Starting a wood flower business is an exciting journey, filled with creativity and endless possibilities. But one of the most crucial steps in establishing your business is crafting a strong brand identity. This isn't necessary from Day 1, but it should be your goal in your first year of business to truly step into who you are and what you stand for as not only a business, but a brand that is able to scale and grow. Here are 8 tips and action steps to help you develop your own brand identity:
Your brand is more than just a logo or a name; it’s the personality of your business, the promise you make to your clients, and the image you project to the world. As a wood flower florist, your brand identity will help differentiate you from other floral and wood flower competitors, attract your ideal clients, and create lasting impressions. In this post, I'll help you explore the key elements of crafting your brand identity and what you should consider as you start your own wood flower business, or refine your brand if you have already been going for a bit!
1. Understand Your Brand's Core Values
Your brand identity should be rooted in your core values. What do you stand for? What are the guiding principles of your business? For wood flower florists, this might include values like sustainability, creativity, quality, and customer satisfaction. Reflect on what matters most to you and your business, and ensure these values are consistently communicated through your brand.
Action Step: Write down your top 3-5 core values and think about how they can be reflected in your brand’s messaging, visual elements, and customer interactions.
Bonus points if you’re a Canva nerd like me and you relate and print a poster for your workspace as a visual reminder!
2. Define Your Target Audience
Knowing who your ideal clients are is crucial in shaping your brand identity. Your brand should speak directly to the people you want to attract. Are you targeting brides looking for unique wedding arrangements, businesses in need of custom décor, or individuals seeking sustainable alternatives to fresh flowers? Understanding your audience will guide your brand’s tone, style, and messaging.
Action Step: Create a detailed profile of your ideal client, including demographics, preferences, and pain points. Tailor your brand identity to resonate with this audience.
3. Develop Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Your USP is what sets you apart from other wood flower florists. It’s the unique value you offer that your competitors don’t. This could be your exceptional craftsmanship, your use of premium materials, or your personalized customer service. Your USP should be a central part of your brand identity and clearly communicated in all your marketing efforts.
Action Step: Identify what makes your business unique and ensure this is prominently featured in your branding, from your website to your social media profiles.
4. Design a Cohesive Visual Identity
Your visual identity includes your logo, color palette, typography, and overall aesthetic. However, your visual identity is not all that your brand stands for. These elements should work together to create a cohesive and recognizable brand. Your visual identity should be consistent across all platforms, from your website to your social media channels. As a color theory nerd and art educator, I added a Color Psychology freebie to this website as a way to help you dive into how color makes your designs exude different feelings - and this same guide can be used with a branding lens when you are picking out your own colors and visual identity! Be sure to download here:
Action Step: Work with a designer or use design tools like Canva to create a visual identity that reflects your brand’s personality. Ensure consistency in your visuals across all marketing materials.
Here is a free branding template for creating your own:
5. Craft Your Brand Voice
Your brand voice is the tone and style in which you communicate with your audience. It should reflect your brand’s personality and resonate with your target audience. Are you formal and elegant, or friendly and approachable? For wood flower florists, your brand voice could convey a sense of warmth, creativity, and passion for your craft. Want to know what I do?!
I use Artificial Intelligence to help me analyze and define my brand voice from content I have written.
I have taken blog posts that I have written, and I put them into ChatGPT and ask it to analyze and describe my brand voice for me. It has been really helpful for me to ask it to help me write social media posts, captions, and product or workshop descriptions for my website while staying true to my brand voice.
Action Step: Choose 3-4 adjectives that describe your brand voice. Use these to guide your writing in social media posts, blog content, and client communications. Adjust any AI tools that you use to reflect this! You can even add it to your brand kit template on a separate page to remind yourself how your brand not only looks, but sounds.
If AI isn't you're favorite tool, consider taking a look at this table that can be a guide to help you refine the different aspects of your brand voice when crafting various types of content you want to be known for.
