What Do New Doulas Need to Know About Branding?
-
Welcome to Doula Tips and Tits. This podcast is a place where we answer one question about doula work, both to support you and to help you support your clients. I'm Kaely Harrod. I've been supporting families in this perinatal space since my oldest was born 12 nearly 13 years ago. I am a birth and postpartum doula childbirth educator, La Leche League Leader and a doula coach. I love guiding and supporting doulas as they work out their doula business. It is a tremendous joy to be trusted in this way. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Welcome back to doula Tips and Tits. I'm super excited today to be joined by Christine Liu. She is a designer and knows all about design things and branding and whatnot. And so it's following the trend of having people come on to talk to you about business stuff that I am not an expert in. So today we are diving into what do new doulas need to know and consider about branding. And Christina is going to tell you a little bit about herself. How I found her initially is her brand party podcast, which is linked in the show notes. And I really, really recommend that you go check it out. And also her social media is just a joy to follow. But Christine, share a little bit about how you got into this work and what you do.
01:26
Yeah, thank you so much for joining the party. First of all, and for having me on here. We're so excited to dive in today and hope that you get some golden nuggets along the way. But yeah, I have a agency called CL designs where I help a lot of purpose driven businesses like all of you out there with cohesive branding, to website design, marketing collateral to ultimately help you increase your impact and your sales. And also as Kaely mentioned, I have a podcast called Brand party, which is all about fun, honest, actionable tips that you can implement right away in your entrepreneurial journey as well.
Kaely Harrod 02:01
I love that. And that's part of why I'm I have you on here today. Because how you kind of approach, sharing knowledge and guiding people is very on brand with what we do here, this podcast. So I want us just to dive into what even is branding? So can we start there kind of like what's the lingo that people need?
02:24
Yeah, I mean, it's feels like such a short, like, easy term, right? But I think it comes with such a mountain is answers that could involve with it. And so basically anything that has to do with those multiple touch points in your business that people are going to interact with, so whether it's like, I like to break it down into three different pillars, typically as well. So whether it's like internally, strategy wise, what's going on? What's the culture of your business to externally as your traditional, like visual communications that people see whether it's your logos, colors, stuff like that your website, to your experiential side as well, that's really good. And ultimately, especially with the important work that you all do to that? Is it matching the values that you're creating as well, in the experience that you offer your clients equally as much?
Kaely Harrod 03:13
Yeah, no, that's, that's super helpful. I want to share something with you, that is maybe an embarrassing thing that I'd love to like, help us branch off into the next part of this. When I was starting, I made a logo, I made my own logo. And then I was like, Okay, so the colors are like teal ish. And my early Instagram posts, were all like teal ish colors. But I didn't actually know about using hex codes and things like that. Like, I was like, I was like, these looks similar. That's good enough. So I think there are some there is this sort of mix when you're new in business of like, do I hire like, hire a professional who can just like give me all the like, break it down for me and do the work right on my behalf? Or do I just kind of like go for it, like pick a random palette that someone has said people should use. And so I'd love to hear what your kind of early guidance is when someone is thinking about brand colors. And like even just some like basics of like, you should use the same shade of that color.
04:27
Yeah, I definitely don't want you to feel like you have to get bored or that you are feeling overloaded with choice either because that decision fatigue is real. Also, as you're mentioning, especially when you go to create content or like refresh your website with like new services, for example, right? There's like real life applications that can create those big impact and those first impressions that makes such a difference for the clients who are going to ultimately hire you hopefully. And so, there are a few things that you can consider as well like I always say to my clients to that the inner Work is the real work. And so, yes, it can be scary and hard and difficult to answer, like, Who are you, in a nutshell, essentially, especially if you are the face of your brand in many ways, and you are the one showing up for these experiences with your clients as well that you really want to make sure that it's as human as possible. And having those values illustrated as much as possible. And I know Kaely, you had joined for the brand party challenge that I host a few times a year. And that's like a really accessible way for people who are wanting to uncover some of those, like key foundational pieces as well when you're starting out or you're looking to like refresh after a few years and things have evolved significantly as well from when you first started. So I think it's always great to come back and audit what's working really well what are people resonating with, or experiment along the way as well. But having that toolkit that you can refer back to, whether it is like your go to hex code colors, that keep things consistent across the board, for your social media to, you know, print materials, and stuff like that as well to ultimately also have like that maybe 20% that you can experiment with moving forward to but just this way, having those foundations are going to be really helpful when you go to create so that it's not such a chore or bore ultimately, either. But yeah, I would say like really going in deep of like who your strategy is, who is it that you want to target ultimately, and then also looking at, like those core values. And then on the external side that we talked about, like the color palette, the mood board, what is that overall look and feel that you're really visualizing and communicating for people to bring them in with that storytelling as well because people buy like why you do it, not necessarily what exactly you do offer, right. So this way, it will help you stand out especially if you offer similar services to other jewelers out there.
