Expand Your Team Part 1: Is It Time To Hire A Designer?

With my recent business adjustments I’ve been doing a lot of explaining about exactly what it is I do for clients as a design assistant. It’s a position that people don’t always think about initially when it comes to outsourcing work, but it’s one that can free up an incredible amount of time in your schedule (seriously if a 50+ page workbook takes me 6+ hours, how long is it going to take you?!). If you’re not sure exactly when would be the right time to start expanding your team and passing off design projects, then this post is for you.

So, when is it time? Probably sooner than you think (ahem, now).

"Considering outsourcing tasks in your business? This post is for you!" [Tweet That!]

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YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME LEARNING PHOTOSHOP

If formatting your blog post is a hassle because creating the graphics and content upgrade sucks all the time away from your day, then it’s time to consider outsourcing that work.

Blog posts, in their best form, have multiple graphics and some sort of content upgrade. That content upgrade might be a worksheet, a workbook, a calendar, a list, and so on – but it’s an awesome way to get more people subscribed to your email list (which means more money in the long run, right?). If you’re skimping on content upgrades because you don’t have time or abilities to make them – then you’re missing out on growth and profit.

A large part of what I do for clients includes creating these weekly content upgrades – anything from a simple reminder checklist to a 15-page workbook that educates, entices, and builds rapport with their audience.

The other end of that is actually getting people to view your blog post – which usually ties into having a) an awesome title and b) an eye-catching graphic on Pinterest or Instagram or other social platforms. I know you can write some amazing information that will truly delight and benefit your audience IF you can get them read it – which is where a designer comes in. Creating blog post graphics for blog posts falls into my weekly tasks for literally every client I have – it’s important to show consistency across social media and to attract and entice viewers read (as well as share) your post!

Understanding all of that is one thing, but implementing it is another. Taking time to learn and master a new skill so that you can create these things – and actually have them look professional – is probably not the reason you got into business. Instead you want to be doing what you love – coaching, consulting, photographing, etc. NOT fumbling around cursing the Adobe gods.

"Writing useful content is one thing - getting people to READ it is another." [Tweet That!]

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YOU WANT TO LAUNCH COURSES, WORKBOOKS, ETC.

Chances are you’ve got big goals for your business that include a lot of awesome things like courses, retreats, eBooks, masterclasses, and more. Guess what all of those need? A LOT of design work! Guess what else all of those need? A LOT of your time to actually develop content, connect with your audience, and make sales. Wouldn’t you rather be focusing on the aspects you LOVE to do versus making a ton of workbooks, flyers, social graphics, etc.?

When you have a design assistant on your team they start to learn your brand and be able to better embody and showcase it across a ton of different avenues. So if you delve into a course or into a eBook, the designer will know how to take your existing look and feel and adapt it to those settings. Your audience will admire the consistency and trust you even more (even if this is super subconsciously) which will result in higher sales.

"Being consistent helps build trust with your audience." [Tweet That!]

This is an example you hear often with design, but think about going into Store A where they sell shoes and everything is sleek and clean and the chairs are comfortable and the attendant is well groomed and knowledgeable and not pushy and the shoes are displayed nicely and the boxes are all organized and stacked facing the same direction. Now think about Store B where the boxes are disheveled and some are on the floor and they only have those weird mirrored seats to sit on and no attendant to be found. There floor is kind of dirty and you honestly don’t really want to take off your shoes because, well, ew.

Now the thing is – these stores sell the same shoes. The same exact shoes. But where would you rather go and who do you hand your credit card over to willingly? I’m going to assume Store A. Store B probably gets a quick glance before you suddenly don’t really feel like shopping today and would rather go get a smoothie instead. Or Chipotle.

Sooo… that’s a metaphor for all the visual elements of your business – ESPECIALLY in the case of getting people to BUY things (i.e. courses, masterclasses, eBooks, etc.). You need to be able to support your worth with professional, compelling visuals. That will make you more authoritative and trustworthy, which in turn will result in higher sales.

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YOU'RE AN EXPERT IN YOUR INDUSTRY + WANT TO MAKE IT OBVIOUS

On that note – let’s take a second to talk about how GREAT you are. Whoever you are and whatever you do, you decided to go into business for a reason. You are following your passion, doing what you love, and helping people in whatever way that you do. That is important!

If you are the expert and you do have a message you want to share that will impact people then let’s DO that together. Being small isn’t an option. Start making strides in your business and stop wasting your time focusing on things that don’t matter.

The thing about successful business owners and entrepreneurs is that they know how to outsource the things they aren’t good at/don’t like doing and instead focus on their true skills and passions. Do you ever notice how when you’re really in your flow you can make wonderful leaps in your business but the second you have to do something you hate it seems impossible and the couch looks extra comfy? The trick is to just stay in your flow and stop doing the things you hate.