Category | Adjectives | Description |
Tone | Friendly, Supportive, Warm, Inviting | Communicates openness, kindness, and a welcoming feeling in messaging. |
Personality | Approachable, Relatable, Authentic, Heartfelt | Emphasizes connection, sincerity, and a down-to-earth approach. |
Professionalism | Expert, Knowledgeable, Authoritative, Trustworthy | Establishes credibility, showcasing depth in industry knowledge and confidence in solutions. |
Creativity | Innovative, Inspiring, Visionary | Highlights the imaginative and forward-thinking nature of your brand and products. |
Luxury | Elegant, Elevated, Sophisticated, Timeless | Represents refinement, exclusivity, and premium quality, aligning with the "luxury wood flowers" positioning. |
Empathy | Understanding, Compassionate, Kind | Shows care for the customer's experiences, needs, and emotions. |
Motivation | Encouraging, Uplifting, Optimistic | Inspires action, confidence, and belief in the customer's ability to succeed or benefit from your offerings. |
Precision | Clear, Concise, Thoughtful, Strategic | Reflects the careful and intentional approach you take in your communications and product craftsmanship. |
Storytelling | Engaging, Personal, Genuine | Weaves in emotional stories and relatable experiences to connect with the audience on a deeper level. |
Fun | Playful, Joyful, Light-hearted | Brings a sense of delight and fun into the messaging, creating a positive and enjoyable experience for customers. |
6. Build a Strong Online Presence
In today’s digital world, your online presence is a critical part of your brand identity. This means you need a website and social media at a minimum. Your website, social media profiles, and online listings should all consistently reflect your brand’s visual and verbal identity. Ensure that your brand’s values, USP, and aesthetic is evident in every online interaction. This won't come easily at first, but if you start with this goal, it will over time!
Action Step: Audit your online presence to ensure consistency in branding across all platforms. Update any outdated or inconsistent elements. If you need help doing this, I am happy to set up a 1:1 Consultation to go through and audit as well as edit your website or social pages side by side during our time together!
7. Tell Your Brand Story
Your brand story is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience on a deeper level. It’s the narrative of how your business started, the passion behind your craft, and the journey you’ve been on. Sharing your brand story helps humanize your brand and makes it more relatable to potential clients.
It won't be easy to identify your brand story right away, but as you dive into what you stand for with your mission, vision and values, you will start to craft your "why" and how you got started. You will start to identify with your story and soon it will become a part of everything you do.
Action Step: Write a compelling brand story down on paper or in a document. Start to incorporate it into your website, social media bios, and marketing materials in both short form and long form content. Be authentic and let your passion for wood flowers shine through. Start with how you found wood flowers and why you continued with them. Allow your brand story to develop organically and truthfully but be sure to shout it from the rooftops!
8. Engage with Your Community
Building a brand is not just about visuals and messaging; it’s also about creating a community around your business. This doesn't have to be in-person, it can also be online. Honestly, this is what created the success of my full-time business. Some people referred to it for a bit as a sort of "cult" following and I was amazed that anyone would throw that term out there! I think what happened was that people were interested in learning more, were engaged, were curious, and felt seen and validated when I listened to them! Engage with your clients and followers through social media, events, and customer service. Show that you value their input and are committed to providing them with the best experience. Use your community for market research, ideas and show them that you care about them, and they will show you they care about you too.
Action Step: Develop a strategy for engaging with your audience, such as hosting social media contests, responding to comments, and sharing user-generated content. The key here is being CONSISTENT. If you say you will do something, do it!
Overall, crafting your brand identity as a wood flower florist is a journey of self-discovery and creativity. It’s about understanding who you are, who your clients are, and how you can best serve them through your unique offerings. By taking the time to carefully develop your brand identity, you’ll be setting the foundation for a successful and memorable business that stands out in the wood flower industry. Remember, your brand is a reflection of you and your passion, so let it flourish!
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