Kaely Harrod 07:02
I love that. And one thing that I I always kind of like hammer in for the doulas that I'm coaching is that you do not have to be perfect at these things, right? Like I was using teal ish colors. And now like L all the teal, my, in my world is like 108 C Eight, seven, right? Like I know the hex code off the top of my head, because I use it so frequently. Right. And so that is something I'll sometimes tell newer doulas, like scroll to the bottom of my Instagram feed and see how incredibly inconsistent my visuals were. Because that's like starting is better than having it perfect right now. However, I would love to hear your thoughts on like, what does it look like as a as a company to change things like branding and colors. And is there really like guidelines around when and how often that should be done. Because I also know, it's probably not great to be like I have a soft palate, I have a bright palette I have, you know, and bounce around like that. So
08:08
it can definitely feel like an identity crisis in many ways. Because partially it is right, you're trying to figure out who are you and what you want to represent. And so equally as much as it is about you, I always say to that it's even more so about the people that you're serving, as well and what they're going to resonate with, because you want to be able to build that bridge in those connections with people and have it resonate with them. So if they if you do want to evoke more of like a calming essence to what you do, and like bring a lot of relief, especially to your clients, I think that that's something that they would resonate with, then maybe you do go with like a softer palette, right? Because that's going to speak to them much more directly, then something super super in your face that feels that just like adds more to the overload that they're already experiencing. So it depends like who is it that you're really targeting? Right. And so thinking about that, too, that I often share this analogy of like your brand is like a house. So either, you know, it's one of the biggest assets you might have, it's like an investment that you're going to make within your own business as well. And so having those foundations in place are going to be really helpful because 5-10 years down the road. If you're in business as well that you have typically one or two options at that point, either one of them that you knock everything all down because you had weak foundations to begin with. Or the second option being okay, maybe you just read decorate a little bit and tweak a few things just to keep it modern and fresh with the times. And so I encourage your listeners to think about what option would you prefer to have and so one or the other isn't necessarily bad. But as you're mentioning, too, that sometimes it can be really alienating to go back and forth between such extremes and contrast for people because then if you're confused, your clients are likely confused also. And so a few key signifiers that you can come back to when you're considering is a time for a rebrand or to revisit a few things perhaps as well, is if you change your audience significantly, because you're going to be speaking and communicating to a whole different set of folks, that is going to take some reevaluating, or another key identifier is if you're looking to charge a higher tier typically and having challenges doing so then that value piece is going to be such an add, if you do invest in some of that identity, and like your overall communications, both from a messaging perspective, as well as from a visual perspective as well and just overall user experience, to to really help people find the information that they need a lot easier and show up with that credibility and value off the bat too. So those would be the two key signifiers, I think is a good time to reevaluate. I always like to kind of audit quickly throughout the like once a year just to see if things are still resonating. I'm a big believer of market research, it can be scary to ask for feedback, but you're getting like right into the teeth at the tiger and a lot of ways and getting that direct feedback instead of assuming things because I think it's easy to assume, but it's a whole other beast to be able to get that transparent feedback that you're looking for, that's ultimately going to help you and your clients in the future.
