113. What are branding questions you should ask yourself?
When was the last time you took a step back to think about your brand? 🧐 If it's been a while, you're in for a treat! This episode of Brand Therapy is all about positioning. Hosts Phil and Lauren give you 50 questions that are meant to get you thinking about your brand's past, present, and future. Consider jotting down your answers while listening and then review with fresh eyes once the episode is over!
Episode transcription
Phil
Hello, welcome to Brand Therapy. I'm Phil.
Lauren
And I'm Lauren.
Phil
And this is the podcast where we help you position, build and promote your brand. It's just the two of us today. Welcome. We're happy you're here. Today we're doing something a little bit different. You know, you've made this many podcast episodes, we'd like to get creative and do something we haven't done before. And I told Miss Lauren Moore, not to prepare anything for this. Totally impromptu feels a little bit like improv, actually.
Lauren
I know.
Phil
A little bit like improv, don't you think?
Lauren
Yeah, my hand is just holding a pen itching to prepare, but I can't prepare.
Phil
Wait a second. Wait a second. We're not moving from this topic yet. I want the world, if only the world listened to our podcast, I want our podcast listener world to know your background and passion for improv. I don't think we've ever talked about that.
Lauren
Oh, God. I wasn't good at it.
Phil
You were serious about it. You were doing though, that New York what wa it called?
Lauren
The Upright Citizens Brigade. Yes.
Phil
Yeah. And this was your thing for a while. What did you learn doing improv?
Lauren
This is an interesting question. I learned more business skills from improv than I learned in any business class I took at Western is not so fascinating. I haven't even realized that until now.
Phil
Elaborate.
Lauren
So, I'm always caught up in my head. And always getting anxious about things, particularly things that involve other people, because other people are unpredictable. And what was so fun and freeing about improv is that you have to read the room to arrive or get anywhere. You can't prepare, you can't possibly prepare. And you have to sort of let your guard down and take in the other person and really pay attention. So it really helped my interpersonal skills, even if I wasn't very good at it. I don't mean, I did like all of the levels that they have available before you start going semi pro. But I just think it's so interesting that in order to actually be good at improv, you can't prepare that as soon as you prepare. That's when it's all ruined.
Phil
That makes perfect sense. I think it's an amazing training for anyone who wants to feel confident without planning. I think that's exactly what it is. I never did it like you but I did do it in high school.
Lauren
Did you?
Phil
I didn't do it like you. I did it as an adult extracurricular. But I did do it in high school, I found it terrifying but I found it rewarding. By the way, actually, before we dive into this episode, I should tell people about improv, speaking of presenting. This week on my YouTube channel, I'm talking all about presentation skills and acts. I didn't plan on promoting that, but it feels like the right moment to do so. It's just kind of all of these things, right? If you like feeling confident, not necessarily planning every word you're going to say, that's the zone we're in today.
I came to you with the idea of this episode, we would just give people as many questions as we can. At this moment, I don't know how many questions we're gonna give you all count them after I put them in the title of the episode. We're gonna get as many questions as we can.
Lauren
I love it.
Phil
We're gonna give people as many questions as we can, I think let's just set some ground rules. You and I can interrupt each other, but we'll go back and forth. You and I can go, we can pause and clarify if the question needs a sentence or two explanation, but if it doesn't, we just keep going. Let's give our listener today a lot of questions that they can think about, as they position, build and promote their brand. What do you think?
Lauren
I love it. I love this. So we'll just keep going like a ping pong of branding questions.
Phil
Exactly. And I think we're allowed to interrupt one another. If you think that the question needs a sentence or two have context or explanation.
Lauren
Okay, in the spirit of improv, yes and yes.
Phil
And who would like to go first? And I think let's one more ground rule, I think to get some organization roughly around this, maybe we move in the order of position, build, promote, but don't feel stuck in that order. Kind of let's just go you thinking about someone that's at any point in their business, a series of questions that they should be asking themselves today as they listen to this episode. They think about their brands.
Lauren
Okay.
Phil
Would you like to go first?
Lauren
I will. I'll go first.
How did you get to where you are today?
Phil
What is something you love to do?
Lauren
When have you been recognized for your work in the past?
Phil
Oh, good one.
Lauren
Thank you.
Phil
Now, in response, or part two of my first question, which was, what is something you love to do? Now think about something others need. So balance the two, something you love paired with something other people need. I didn't do a good job of explaining that.
Lauren
I got it. I got exactly what you were saying. Okay. What's a challenge you've recently experienced that you wish had a solution?
Phil
What's something people might not know about you just by looking at you? We love that one.