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Why Strategy is a Hugely Vital Step in The Branding Process

Branding design has been my focus for over a year now. I recently underwent a bit of a revamp in regards to my services, though. I had one of those moments where I know what is right and can coach others, but hadn’t revisited the ideas for my business and myself. Here’s what kept happening: I’d work with a client who would need more than what we had originally talked about or was included in my package. It would be random tasks, not directly design related, and I was always unsure of how to tackle the awkward “well I don’t really…that wasn’t included…money…” conversation. I thought I had landed on the answer in developing a coaching package, because to me it made sense that most of the questions fell into the realm of starting a business, what to do, where to post, how to make opt-ins, etc. But that didn’t feel quite right either; I couldn’t find a way to organize the package enough to have a detailed end result but also leave it open enough to feel flexible and customizable.

I’m being transparent with this process because I think it’s good to point out that owning a business isn’t all hashtags and retweets and big launches, but instead there are moments of confusion, trial and error, and so on.

Moving forward, I kept thinking on it. Usually at 2am when I couldn’t sleep. How could I make sure that my time and energy were being compensated, my packages were clear cut and made sense, and my clients were getting everything they actually needed to be successful?

It dawned on me the way best ideas do: in the shower.

I was thinking through my design process. Thinking of ways to make it more efficient, more explainable, and more approachable. I was thinking through ways to differentiate myself from competition, but actually provide something useful and needed.

When it hit me, it hit me in a total “omg, duh” kind of way, because if I look back at the evolution of TheCrownFox, THIS is what I initially started out wanting to offer. I started out using a tagline that said something about “strategy and design” but then somehow along the way abandoned the strategy portion and lumped myself in with all the other designers out there. Oops.

I’ve mentioned this story in another blog post, but that’s not the point of today’s blog post. What I wanted to talk to you about is why having a branding strategy is important and why I now include three strategy sessions in my signature process. Edit: as of 2017 I no longer offer branding + strategy design. But this post would still be helpful to learn why strategy plays an extremely important role in design.

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DESIGN DOESN’T DO EVERYTHING

Let’s be real for a second – design isn’t the end all, be all in business. I obviously think design is very important and valuable and necessary for how you position your business, but it’s not going to solely grow your business.

Good design is important, but it won't grow your business by itself. [Tweet That!]

I hear you, as a designer what the heck am I talking about? Hey. I have a business online and I can tell you that there is more time put into social media, content, and client work than into actual design. There are tasks I do every day to grow my business that don’t require me opening Photoshop or Illustrator or anything like that. I know that design is important, but it’s not the focus.

You do need good design when it comes to having a memorable and impactful logo, having cohesive social media graphics, having a kick-butt website, and so on – but just having those things isn’t going to do enough. It’s not going to make people come to your website, subscribe to your list, buy your products, etc. It might help those causes, but you need more than design. You need strategy.

You need a strategy to get your blog content shared and accessible, a strategy to know what and when to post on social media, a strategy for your newsletter, for your list, and for growth. Having great design with no strategy is like me baking a cake: it might look really good on the outside, but when you cut into it there’s a weird sound and it deflates and looks both gooey and burnt at the same time (how!?). Maybe that’s a bad metaphor, but I think you see my point.

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BRANDING IS ONE HUGE UMBRELLA

Here’s where I get kind of mind-flippy – BRANDING is important. But branding does not equal design.

Branding is a big deal. First you figure out your groundwork – your foundation or base for your business, then you work on the visuals… but what next? That’s when we focus on strategy. In Set Up For Success there are three strategy calls throughout the entire process – they help inform the visual development and help clients get a vision for moving forward and answer the terrifying “what next?” question.

Strategy is kind of an intimidating word, right? Like it sounds like it might be manipulative, or skeezy – but it’s not. It’s just creating and having a plan for business growth. I want clients to end our time together knowing where their leads are coming from, what interactions they are going to have with these leads (through newsletters, funnels, etc.), and how they are going to get their business noticed and growing. If you don’t know the answers to this for your own business then you need to revisit your overall strategy.

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IT’S NOT: BUILD IT + THEY’LL COME

Something that basically sucked to learn in online business is that it’s not “build it and they’ll come” in regards to customers or leads. It’s more like “work, work, work, work, work” and then maybe pause for a snack and work some more. Creating content, interacting on social media, writing newsletters, hosting webinars, doing Facebook live… there is a ton to do.

Navigating that and having a plan of action to accomplish all of those tasks (and more) falls under strategy and falls under what I want to help clients do. My main goal is have people be successful after we work together and at this point, just designing isn’t enough.

So, all of that to say that strategy is essential for your business growth and figuring it all out on your own is tough. It took me nearly a year of perfecting my process and packaging to figure it all out and I don’t want it to take you that long. Even if you already have a killer website and beautiful logo, you can still work on your strategy moving forward and make sure your business is ready to blow the end of this year out of the water.

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