Kaely Harrod 11:20
I really love that. And I think market research is one of the many terms that doulas when they're getting started are like, what is that? And I remember, I remember just being like there are so many business terms I've never heard. One of the things that I just want the listener to think about is that when you are a doula, after you've worked with a client, they really, really love you like 99 point 99% of the time, right? There's a different kind of connection there. And they're hiring you because of who you are and what you do in birth. But sometimes going back to those folks that you know, hired hired you because they love you and you're like, a big, they're a big fan, if you already write and saying, hey, when you look at my website, does it remind you of me? Right? What do you think when you go there? Were there things that when you were hiring me, you were like, This is a clunky situation? Because they already really love you. And so they're coming from a space of being like, you're an amazing doula. And also this part of your website kind of sucks, right? And so you can get that more honest feedback of like, when you see my posts, does it make you think of me? Or are you like, Who is that? Oh, wait, that's Kaylee, you know, because then you're also kind of in a safe space to get that feedback from someone that you know, really loves who you are and what you do. And they can say, like, I know you well, and this post doesn't look like you, you know, would you say that's good advice, or no? Yeah, absolutely.
12:56
I think those are really like safe containers, as you're talking about to reach out to people. Because there is that trust and connection already built in such like a literal, such an intimate experience together. And so you've bonded in such a great way already that, you know, it's really helping you serve justice to what you're doing. Because, yeah, I want to see you win with a great website, right to book more clients and to help help people in these, like really amazing moments in their life. And so, you know, I don't take it lightly in that way to that people are also funding your life and your business livelihoods. So I think you owe it to them to be open to the feedback also. And just as you'd say, to I always ask my clients for feedback at the end of each project, actually, because I always want to continue to improve the process and experience for others as well. And so I think it's just how do you build it into a space that feels good to you. And it doesn't need to be super lengthy by any means, or like a whole Oprah interview either. But it can just be as simple as like that one question that you mentioned, Kaely, or like, just a few of them that you focus in on. So if there is something in particular that you're like, suddenly feels a little bit off about my color palette, or XYZ, for example, then you can always start inserting those questions as well. We're doing polls on your social media as well for like, if you want kind of a larger audience subset to, to research with. But just I think that being able to listen and hold space for people to share, it's probably one of the most valuable things that you could do also, that will help translate into the like execution of what you're going to create equally, too.
Kaely Harrod 14:39
Yeah, I love that. So one of the reasons I wanted Christine to come on is that I have done her brand party challenge twice, I think, was the first time half heartedly because I had a baby cam in the middle of it and so it wasn't I didn't fully participate and that's that's just the life of a doula. But I would Love to hear, I would love for you to share with the listeners what that is. And if you're doing it soonish, because I find that so incredibly helpful for one on the branding side, but for two, because I think if you are considering working with someone, you need to really see how they work in in their sphere, right. And so when you're a doula, you're kind of like, I don't know anything about what I'm looking for in a branding person, right, or a designer, or a copywriter, or whatever I'm looking for. And so I found that incredibly valuable to to see like how you educate how you go through the process. So I would love for you to share, whatever you have coming up about that.
15:37
Absolutely. So I had so much fun having you part of it, first of all. And so the nice thing is, it's a pretty accessible challenge in that way it's free and pay what you choose options. So I wanted to make it really accessible for folks out there to give back to my community. And so it's ran only a few times per year, I do have one cohort coming up in June, actually, as well. So if you are interested, I'll share the link with Haley to include in the show notes to check it out. But essentially, it's a five day challenge for purpose driven business owners who are looking to identify their core values, their color palette, your mood board that overall look and feel, and to also have access to a branding expert at your fingertips. And so the cohorts are relatively small and intimate for a reason. Because like it truly is a party in so many ways we celebrate together, we go through the ups and downs and really explore and take this time to dedicate to you and your business ultimately, and you walk away with those tangible tools and exercises that you can come back to on a very regular basis if you need to, as well for your business. So yeah, I do invite you if you want a fun place to really uncover this with and to share amongst like like minded entrepreneurs out there, then definitely come join in. You can learn more at Christine l designs.com/brand-party-challenge.
