6 Ways to Elevate your Brand

“No one values what I do! People keep saying ‘that’s too expensive,’ but if I drop my prices any lower…I won’t survive.”

Don’t worry, I’ve heard it ALL before!

If you want to build a premium brand, you have to ELEVATE it in people’s minds. And to do that, you have to elevate it in your own mind first!

Let’s look at some of the ways to ELEVATE your brand and make it a premium brand that’s at the top of people’s minds.

This is for you if:

You’re tired of people devaluing your product or service, while you struggle to make ends meet.
You want to build a premium brand that stands out from the crowd and gets noticed.
You want to sell higher-ticket offers and attract higher-quality clients who value what you do.

Sell something bigger

This is the number one way to elevate your brand – showing people that you’re actually offering something deeply important to them.

I’m not talking about size or the price tag -- I’m talking about selling something BEYOND the product or service you offer. Something more valuable.

Apple is not just selling the iPhone – it’s selling a cooler self-image. TOMS isn’t just selling shoes, it’s selling the feeling of doing something good. Starbucks isn’t just selling coffee, it’s selling a feeling of sophistication.

So… what are you REALLY selling?

Read more: What are you REALLY selling?

Dream big and share a vision

Premium brands inspire people to believe something is possible. They aren’t just satisfied with the status quo – they dare to dream bigger. They give people a philosophy to agree with and embody.

What do you dare to dream is possible? What do you inspire your dream clients to believe can happen? What is the better future you are helping to create, that your customers and clients will want to be a part of? Invite them to join a movement to build a better world, whatever that means to you and your dream client.

Read more: Find your Voice + Message

Create premium offers

To build a premium brand, you need to put a premium offer on the table. You may even consider dropping some of your lower-priced offers and replacing them with higher-cost ones, to signal commitment to quality and a higher-end experience.

If I tell you about two companies that do similar work, but one of them requires a minimum one-week contract for $1,000 and one requires a six-month contract for $26,000, which one would you think offers a higher-end service?

Probably the latter, because it’s not chasing after a hundred dollars. It has bigger fish to fry!

This doesn’t mean you only serve people who have a lot of money to spend. It means you’re targeting people who place a high VALUE on your product or service.

I might spend $2500 on a new laptop, and then gawk at a Nordstrom’s price tag. My friend might gladly pay $1200 for a Gucci purse, and use a hand-me-down computer for 10 years. We all have different priorities and things we value, and offering more high-end products and services will naturally appeal to customers and clients who place a premium on getting the best in your category.

Be one of a kind

Be different. The simple truth is that different = rare, and rare = premium. If you’re just offering the same thing as everyone else, the same message, the same experience, you cheapen your product or service. You become more in the “dime a dozen” category than the “one in a million” category.

It’s not enough to do what everyone else is doing – you need to look with fresh eyes at your customer experience and ask, what would solve the current pain points people have with my industry, and what would make this truly delightful and surprising in the best possible way?

This doesn’t have to be expensive – Right now I’m sitting at Halcyon Café in Dallas, looking at my soy latte sitting on a little plate – with two animal crackers. They probably cost the cafe less than 5 cents, but it was such a nice little surprise that I won’t forget it! It made the experience feel special and unique – and therefore more luxurious.

Take the stage

One of the fastest ways to elevate your brand is to get in front people and position yourself as the expert. This can be as simple as hopping onto social media and doing a live training in a subject you care about, or you can pursue media opportunities on other people’s platforms.

For example, you can offer to be a guest expert on a blog or podcast, write op-eds (i.e., guest articles) in publications, land shout-outs from influencers… anything that gets you in front of people sharing what you have to say and offer.

Don’t wait until you have a huge following to apply for media appearances! Start small, with podcasts and blogs that are accessible but have a sizable following. Maybe offer to be one of the first few guests on your friend’s new pod. As you grow, you’ll have opportunities for bigger and more well-known platforms.

And don’t be afraid to aim high! You never know who will say yes.

Visual & verbal clues

One more way to elevate your brand is to give verbal and visual clues signaling quality and a premium experience.

Your tone of voice is important for conveying quality. That doesn’t mean you have to sound boring or formal – after all, “professional” doesn’t mean devoid of personality. It doesn’t mean you can’t use exclamation marks or lingo your dream client uses! Just paying attention to and being deliberate in your grammar, word choice, and spelling can go a long way toward signaling quality and pride in your content!

Then there are visual clues for quality. For example, the black and white both convey luxury – think about an expensive device you might buy… chances are good that it will be black or white!

Including large amounts of white space (or “empty space,” since it’s not necessarily white) also communicates luxury, and that the subject of the image deserves extra space and all the attention (rather than an image with clutter, where lots of things are competing for attention).

Think about a high-end jewelry store where there are a small number of pieces carefully placed around the store, each given a lot of space, versus a jewelry store where everything is packed into an overcrowded display case. Less is more!

Those are just a few ways to elevate your brand and convey high quality and luxury – even without saying a word! I’d love to know what you do to elevate your brand – get in touch on Instagram and send me a message letting me know!

Recap!

6 key ways you can elevate your brand:

Sell something bigger + more valuable
Dream big + share your vision
Create premium offers + experiences
Be one of a kind, not a dime-a-dozen
Take the stage
Send visual + verbal cues

Ultimately, you’ll find new ways to communicate that yours is a premium brand offering a premium experience. Don’t discount your own intuition about what works for your brand!

Next steps

BOTH of the resources below will help you get started with building YOUR premium brand.

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Hi! I’m Ashley.

I’m all about growing your mission-driven business with heart and intention. If you need help connecting authentically with your dream clients, you’re in the right place!

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