Branding Isn’t Just Logos - The Long Game - Ep. #93

When you think of branding, you’re probably thinking of a logo. But those who build something lasting start with the impact and work backwards from there.

In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Ryan breaks down what he wishes he had known about branding when he started, why the logo-and-colors phase is just the surface, and how to build a brand that speaks to the company you're becoming, not just the one you are today.

Ryan makes the case that branding is not a design exercise, but a strategic one. Your colors, your content, your voice, and who you choose to collaborate with are all communicating something to the market, whether you're intentional about it or not. He walks through how his own approach evolved, from early content that was purely mortgage-focused to a deliberate effort to show up as an investor, community builder, and podcast host as well, because if you don't talk about it, people simply won't know. He also gets into the audit process his team runs regularly to make sure what they're putting out still reflects where they're trying to go.

What You'll Learn:

• Why starting with a logo and color palette is the right first step but the wrong stopping point
• How to work backwards from the company you want to be rather than just documenting the one you are today
• Why "manifest into the company you want to become" is a more useful frame than "fake it till you make it"
• What a social media audit actually looks like in practice, and why Ryan's team runs them regularly
• How staying too narrow in your content can quietly limit how the market sees you and what opportunities find you
• Why cross-collaboration is a branding decision as much as a marketing one, and how to choose partners intentionally
• How the content you put out today is either building toward your future brand or drifting away from it

If you're building a business and putting out content without a clear picture of where it's all supposed to land, this episode gives you a practical framework for getting intentional about your brand before the market decides what it means for you.

Interested in connecting?

HOST
Ryan Richards | Branch Manager, Northpoint Mortgage | NMLS 1987735
rrichards@trynorthpoint.com | www.financewithteamrichards.com 
204 Turnpike Rd, Westborough, MA 01581
Licensed in CT, FL, MA, ME, NH, RI, NC, SC, PA, TN

Follow us on Instagram @financewithteamrichards @the.longgamepodcast

#TheLongGamePodcast #FinanceWithTeamRichards

Chapters:
00:00 Branding Beyond Logos
01:25 Define Your Value Proposition
02:01 Brand for Your Future Self
02:43 Audit Your Content Strategy
03:02 Expand What You’re Known For
04:17 Confidence Shapes Perception
05:00 Collaborate With Intention
06:23 Final Takeaways

Transcript

0:20

If you ever started a business or you're in the process of starting a business, then chances are the first few things you did is probably align your branding. I know some of you who are listening can't see me, but I just air quoted. What I mean by that is, like, the first few things you do are, like, you think of a name, you think of the colors, you think of your logo, maybe you have some flyers, you start a social media page. Like, that's definitely, of course, a great place to start. But I think a lotta times people get too shortsighted when it comes to branding, and I know for me, initially, I did too. Knowing what I know now, I would start a new business totally differently, and I would almost start at The hundred-yard view, like looking at the goalpost and work backwards. Like, I want to start at the end trying to figure out where I want to go so I can align what my marketing branding efforts look like now to get me there. Because what ends up happening when you first start the branding process is, again, you go through the color process, the names, the logos, but you're not necessarily aligning with how you actually want those to be portrayed and the type of content you want to emulate to reflect the voice that shows people the company that you're going to be. You ultimately just lay out… You know, for example, if you're a roofing company and the first thing you do is create a flyer that says,"We're a roofing company," great start, but, like, what does your company actually mean to consumers? Like, what's your value proposition? Your branding should align with that. Like, certain- the colors, the graphics, the aesthetic, the voice, the messaging, the content you put out should all align with your mission statement of your business. Like, why are you creating this company? Are you the best roofing company because you're the fastest, you're the most reliable, you're the least expensive? Like, what is your value proposition? And then relay that to the market through your branding. As I've grown more on social media and really committed to the social media, the podcast, like, this wasn't a vision in the beginning, but now that I know this is what I'm going to do, had I started today, I would have done things differently. Aligning my messaging on social media with not only where am I today, but I'm speaking to the business that I want to be. Like, I'm almost speaking to my future self. And I think that's really true in business, where you have to always be looking at the growth opportunity of not where you are today, but create and manifest where you want to be with the types of content you put out, the graphics, the image you portray, and how you represent your brand and your company. It's not the idea of, like, fake it till you make it. It's the idea of manifest into the person, into the company you want to become. Knowing what I know now, you know, a lot of the content that I put out, we regularly go through an audit. I look all the time. We regularly go through the process of auditing the so- our social media, of what types of content are we putting out? How does that resonate with the audience? Are we portraying ourselves the way that we want to be seen? And for me, it's more than just mortgages. I don't want to just talk about mortgages. Granted, that's my bread and butter. That's the baseline of my whole business and operation, but where I want to go, I want to make sure I express my other interests, my other passions, real estate investing, building communities, running the podcast, you know, my desire to grow and own other companies. I want to start manifesting and talking about that now. One, because I'm already doing some of that, but two, I want to be pros- perceived by the market, right, part of branding, as the person who does all of those things. So if I just got online and talked about mortgages, that's all people are going to know me about. And if I got online and talked about just mortgages and just mortgages in a specific state- That's all people are gonna know about. It's funny in real estate how it's like that, where people you know really well go, "I didn't know you did that." "Well, you didn't know I did mortgages in Maine?" They're like, "No. Why?" Like, " 'Cause you don't really talk about it." I'm like,"Well, that's a good point. Like, maybe I should be better about talking about those things." Or, "I didn't know you were in the market for a laundromat." And I was like,"Well, I probably would be, depending on where it is." "Well, you don't talk about that." So it's all part of the branding process, of letting people know what you're looking for, who you are as a person, what your business does, what opportunities you're looking for, what types of customers you want. That also comes about how you talk about yourself and your business. If you ever worked with a professional who doesn't think they're the best, like, usually it doesn't last long. Like, everyone knows the contractor who comes to your house and they're like, "I don't know if I can take on this job." Immediately you're like, "Well, you're not doing my- this work. You're not building me a deck if you don't think you can, right?" So you need to believe that you're the best based on where you're going to be, based on your values now, and eventually over doing enough reps of the branding process, of doing the work, you'll become that person or that company. So don't always get so shortsighted of getting stuck in the, "I need to post a video. Doesn't really matter what I post." Good first step, but eventually you have to look at does the content, does the branding, the imaging align with where I want to be in the future? So look at the end first and tailor the beginning to help you get there. Another thing you can do to help forward look is starting to m- be purposeful and intentional with who you collaborate with on the marketing side. So cross-promotion, collaboration is a huge component of my marketing strategy. One, it obviously increases views. You get to share, you know, viewership with other entrepreneurs, other investors. But again, it creates that branding, that image of who you're aligning yourself with from a business perspective. There are some people that if they wanted to collaborate with me, I would not accept, one, because probably I don't want to align my business with them, and number two, maybe I don't think that it's going to reflect my brand, you know, overall in the same way that I want it to based on where I want to go. But it's not about the people that you wouldn't take on, but it's about aligning yourself with people that reflect your brand, reflect your image. And just as a function of being associated and familiar with them, people, again, create different ideas about you, about your company based on just who you're connected with. And so if you're able to pick the right people, take advantage of the cross-collaboration, you're able to, one, create this community of people that are associated with you for an intentional reason that you either know. These are just some of the strategies that I've learned over time that have really helped my business. Take advantage of cross-collaboration. Be able to share each other's audiences, share each other's values, and help create a community that spreads wider than you would on your own. And don't be shortsighted. Make sure you're looking at the end vision, the end goal while you're creating content, creating messaging for today. Hopefully you took something from today's episode, and as always, we'll see you on the next one.