Kaely Harrod 16:58
Amazing, I'm so excited that you have one coming up in June. Because that really I mean, it truly was so incredibly helpful and sort of took out some of the intimidation of getting feedback around it. Like I remember when you were like, ask your people what they think about your colors. And I was like, I don't know. That doesn't feel safe. But it was super helpful to get that feedback from folks and to have the like resources together with a group where it feels a little safer to be like, I don't know what I'm doing, you know, which I think is so just super helpful. So
17:35
yeah, yeah, I definitely challenge you to grow in the process of it. So do you like commit? You know, as well, because I think that like you're saying you will get what you put into it equally as much. But also there is an opportunity at the end, when we celebrate together at the end of the week that you get to bring like all of your questions that you've maybe had unanswered on the backburner for 612 plus months to the table and we like dive into your business as well. So it's a really great opportunity. If you want some clear answers. Or if you have bits and pieces in your branding toolkit to then it's a great way to validate if things are working or not also.
Kaely Harrod 18:14
Yeah, yeah. And I think just super valuable to have access to other people doing business in other fields, because it is kind of like isolating to be a solopreneur anyway, and then to be a doula who essentially just works by yourself, you know. So I really found that aspect of it also really helpful. So, yeah. Okay, so before we wrap up for today, would you do you have any either last minute like tips for someone who's listening to this? And is like, I just picked my name for my Doula business, right? Like, that's where I'm starting from? Is there like one takeaway that they could get done today in terms of branding? Or that they can start thinking about in terms of getting themselves on the right track?
19:00
Yeah, absolutely. Well, congratulations. First of all, if that's the case. It's a really big step forward and milestone to celebrate. And so in terms of it, I think the biggest thing that we've chatted about today and have come back to is consistency and cohesion. So in that sense, it's just going to save you so much of that decision fatigue, and like really test out if it's working or not, because if you go back and forth between the TLS and people like one shade of teal, right, that, like you could know right off the bat if they're leaning into one or the other really clearly versus like going between like a spectrum of 20 and then not really knowing clearly how to make those decisions. And so, I think branding is one of those pieces that it not only affects just the visual input side of your business, but it really affects like how people are making decisions when they hire you to the experience that they have when they do end up working with you and then how much love and admiration that out, they refer you to afterwards as well. So really keep in mind those different touchpoints that you're going between whether if you're marketing on social to getting your website up and running eventually, to any print marketing materials that you end up providing them with resources, for example of what to prepare for when they are getting birth, then having that consistency toolkit is just going to be so helpful, and look so much more polished and put together, even if you're starting out.
Kaely Harrod 20:27
Yeah, I love that. I think one thing that I was thinking about when you were just saying that last bit is there was a time when I was using the teal ish, deelish colors, that I was like, I keep scrolling past this one business. And I like know that it's them every time I see it. And I didn't even at the time realize it was because they use the exact same colors and everything that they do. And so I was like, hey, it's them, right? Because it's those are their colors. But that's the impact that that consistency has, right. It's now when I scroll through Instagram, I see your stuff. And I know immediately it's you even if you're not there, because I know your color palette, right? And so I'm like, Oh yeah, that's gotta be Christine. And if I saw someone who is similar, I'd probably be like, Wait, why isn't that Christie, right? Like this is, this is Christine style, this is her colors. And so that I think is also what you want to think about as you're doing this is that with time, that's what you're wanting to grow is that you're your clients and even other professionals that are referring to you can recognize your stuff right away, because of that consistency. So it really is worth landing on what that will look like at least for a time. And and knowing that there is some flexibility to rebrand. But the bigger you get, the more significant that kind of has to be in terms of like, I'm changing everything up guys, like don't forget who I am, you know? So yeah,
21:50
yeah, give yourself some grace, ultimately, I think is another reminder to that, like you get to evolve with your brand. But by having those strong foundations in place, you've like figured out the core of what it is. And that's what's going to resonate with people. So the values that you're communicating, and stuff like that, as well. Maybe you have one core color that people are really resonating with, let's go back to to your to Ostrog I'm so this way, I think those are the familiarities. And like that comfort because it is such an intimate service that you will offer that is just going to help prepare people and that people so much into a ready position when they do eventually land on that website to book you.
Kaely Harrod 22:32
Yeah, I love that. Christine, thank you so much for taking the time to hang out with me today and share this awesome knowledge with my listeners. I will have all of Christine's information in the show notes. So go check out that brand party challenge. Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, if nothing else, to get some amazing inspiration of how to do consistency in your brand. And it truly is a party when you're hanging out with Christine. So Christine, I am really grateful for all of the energy and the excitement that you bring to the work and also just like the joy that kind of exudes from you as you do this. So thanks again for joining us.