Lauren
We love that question. I don't even know how I would answer that question. As a side note, anyway, it's not this episode isn't about me. Let me see.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Phil
Good one. If you were to go to your wardrobe, and pull out 10 of your favorite clothing items, throw them onto the bed, how would you describe your color palette or your aesthetic?
Lauren
What do you wish a typical day would look like for you? I had that one in my back pocket.
Phil
Who do you look up to in your industry? Or what bran do you look up to that is in your industry?
Lauren
Describe yourself in three words.
Phil
We love that one.
Lauren
Love that one.
Phil
So I have another follow up. I asked you to think about who you love in your industry, now I'm going to ask you to choose someone intentionally outside of your industry. So someone in a totally different industry than you. Who do you look up to, and why?
Lauren
When you log into any social media account, what catches your eye?
Phil
Good one. If you save posts on Instagram, what type of posts are you saving most of the time?
Lauren
Damn, I was gonna ask that one.
Phil
Oh, sorry, I stole it. But it was, I mean, it was so good. I never asked that question before. But I think it's a good one.
Lauren
Mm hmm. What email newsletters do you love to read?
Phil
Good one.
Lauren
Thanks. I have a few. But maybe that's another episode.
Phil
If someone asked you to describe your brand in a sentence, what would you say?
Lauren
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
phil
Where do you see yourself one year from now?
Lauren
Damn you.
Phil
We do that though, moment of clarification we are just in the opposite order. We ask people to envision themselves one or five years from now. And then when we do a brand audit for a client, shameless plug, we paint that picture for them. Your brand one year from now, your brand five years from now we describe it in lots of detail.
Lauren
What do you hope to be known for?
phil
Who are you and why should people care?
lauren
Do you prefer speaking or writing? And why?
phil
That is such a good question. And not just to stall. But can you explain why that question is important? And I bring it up because we've been asking that more often.
lauren
Yes. So I think that is an important question because there are going to be so many obstacles with posting on social media. There are so many hours in a day that you might as well make it easy for yourself and embrace what you naturally enjoy. On a platform like Instagram, for example, if you don't like speaking, if you don't feel comfortable in front of a camera, then you can like why force it to post a carousel with text. Make it easy for yourself.
phil
Yes, great clarification. So my next question, what is your favorite social media platform to consume content? Where do you enjoy being?
lauren
What physical location most inspires you?
phil
Oh, good one. Explain why that's important.
lauren
You know exactly why. Whenever we help arrange photos for clients, we always recommend to go in an environment that truly inspires you. Number one, it helps us understand you a bit more visually. But number two, it also helps you be at ease a bit more in photography, because you're in a place that brings you happiness.
phil
Excellent.
lauren
So for Phil, he's got a lot of beach photos. And a lot of photos, in Europe, I suppose.
phil
So the next question, which fits hand in hand with this. When was the last time you had updated photos taken?And then an alternate question there is, How long ago was your profile photo on social media taken? How long ago?
lauren
What are some objects of meaning to you and your work? Should I unpack that one a little?
phil
Sure.
lauren
When you're taking photos, it makes life so much easier if you have props. It also helps because it gives the photographer something to capture aside from photos of you, which is great, because you can have filler photos that are of meaning. Those are great for banner images, for breaking up your website, and then your face isn't plastered everywhere. But it's still a consistent visual experience.
Phil
Yes, we often use photos like that on a homepage farther down the page or somewhere like an about or a contact page, just so that it gives them some more dimension.
If you're going to write a book, what would it be about?
lauren
Who is your audience? And what do they care about?
phil
Excellent. So we talked about books with a focus on writing. If you are going to be interviewed on this podcast, let's say, what topic would you want to address in that episode?
lauren
Where does your ideal audience spend their time?
phil
That might be one of the most important questions we've asked.
lauren
I agree. And can I pause to break up the question ping pong? The reason why that question is so important to ask is, a lot of times brands when they're starting to get going on social media are very, very focused on the broadcast. It's all about the message that you're putting out and you're pushing and pushing and pushing, you're not necessarily thinking about who's receiving it, and who's going to be on the other side. And by asking yourself where your audience is going to be, it helps you better focus your broadcasting efforts to make sure that the person you want receiving the message is actually going to be there. As an example, if you're choosing between, if you're posting a lot on Instagram, instead of LinkedIn, it might be worth considering where your audiences are so you can better use your time.
phil
Love it. So we're at 30 questions. How many do you think we should do total?
lauren
You’ve been counting, wow.
