You’re showing up consistently, your content is solid, and you know you’re damn good at what you do. So why aren’t your dream clients reaching out? The answer might be hiding in plain sight… in your brand!
I’m breaking down the exact signs to look out for to figure out if your brand is working against you, plus sharing real client transformations that show what happens when you get this right. We’re talking about the three gut-check questions every service provider needs to ask themselves and why your brand needs to match the caliber of work you’re actually delivering behind the scenes.
🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
When Your Brand Says “Bargain” But You Deliver Luxury
I had a dog sitting client whose business was completely different from your typical “find the cheapest option” situation. This wasn’t someone you’d book for a quick afternoon walk.
No, this was luxury, high-end pet care. She was staying in clients’ homes, treating their dogs like family members (because that’s exactly what they were to her clients), and catering to people who were willing to pay premium prices for peace of mind while they traveled.
But if you looked at her brand, there was absolutely no way you could have guessed any of this.
Her logo was a bright teal tie-dye paw print. Her social media consisted of a collection of Canva templates that made her look exactly like every other pet service in town. There was nothing (and I mean nothing) that indicated she was delivering a different level of care or expertise.
From the outside, she looked identical to any other dog walker. And that visual disconnect was costing her dream clients every single day.
The Transformation
When we rebuilt her brand, we centered everything around her own dog, Max. I created a custom hand-drawn illustration of him that immediately communicated the personal, family-oriented approach she brought to every client.
We swapped that bright teal for a muted pastel palette that felt calm and refined, added serif fonts, and layered in soft linen textures that gave off serious boutique hotel vibes.
The whole rebrand was rooted in a “posh pet” aesthetic, where every detail is curated and intentional.
We wanted her potential clients to think high-end when they discovered her brand.
And it worked! Her brand now perfectly matches the experience she was already delivering. Clients look at her visual identity and immediately understand that this isn’t just any pet sitter but someone who will care for their furry family member with the same love and attention they would.
Three Questions To Figure Out if Your Brand is Sabotaging You
Now, let’s do a gut check on your own brand. These three questions will tell you everything you need to know about whether your brand is working for you or against you.
Question 1: Are you attracting your best-fit clients?
I’m talking about clients who come to you ready and willing to pay your prices. The ones who aren’t nickel-and-diming you or asking for endless revisions. They’re not saying, “Well, what about this discount?” or “Can we negotiate the scope?”
Instead, they’re saying, “Yes, I want to work with you. Just tell me how to pay you and when we can start.”
If you’re constantly having to justify your prices or convince people of your value, that’s your first red flag. Your brand should be doing the heavy lifting of communicating your worth before you even hop on a discovery call.
Question 2: Do your visuals feel consistent?
When you sit down to create any piece of marketing (whether it’s a social post, a flyer, an email header, literally anything) do you know exactly what fonts and colors you’re using? Or are you starting from scratch every time, picking whatever feels good in the moment?
Consistency consists of (see what I did there?) having a visual system that feels intentional and cohesive. If you’re grabbing random Canva templates or changing your aesthetic based on your mood, you’re making it harder for people to recognize and remember you.
Question 3: Do your visuals match your expertise?
This is the big one. Your visuals are talking before you ever say a word. They’re making promises about the experience someone will have working with you.
If you’re a high-end strategist but your Instagram looks like a college student’s mood board, there’s a disconnect. If you’re a luxury photographer but your brand feels more craft fair than gallery opening, you’re sending mixed signals.
Your brand should reflect the level of care, expertise, and professionalism you bring to your client work. If there’s a gap between what you deliver and what your brand suggests, you’re essentially shooting yourself in the foot.
My Hummus Aisle Revelation
I had this moment in the grocery store the other day that perfectly illustrates how powerful visual branding can be. I was shopping for hummus, and typically, I just grab my usual Sabra or whatever’s on sale, but this time, something caught my eye.
There was this neon green package with fun, millennial-friendly lettering that just screamed, “Hey, this was made for you!” It wasn’t the ingredients that drew me in (I couldn’t even see those yet). It wasn’t the price point or the health claims. It was purely the visual design that made me stop, pick it up, and want to learn more.
That package design did its job perfectly. It attracted its ideal customer (me, apparently) in a sea of boring competitors.
And that’s exactly what your brand should be doing for your business! It should be the neon green package that makes your ideal clients stop scrolling and think, “Oh, this person gets me.”
Do You Actually Need a Rebrand?
I had another client who came to me thinking they needed to scrap everything, but when I looked at their brand, the foundation was actually strong. They had good colors, readable fonts, and nice little design elements. The problem wasn’t the pieces but how they were using them.
They had all the ingredients for a cohesive visual identity, but no consistency in the execution. One post might use their headline font as body text. Another might layer three different fonts in ways that felt chaotic rather than intentional.
When I refined their brand system and created clear hierarchy rules (this font for headlines, this one for body text, this color for backgrounds, that one for accents) their content went from “okay, I guess” to “wow, this looks incredibly professional.”
So it might not be the case that you need a whole rebrand after all. Maybe a couple of tweaks are enough!
Your Brand is Always Making Promises
Your brand is always talking, whether you’re intentionally directing that conversation or not.
Every color choice, every font selection, every image you post is communicating something about your business. It’s making promises about the experience someone will have working with you.
If your brand is saying “budget option” but you’re delivering “premium service,” you’re creating confusion in the marketplace. People don’t know how to categorize you, so they default to whatever visual cues you’re giving them.
And in a world where people make split-second decisions about whether to engage with your content or keep scrolling, those visual cues matter more than you think.
Your brand can either be propelling you forward or holding you back; there’s no neutral ground here. It’s either attracting your ideal clients and making sales conversations easier, or it’s repelling the people you actually want to work with.
The good news is that once you identify the disconnect, it’s fixable. Sometimes it requires a complete overhaul, sometimes just strategic tweaks. But either way, the investment in getting your brand right will pay dividends in the quality of clients you attract and the prices you can command.
Because at the end of the day, you’re already doing incredible work. Your brand should reflect that, not hide it.
🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