23:10
Thanks so much Kaely thanks for everyone tuning in.
Kaely Harrod 23:17
Thanks for joining us for this episode of the doula Tips and Tits podcast. If you learned something today or had an aha moment, we'd love for you to share that on Instagram and tag us at Herat doula, so we can celebrate alongside you. If you found this podcast helpful. We would so appreciate you taking a second to leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app that helps other doulas find us as we do this work together. This podcast is intended as educational and entertainment it is not medical advice or business advice. Please consult your own medical or legal team for your own needs around
Branding and consistency in marketing is important, but can be daunting. As a new doula you already have many things to think about in your business, but you don’t want to skip over thinking about what your business is about and what your core values are in your business and how you want to connect with your future clients. Today’s episode dives into how to start thinking about this in your business.
Christine helps you speak your companies values and vision with your clients through colors and fonts! She deciphers the lingo around what matters most about branding and color/font choices so it’s way less intimidating and you can dive into it today!
Quote from the show:
“Equally as much as it is about you, I always say that it's even more so about the people that you're serving, as well and what they're going to resonate with, because you want to be able to build that bridge in those connections with people and have it resonate with them. So if they if you do want to evoke more of like a calming essence to what you do, and like bring a lot of relief, especially to your clients, I think that that's something that they would resonate with, then maybe you do go with like a softer palette, right? Because that's going to speak to them much more directly, then something super super in your face that feels that just like adds more to the overload that they're already experiencing.”
Key Takeaways:
Consistency and Cohesion are two of the most important factors in branding!
Your brand, just like your business, gets to evolve over time
Don’t be afraid to reevaluate your branding and ask for feedback from your customers!
OUR GUEST:
Christine Lieu is the expert behind CL Designs and the Brand Party Podcast. She's a graphic designer who's traded in climbing the corporate ladder for climbing mountains around the world. Christine helps purpose-driven businesses create cohesive branding, web design, and social content creation to increase your impact and sales. Saying no to dull and clunky visuals and yes to consistency, creativity, and efficiency forms the core of her approach. As the host of the Brand Party Podcast, Christine and her guests deliver fun, honest, to-the-point advice that you can implement RIGHT AWAY in your entrepreneurial journey. It has made Top 10: Canada Design and Apple Podcasts' acclaimed New + Noteworthy list in both the Art and Design categories.
Having earned her stripes in the fast-paced media world, and learned first-hand the challenges faced by startups through her own journey (sometimes the hard way!) Christine wanted to provide lean and efficient design and branding services that would free businesses to push on with what they’re best at. She's helped bootstrap startups, household brands, and pretty much everything in between. When she's not climbing mountains around the world, she's been featured in Yahoo News’ Top 10 graphic designers to watch for in 2021 and has had the honour of being a top 5 finalist in Canada’s SME National Business Awards for Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2021, nominated for her work on Maclean’s “Bulldog” Election Daily issue with a Digital Publishing Award, worked as a contributing designer on the launch of the Walmart Live Better social campaign, covered nationally broadcasted events such as the Juno Awards and Canadian Music Week with CBC Music, and helped the House of Anesi raise over $90K on their Kickstarter campaign, while helping purpose-driven businesses create branding and design collateral to help drive her clients’ top line.
CONNECT with Christine:
The celebration continues! Get instant access to the Afterparty: a weekly newsletter series that gives you your all-access pass to design and marketing tips to cross the waiting line. You. Me. Design. And Dancing. christineldesigns.com/the-afterparty Join the Brand Party Challenge! It’s an accessible 5-day online challenge for purpose-driven businesses who are ready to stop being inconsistent and finally build the brand they’re so deserving of! Get access to a branding expert at your fingertips as you discover your core values, colour palette, and font pairing to attract quality leads and sales. Join now: christineldesigns.com/brand-party-challenge.
Website: christineldesigns.com
Brand Party Podcast: christineldesigns.com/podcast
Instagram: @_clieu
Facebook: ChristineLDesigns
Pinterest: ChristineLDesigns
CONNECT with Kaely on TikTok or Instagram
https://www.tiktok.com/@doulacoach
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
