ready to start building your brand with an impactful strategy? Ready to do it in less time than it takes to make dinner? These tips to find your brand values will help you build a strong foundation for your brand and allow you to get back to business in no time--or at least allow you to make sure Johnny isn�t pulling all the pots and pans out of the cupboards again. Whatever you have to get back to, here is my simple, time-saving process to build a strong foundation for your impactful and profitable brand.

Schedule it

You want to find your brand values in a timely fashion, right? There are time constraints you have, so the most important thing to do is figuring out how to fit it into your calendar. My recommendation is to pick a day on your calendar that allows you thirty minutes to work on it. For me, if it�s not scheduled, it�s likely not going to get done. So by scheduling it, I�m committing to it. Maybe you�re the same way. Otherwise, it can get lost among the kids� activities, the emails, the dirty dishes, etc. So commit to the day and time for yourself. 

And I know that thirty minutes doesn�t seem like a lot, but it�s enough time to work through the brand values discovery process. You might be surprised by what you can do in thirty minutes. Working in 30-minute intervals is actually a productivity technique called the Pomodoro method. I won�t go into depth on that today, but I just want you to know that you can build a strong foundation for your business in a short amount of time, even with everything else going on. I believe in you!

If you want to save even more time in discovering your brand values, you can download my free journal prompts here. I�ve created these journal prompts for you, so you can make the most of your 30-minute sprint session! It�s the easiest way to get started. 

Find your why

Next is one of my favorite things to do ever...Journal!  Answering some journal prompts will help you dig into your why--the purpose behind your brand--getting to the heart of your values. You don�t necessarily have to journal in a notebook. Use whatever you like to record your notes. Whether that be Voice Memos, a Word/Google Doc, tattooing it on your arm, etc. just pick the note-taking method that works best for you. The most important thing is to ask yourself thought-provoking questions that help you discover your why. 

Here are a few of my favorite jou...

This one�s for the remote-working moms (aka WFH moms) with kids doing the virtual learning thing.

This pandemic is awful. I mean, life can be crazy enough, right?  The pressure of working from home and having to help your kids learn virtually is a lot! Forget about finding time to finally implement a brand strategy. I know; I�m right there with you. But what if I told you that you can save time by crafting a strategic brand strategy?  I�m sharing the top 3 tips a strategic approach to branding gives you the time to make sure that you�re present with your kids when they need you.

Click To Tweet

In this episode we discuss:

* The 3 top tips to make an impactful brand strategy [00:56]* Creating a brain dump for your brand strategy [02:12]* Focusing on one task at a time from your brain dump [03:46]* Giving yourself and your child some space for completing your tasks and clearly communicating your boundaries with your child [04:54]

Music Credits:

* Intro Music: Water Wood & StoneCreative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com* Outro Music: No More Music by HaTom_music from Pixabay* Transition Music: Catalyst https://www.purple-planet.com

Episode transcript:

* https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-DT9JF2IdmvWF0yQ6wK25Lr9QoIFSKLG/view?usp=sharing

Want more? 

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