Episode 156: BEST OF BELLA: Defining Your Brand With Lain Ehmann

Bella chose episode 56 with Lain Ehmann to be part of the Best of Bella series because it was one of the most downloaded episodes of Bella in Your Business. Bella and Lain dive in deep on branding and how to make your website stand out. They talk about figuring out who you are as a brand and a business, Lain even offers a free download to help you! Show Highlights Who is Lain? [3:25] What mistakes do small businesses make on their website? [4:30] How can you correct the issues? [7:00] What is messaging? [9:50] Should all businesses be concerned about branding? [18:00] How do you share your marketing across different platforms? [20:40] What is something businesses shouldn't do in messaging? [23:50] Where can you find out more about Lain? [27:20] “Messaging is a tool to do that by defining who you are, what the value is that you provide, and the audience you provide that to.” – Lain Ehmann The next logical step in the process is helping customers see that you can solve the problems they have.  You can drive customer motivation by tapping into their “pain points”. Bella recommends that you include the benefits of your online scheduling as part of your messaging.  Lain says that playing up your “secret sauce”, that unique niche that you have identified, will help you reach those who need that service and even build your standing among those who don’t because they see how much you care. They also recommend doubling up on your marketing. For instance, doing a Facebook live with tips about dog walking and then putting a link to that under your services page. Another common mistake Lain points out is that often business owners speak from their point of view and assume that the audience knows everything that they know. In fact, educating the audience should be an important part of your efforts. Make sure they understand the terminology and services you are offering. Lead them through your site to the call to action. Original Show Notes On this episode, Bella spends time with Lain Ehmann, Marketing Strategist at #FastLain. You will learn how to make that message different between the mediums. In particular, be conscious of the frame of mind people are in when they are reaching out to you vs. when you are reaching out to them. Give them something they wouldn’t expect. Don’t sell them. Listen in as they talk about the mistakes small businesses make on their websites, including telling a story that your audience wants to hear vs. telling the story you want the audience to hear. Be mindful of your audience. Messaging, which is “communications branding”, is critical to success. It is the message you are going to consistently send out to your audience that also helps you distinguish yourself from others in your niche. As a bonus, doing so may even allow you to charge more. About Lain Lain is a bestselling author and communications strategist, who specializes in helping six- and seven-figure entrepreneurs uncover hidden profits and potential – FAST.  Her superpower is saying what your customers and clients really need to hear, to get the results you want as quickly as possible. Links Mentioned In This Episode Get in the – #FastLain at http://www.fastlain.com. Free messaging guide: http://lainehmann.com/messagingdl Transcript: Welcome to Bella in Your Business. This is episode 156 of the Best of Bella featuring Lain Ehmann as we replay episode 56. The Best of Bella. I chose this episode because it was one of our most popular downloads as we really dived in deep on messaging, how to make your website really stand out and be unique as a pet sitter and a dog walker. I kind of feel like a lot of websites out there are really just selling the industry. What I mean by that is I see a lot of people say something like, we're professionals and we turn the blinds for the lived-in look, and your pet is safe and secure in their own home, and we clean all the litter boxes or we wash the bowls or turn the blinds for that lived-in look. And in reality, all that's doing is really telling what a professional pet sitter does. It doesn't really speak to the uniqueness of you and your company. I think that that only comes from figuring out who you are as a company, as a brand, as a business — much like your coming of age that we all kind of go through during our adolescence and puberty. We kind of grow into our own. So this episode is so amazing and Lain also has a free download for you at the end that I think really can help you. And I know it really helped a lot of people the first time around. Without further ado, here is episode 156 featuring episode 56 with my good friend Lain. Enjoy. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready. Bella's got your chute. Let's jump! Welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, your host, and today I have Lain with me. Lain and I actually met at a local conference where it just felt like everything there was lit up by the Holy Spirit. It was an electrifying time leading to electrifying relationships. Lain and I have only known each other a few short weeks, but after meeting her once, she was someone I was drawn to and I just knew that I had to have her on the podcast for you all. Lain is a bestselling author and a communication strategist specializing in helping six- and seven-figure entrepreneurs uncover hidden profits and potential fast. Her superpower is saying what your customers and clients really need to hear and getting the results you want as quickly as possible. She calls it getting in the hashtag fast lane — get it, her name, Fast Lain. Lain is here today to talk to us about the messaging we project to the world about our business and how we can become even more laser-sharp focused when landing the exact kind of people we want. When she introduced herself, Lain mentioned her two dogs — a Yorkie Poo named Bogie and a Shih Tzu-Pug mix named Zeus. Bella loved the idea of asking guests about their pets and thanked her for the inspiration. Lain shared that she has been a writer her whole life, with experience as a journalist, in marketing communications, and in agency public relations. She even ran her own online business in the scrapbooking niche, focusing on storytelling. About two years ago, she transitioned to helping businesses tell their stories in a way that resonates with their audiences. Bella noted that Lain had recently been a panelist at the BlogHer conference and emphasized that she clearly knows her stuff. When asked what mistakes small businesses make on their websites, Lain said one of the biggest is telling a story they want to tell instead of the story their audience wants to hear. She explained that business owners often craft a “capital T, capital S” story of their business and then broadcast it everywhere — on websites, social media, and beyond — without considering who’s on the receiving end. Instead, they need to focus on their audience’s mindset. For example, a person scrolling through Facebook isn’t actively seeking a pet sitter, whereas someone searching “pet sitter near me” on Google is in problem-solving mode. Those are two completely different audiences, and your messaging must adapt to each environment. You have to be mindful, Lain said — more disruptive on social media (in a positive, curiosity-inducing way) and more solution-oriented when someone is searching for you intentionally. Bella emphasized how simple yet powerful that distinction is, encouraging listeners to replay that section. She noted how people often just copy and paste the same message across platforms and wonder why it doesn’t work. Lain then explained what “messaging” really means. When most people think of branding, they think of visuals — logos, fonts, colors. But messaging is your communication branding — the consistent message you send to your audience. It defines who you are, what value you offer, and who you serve. Messaging also helps you stand out from competitors and avoid becoming a commodity. Lain shared how many pet sitting websites all look and sound the same: “We walk your dog,” “We do overnight visits,” etc. She said she wanted to see businesses define themselves more clearly — perhaps specializing in anxious dogs, older pets with health issues, large breeds, or multi-pet homes. People want to feel like the service was designed for them. When you try to appeal to everyone, you become generic. She explained that messaging is a tool to carve out your niche and command higher prices. For example, someone with small, anxious dogs would pay more for a sitter who specializes in small breeds with anxiety issues. Similarly, owners of three big, active labs would be drawn to someone who says they specialize in large, energetic dogs. Messaging helps your audience instantly recognize, “That’s me.” She shared her three-part framework for messaging: define the value you provide, the market you provide it to, and what makes you unique within that market. Bella confirmed that this would be included in the show notes, along with Lain’s free downloadable worksheet to help listeners identify their strengths, niche, and voice. They also discussed how messaging can focus on solving problems: for example, reaching out to working pet parents who feel guilty leaving their dogs home all day. Tapping into those pain points is powerful. Lain reminded listeners that most pet care services are luxuries, so you must connect emotionally and empathetically to why people want what you offer, not just what it costs. Bella added that pet sitters can also stand out by highlighting things like online scheduling — something many professionals overlook. She explained how phrases like “It’s as easy as 1-2-3” or “Book your sitter instantly” convey convenience,