True to life

A strong brand is vital to attract the right clients. Brand marketing expert Ruth Zawoda Clea explains how to align your brand with your mission to increase authenticity and customer loyalty

There’s no beating around the bush on this one: the UK beauty and aesthetics industry is competitive.

However, prospective clients and patients who are seeking truly qualified and reputable solutions understand how to sort the wheat from the chaff, and these people likely fit into the ideal personas you want to attract.

No matter how qualified, skilled or experienced you are within your field, a prestigious, strong and authentic brand identity is paramount if you want your target audience to find you – and choose you – online.

Whether you are promoting a personal brand, a business brand or both, the significance of staying true to your brand identity cannot be overstated when it comes to marketing your services and executing your true brand mission. Core values, cohesive branding elements and authentic content creation are all vital to build trust and credibility.

Define your mission and values

A clear mission and core values lie at the heart of any successful business but are particularly pertinent to those in the medical aesthetics and advanced beauty field, as trust is of the utmost importance. So, where do you start?

Vision: Firstly, identify the purpose and vision behind your clinic or service so you can create a focused and impactful brand. You can find your vision when you really understand your “why”. Why are you doing this? What are the long-term goals? Who do you want to be?

Core values: You must define your own core values that genuinely align with your vision and resonate with your target audience, forging a strong emotional connection.

Often, people choose values that everyone can relate to: “trusted”, “professional”, “personal” and “resultsdriven”. Although these are great values to have, everyone talks about them, and in truth, they should be a given and don’t make you unique.

If you don’t know your core values yet, or you haven’t written them down officially, my advice is always to think of your brand as a person. What are your qualities, and how are you different? How do you make people feel? Why should people trust you? For example, would your colleagues and family describe you as: real, genuine, kind, devoted, amiable, proficient, distinguished, esteemed or stellar?

Even if it feels uncomfortably egotistical, or clouds your anxious thoughts with imposter syndrome, you must bask in your brilliance and shout about what makes you exceptional, and you can do this through your values. You don’t necessarily need to publish or post your values anywhere – as long as you try to live by them, and they are encapsulated within your tone of voice and the content you put out to the world.

Mission statement: Finally, crafting a compelling mission statement for your business will help to guide your brand’s direction, ensuring every aspect of your clinic or business reflects your vision and values. Your mission is essentially how you will get to achieve your vision, while honouring your values every step of the way.

Identify your target audience

To run a thriving beauty and aesthetics business, understanding your target audience is a necessity. Your target audience is made up of the personas that fit your ideal client avatars.

Remember, cemented and trusted brand awareness isn’t just about marketing and consistent content to convert new clients; it’s also baout ensuring your clinic or service meets the expectations and desires of those that have chosen to come to you. Make sure you reflect your brand values operationally, through every step of your client’s journey. This is how clients become clients for life.

Branding to reflect mission

By designing a visually appealing logo and brand aesthetics that represent your mission and values, you vividly convey your unique essence. Selecting appropriate colour schemes, typography and imagery allows you to evoke the desired emotions in your target audience, establishing a powerful relationship with them.

Authentic content creation

By harnessing the power of storytelling, you can effectively convey your brand’s mission through authentic content creation. Genuine and relatable content helps forge meaningful connections with potential and ongoing clients.

Video testimonials, before and afters, reviews and FAQs are all examples of engaging content. Publishing this kind of content, not just on your website but also on social media platforms, allows you to share your brand’s story, fostering engagement and loyalty from followers who resonate with your message.

Remember: maintaining consistency across touchpoints and platforms is crucial.

Stay true to your mission

In the long run, a genuine and mission-driven approach reaps numerous benefits, from establishing loyal clientele to carving a distinct niche in a competitive market. Stay true to your mission and watch your clinic or salon brand flourish with authenticity and purpose.

Ruth Zawoda Clea runs La Fuente aesthetics clinic in Warwickshire and is also chief executive of Truly Content, which provides marketing, design, digital and content services.