Branding is kind of a big thing in the world of an entrepreneur and it's something you want to make sure to get right so that you are set apart and set up to successfully connect and communicate with the right people.
But honestly? Branding can go so much further beyond business, which is something I'm chatting about with my lovely guest, Cathy Olson.
Cathy has been beautifying brands and designing experiences of digital delight for over 17 years, including working with multi-million dollar brands.
Now as founder of Love Inspired, an international branding and web design studio with a boutique approach, she helps creatives package their expertise in a way that excites eyes, hugs hearts, and cues cha-chings.
Cathy's Boss Mom Journey
Cathy starts off by sharing that she's been a creative person her whole life and always had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to do with her life.
Her aunt was a graphic designer and her grandpa was an architect, so she grew up seeing people get paid to do art and knew she wanted to get into doing some kind of commercial art.
She's now been a graphic designer for the past 17 years and went out on her own nearly 10 years ago. Though she started working with bigger brands, which had a lot of advantages, at the end of the day she felt like it was always about the bottom line and the experience lacked the kind of heart and passion she was looking for.
When she got engaged she started creating custom wedding invitations on the side to help pay for her wedding, but never planned for it to be an actual business. Eventually though, she had two full-time gigs on her hands and she had to make a decision.
In 2008 she quit her "cushy" job at the heigh of the economic recession, which she was criticized for at the time. But when deciding between working with the bigger companies or working with amazing, passion-driven clients in the wedding industry, it was a no-brainer for her.
Luckily she made the right decision, because just four months later the company she had been working for ended up doing a bunch of layoffs and she's certain she would have been included.
Ever since then she's been doing her thing, and growing Love Inspired into what it is today. Her focus now is really helping the business owners who are in spaces that feel overcrowded and like no one’s listening. Together, they work to create a brand and website that is different and unique, that stands out and makes a real impact instead of just being "one of the many."
Important Things to Consider When Building Your Website
After so many years in this industry, and being an entrpreneur herself, Cathy has a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to creating beautiful, functional websites that convert like crazy and reach the right people with your message.
She talks about how people often go straight into design without first bearing in mind user experience. She suggests starting with the journey you want to take people on in mind first, then figuring out how to beautify that journey.
Your homepage is the place where you want to make a lasting impression and answer everyone's primary question: "am I in the right spot?"
Another important thing is making sure to clearly share who you are and what you do....but in a way that makes it about them, not you. They are the ones you're trying to guide through a journey of recognizing their need or desire for you, not the other way around.
Cathy also stresses the power of eliminating overwhelm when creating your website. Focusing on making your website user experience as streamlined and guided as possible will help you so much in the long run.
You need to be tracking your analytics (what are the paths most traveled) so you can be strategic about how to connect with them and create the end result. Think about their journey.
Tools That Cathy Loves & Recommends
Something brilliant that Cathy shared is that there is variability between people's conscious and subconscious, which means people will tell you things that are different from what they are actually doing.
Using tools to actually track and see what people are doing on your website helps you be strategic about how to connect with them and create the end result you want.
Referenced in the Show:
(Just FYI, some of these links may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using the links I may receive some love in return!)
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Connect with Dana & Cathy
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