Your (brand) vibe attracts your (customer) tribe- How to get this right to attract your dream clients!
You’ve heard the phrase ‘Your vibe attracts your tribe’, right?
Probably way too many times, on way too many cliché social pages, causing you to scroll right past without a single thought about it (although maybe a little eye roll!). But, have you ever thought about how this is actually really relevant to your business?
Think of your vibe as your brand; the unique personality and identity that you put out into the world that reflects your businesses core.
Now think of your tribe as your customers; the people who champion your business and want/need your product or service.
If your vibe (brand) is off, it’s at best going to attract the wrong type of customer, and at worst going to attract no one at all. After all, you wouldn’t want to hang around with someone who you didn’t gel with in real life, so equally why would you want to engage with a business that you don’t relate to?
If your vibe (brand) is off, it’s at best going to attract the wrong type of customer, and at worst going to attract no one at all.
Jade - Clare Anne Creative Co
First, let’s bust a myth!
This is a great opportunity to address a business myth that is so often believed: That you have to attract absolutely anyone and everyone you possilby can, whoever they may be, to your business, and be grateful for their custom.
Wrong.
You absolutely don’t, and shouldn’t. There are two key reasons for this:
By trying to appeal to everyone, you are really appealing to no one in particular and so in fact limiting your potential reach/ability to resonate and attract customers.
There is a ‘dream client’ that you would love to get to work with, and you deserve to get clients who set your soul on fire and make you enjoy what you do. That’s what life as an entrepreneur is about, right? You could go do a job you don’t enjoy for someone else. These dream clients are also the ones who will be willing to pay what you’re worth, and whilst we should all love what we do, we also have bills to pay (and candles to buy)!
Ok, now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get back to your vibe and your tribe.
In a nutshell, by creating a strong, clear and consistent brand, you have the power to attract your dream audience, AND, perhaps more importantly, repel those who aren’t in alignment with you and your business.
This means that you will be attracting a smaller pool of people BUT a much more like-minded, engaged and aligned group that will be way more likely to convert, and thoroughly enjoy working with you/using your product or service.
Getting your vibe (brand) right
With some of the key benefits of creating a brand (vibe) that attracts your dream customer (tribe) in mind, let’s look at a few ways you can get this right today.
This is something I could go on for days about, but for now here are some simple do’s and don’ts for getting your vibe right so you can start attracting those elusive dream customers:
1) DON’T PRETEND TO BE SOMEONE YOU’RE NOT
The idea of putting up a personality shield and protecting yourself from the judgement of others can be very seductive; no one likes to be judged or rejected, and so totally hiding your you-ness from your business seems like a great way to protect yourself (I’m speaking from experience here).
The issue with this though is your you-ness is your brand superpower, and the moment you are in pretend-perfect-person/biz mode, you are being inauthentic, and people can smell it from a mile away. It actually creates a lack of trust, and also makes your brand totally unrelatable.
The other thing is, that pretending is hard to keep doing, in fact, it’s totally draining and stresses you out (again, I’ve been there and it sucks). The answer here is to be yourself! Tune in to what makes you you, and share that through your brand. Yes, it’s scary, but it’s also (in my opinion) the most valuable thing you can do to create a true connection with your audience and customers.
“The idea of putting up a personality shield & protecting yourself from judgement can be very seductive - but your you-ness is your superpower!”
2) DO SHOW UP AUTHENTICALLY & WHOLEHEARTEDLY
Earlier this year I discovered Brené Brown, and all the pieces to the authentic brand puzzle I have been putting together fell into place with a huge clunk. Wholeheartedness, the most wonderfully loaded concept, is the key to creating a successful, authentic brand (and life!).
When you show up authentically and wholeheartedly, you offer your audience something beautiful; the opportunity to engage with something in this highlight-reel digital world that is very rare - humanity. Real human-ness. Something they can truly relate to, and that my friend creates belonging, one of the strongest and most fundamental human needs.
If you haven’t discovered Brené yet (I was super late to the party), I thoroughly recommend her books (especially Daring Greatly & The Gifts of Imperfection) & her two amazing podcasts. A friend recommended I check out her work, and it has shifted my entire outlook and understanding on life.
3) DO SHARE THINGS YOU & YOUR DREAM CLIENT FIND MUTUALLY INSPIRING, EDUCATIONAL OR INTERESTING
So we’re being authentic now, and that’s great, but we still need to make sure that what we are sharing on our blog our social media accounts is actually relevant or valuable in some way to our audience. Pictures of your lunch probably don’t need to be on your feed (unless you're a food blogger! 🍔). Instead, look at things directly relevant to your product and service, but also things outside of this that might also interest your audience.
For example, I specialise in design and marketing, but anyone who needs those services is a small business owner, and I love talking about small business life! Also, I want to attract passionate, wholehearted people, so I talk about my journey of self-growth in this area too.
4) DO SPEAK YOUR TRUTH (IN A CONSIDERED, KIND WAY)
Embracing your vibe and being yourself involves speaking your truth, but you should always do this from a place of kindness, compassion and without judgement.
The internet affords us all a platform to share, and the voice this platform gives us should come from a good place, always. In addition, when doing so I would advise making the default assumption that your standpoint needs some learning done around it first, before sharing. Ignorance is not bliss, it is dangerous, and there is always a chance you might be wrong in your view.
Plus, to be wholehearted in this instance involves being able to see another’s side of the story, and approach a conversation open-heartedly, fairly and always leading with understanding and acceptance at the forefront.
Lead with kindness.
5) DON’T JUST HOPE FOR THE BEST & WING IT WITH YOUR BRAND
Crafting your brand with consciousness and consideration is a key way to succeed in business, and the best thing about it is that any business, of any size, can choose to do so.
You don’t need a 6-figure marketing budget, you don’t need to be Nike, in fact, you don’t need anything at all other than the commitment to spending the time and the willingness to dig deep enough to consider who you really are and what you’re trying to achieve.
Once you’ve done that, you can be more thoughtful, intentional and strategic with how you deploy your brand into the world.
6) DON’T LET IT ALL HANG OUT
I know I have told you to be authentic, but it’s still important to keep some things to yourself. Remember, your audience doesn’t need to hear about things like the big fight you just had with your SO, or a car park disagreement with another driver… Authenticity is very different to over-sharing.
The goal here is to decide on topic boundaries that feel comfortable and appropriate for you, and then commit to sticking to those boundaries. Also, remember to then consider what topics your audience would appreciate/benefit from you being open and vulnerable about, and go with those.
Being authentic does not mean sharing absolutely everything, it just means being real about the bits you do share.
Here at Clare Anne Creative Co I am going to be sharing everything I have learned, and continue to learn, about crafting an authentic brand identity and deploying it through wholehearted marketing, to reach and connect with your dream audience and build a business you love.
On top of it being an area that I totally geek out on and have dedicated years to studying, it’s also something I have first-hand experience in, having created my own beautiful brand and thriving small business.
If you’d like to come with me on this journey and get updates when new articles and free resources go live, please do subscribe below, I would love to have you hear!