phil
I think that we could get to 50. Again, we're improvising. So one question is not more important than another, but by us giving the listener lots to think about, I think some of these questions will strike people differently. And it'll be useful for them. So I'm odd numbers, you're even. Not that that matters. And I'm keeping track really putting my multitasking skills to work here. So question 31
What do you want to be remembered for?
lauren
What is your Myers Briggs Type Indicator?
phil
Such a good one and one that has come up more often with clients. Why do you pick Myers Briggs over others?
lauren
Because there's a free version online. But if a client is willing to invest in one of them, I think Strengthsfinder is the best. It now has a new name like Clifton strengths or something, but it's still the same thing.
phil
The free version online is called 16 personalities.
lauren
Yes, of Myers Briggs. It's called 16 personalities. And I just think it's quite illuminating, for me at least to see, first of all, where clients get their energy from, is it from what's around them or what's inside of them? How do they look at the world? Do they ask why or do they ask how? Do they make decisions based on feelings or thoughts? That's really fascinating. And then are they organized or a bit more spur of the moment? All of those factors help paint a picture of what kind of brand they should have and really where their true powers lie when posting online.
phil
Love it. It has helped us, it's helped us assess our team. But also, it's interesting for us to learn about a client. You asked a good question earlier, describe yourself in three words, I have a follow up to that.
How would others describe you in one word?
And I can give a quick explanation of how to do that. So you would go on Facebook, or go on a platform of choice and say, describe me in one word, that will lead to some pretty high engagement. And you'll look and see on that thread of what people are saying. And if one or similar words start to pop up more often, that helps you increase your self awareness by learning about other people's experience of you. Very helpful.
lauren
I have, I guess, a trilogy, question to add to. So my third question in that vein is, what are three words you'd use to describe a brand you admire?
phil
Great.
How much time do you have in a day or in a week to promote yourself, or be active on social media?
lauren
What do you care about?
phil
What is your greatest fear?
lauren
Oh, I like that one. I'm really having to start digging deep here.
phil
I know. But that's where the most interesting questions come from.
Lauren
Yeah, I want to tell myself that. As the quality of them just drops significantly.
What colors are you naturally drawn to?
Phil
Good one. I can't believe this next question hasn't come up yet. What is your business goal?
lauren
How do you currently make money?
phil
Are you more interested in a business you can scale and sell, or a business you can have as a lifestyle?
lauren
Ooh. Hmm. Do you like working with groups or one on one?
phil
Good one. Okay, this question has definitely come up before, if you won the lottery today, what would you do with your time tomorrow?
lauren
That's a good one. What's your answer?
phil
I would travel. Honestly, I would probably do the same thing. I love the work that we do. I would probably do the same thing. Maybe be I guess, be more selective of projects. But I'll be honest, our clients right now are so amazing that I don't even think I change that. So how, how nice to be in a position to actually say I wouldn’t change a thing.
Lauren
What do you want your sales process to look like?
phil
Good one. I like where you're going with this.
Describe in detail, one person who represents your target market. Describe them qualitatively.
lauren
What sets you apart from your competitors.
phil
You are fast on that one.
lauren
I'm trying to buy time, throwing this hot potato, so I could have enough time for my next one.
phil
I'm like Lauren, please elaborate on that one, while I come up with an answer to a question. We have two left. Two questions left.
Lauren
Aren't you next time?
phil
What is something memorable about you or unique about your personality?
lauren
This next question might be like a cheat.
Phil
I think this is the final question.
Lauren
It's the final question.
Phil
How did I get the counting responsibility? No, go for it. Give us the final question.
lauren
What are you going to do next?
phil
Perfect way to summarize it. Thank you. perfect way to wrap this up in a bow. So we have given you 50 branding questions to think about as you position, build and promote your brand. I mean, we're gonna leave it at that because I don't want to inundate you with more. This will be a fun episode for you to go back and listen to and, you know, write down your answers. Think about your answers. Whatever system works best for you. We have given you 50 questions. Now we want to hear from you #brandtherapy on social media. You can find us I'm @philpallen
lauren
I'm @thelaurenmoore
Phil
We're dying to hear from you. Which question resonated most with you? What does it have you thinking about? Share it this with us? If you take the time to listen to our podcast, we definitely want to hear from you. If you have time, head to the iTunes Store and leave us a review five star, five star that helps other people discover this podcast that we work very hard to create. We'll leave it there, questions for you to think about. Good luck and we'll see you back on the next episode of Brand Therapy.
Thanks for a fun little episode. We did something different here.
lauren
That was really fun. Have a great day.
phil
See you next time.
