3 Ways to Attract Luxury Brands (and turn them into clients) today
You know all those pics I tag with #eventsviacalligraphy where I work for high end brands, sit in luxe stores, and letter on beautiful and expensive objets d'art for luxury clients? I don’t go looking for those clients. They come to me. What draws them to me, you might be asking? Well, there are a few factors - smart SEO, among other things - but there are a few key steps I’ve taken to make myself a magnet for a high end clientele, and you can do the same:
Define your brand identity
Curate a strong portfolio
Write a killer elevator pitch
1. Define your brand identity:
In the “Business Is The New Black” webinar and Badass Brand Academy course that I teach with Jodi Tellier of Someday Art Co, we talk a lot about defining your brand. Sometimes we feel like a broken record, but the reason we discuss this topic so much is because it is just such an integral part of making your business a success. Having a deep understanding of your brand’s values will help you build a solid foundation for your business, and attract clients who share those values and trust your vision. Granted, truly defining your brand identity will take more than just one day, but you can make a lot of progress by just starting the process. Begin by taking any online personality test (the Enneagram test, Myers-Briggs personality test, etc) to hone in on what your personal values are. This is a revealing process and will help you understand why you started your business in the first place, and what values you hold as an entrepreneur.
So how will this help you attract your dream clients? Because apart from things like your portfolio, SEO, networking, etc - that will all help you build your clientele - having a strong, magnetic brand will be your greatest asset. To have truly defined your values, and to stand by them is to know who you are, and regardless if we’re talking about your brand or your dating profile, that level of confidence is attractive as hell.
2. Curate a strong portfolio:
Three words: Quality Over Quantity. When we say “Curate” what we mostly mean is “Edit”. Trust me (I am a senior marketing strategist by day, after all) one amazing image on your website is better than a hundred average ones. You’ll attract exponentially more inquiries (and serious ones) by showing a smaller selection of your best work. Words like “Mindfulness” and “Intention” come up a lot these days in conversations about creating a meaningful body of work and online presence, and for good reason - being mindful and intentional with the content you create and share will take you farther, faster. All it takes is one great image, or post, or project, to take you to that next level - and you’re more likely to create that one thing, if you’re giving yourself the mental space as well as the time to do so. You know that Coco Chanel quote “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off”? Approach your portfolio with that same philosophy.
3. Write a killer elevator pitch:
Ever been at a cocktail party or networking event and been asked “What do you do?” - only to realize you have absolutely no idea how to respond? Look, we’ve all been there - but it’s not a fun position to be in (especially when you KNOW what you do is interesting and fabulous, but you can’t find the words to describe it). Maybe you can get away with improvising a good-enough, maybe a little self-deprecating description with your friends or family - but not with potential clients. This is where writing an “elevator pitch” comes in. This doesn’t mean preparing and memorizing some robotic speech that you recite on command. It means never being caught off guard and muttering “oh you know, I do like, calligraphy and art, and stuff. For like, weddings or restaurants or, whoever”. We’re leaving that lack of confidence in 2019. Having your elevator pitch prepared in advance will give you the confidence to sum up your brand with ease, and impress whoever is asking the question. This little “script” you’ll prepare should simply be 2-3 sentences that accurately describe who you are, what you do and who you serve. It should give the listener a strong understanding of who you are as a brand, while also leaving them wanting to know more. Not only will this make all future social events a breeze for you, it will also come in handy in a variety of places - it can be used in the “About” section of your website, whenever you need to provide a biography or description of yourself for whatever reason (a blog feature, a podcast interview, etc) - you can even copy & paste that elevator pitch, toss in some fitting emojis and boom! - you’ve got an Instagram bio.
So there you go - 3 things you can literally do right away to start attracting those big, fabulous, luxury clients.
Interested in learning more about big name clients and how to get into the industry? Check out my online course with Jodi all about Luxury Lettering 101! And if you're not quite sure if you're ready yet, download the FREE Luxury Lettering Checklist.
