Today I welcome Lilah Higgins of The Higgins Creative, on the Foodie Movement Podcast. Lilah is a wife, mother of two, and brand coach to online creative entrepreneurs. In the first half of this podcast, we’re talking about finding your voice as a creative through brand pillars and after the break, we’re talking about depression and anxiety among entrepreneurs.
Who is Lilah Higgins?
Lilah and her husband Zac run a brand agency TheHigginsCreative.com, for online entrepreneurs and seasoned coaches. She helps women brand themselves across all platforms to ensure authentic and cohesive messaging through copy and visual elements. Lilah is a Cali born, Wyoming living, wife and mom to two spunky children. She and her husband Zac were high school sweethearts. These two love birds not only adore each other but also cherish their clients and mastermind participants; always encouraging them to chase after the calling God has placed upon their hearts.
All the places to connect with Lilah
- Grab her ready to use, professional brand kits here!
- Join the Forge – their mastermind for passionate creatives with a purpose!
- Get loads of free content on Lilah’s YouTube channel
- Take the quiz
- Follow her on Instagram
- Connect with her in the private free Facebook Community
What is Personal Branding?
Personal branding is a beautiful concept of branding yourself as an authority figure and not necessarily tied solely on what it is you do. Being able to personally brand yourself, even under the umbrella of a fun business name, allows your readers to connect with you on a deeper level. It allows for the real person behind the screen to show through and create a connection with readers that invites them into the story. Being able to establish that connection in an authentic way will support your brand pillars and make it easier for people to want to purchase from you or follow you.
To keep it simple I usually suggest to start with your name and then build out sub-brands from there. If you’re going to have a membership site, name it something. If you’re going to have a coaching program, name it something… but really have it all under your brand.
What are Brand Pillars?
Brand pillars are the things you are really passionate about that will leak into all of your sub-brands and the way you run your business. Examples are loyalty, community, connection, etc. Once you can establish those, then you can figure out how to pull out from those and how they’re implemented into your products and services. Brand pillars act as great reminders and creative opportunities for social media messaging. If you are not sure what to write, going back to your brand pillars and remembering a story or circumstance that relates to those pillars can establish an opportunity for connection with your audience through social media copy.
Brand pillars should be limited to 3-8 and should be implemented into multiple aspects of your brand from visuals to copy, to the people you work with.
How to figure out what your brand pillars are
You can take different tests and quizzes such as the ones linked below to dig deeper into your natural gifts and callings, which will help uncover brand pillars your business should be situated on.
[opt-in] 10 questions to get unstuck – how to define your brand pillars
Brand Pillars and Categories
When determining your brand pillars, ask yourself questions such as, “Why is food important to you? Why is it important that you share the recipes?” Pillars and categories on your site are two different things. Categories can be part of the implementation process in support of your pillars. Don’t get distracted from your brand pillar by focusing on the implementation. Your personal brand pillar such as hospitality can be implemented in multiple aspects, not just one. Categories, on the other hand, are typically stand alone and are part of blog posting. Your categories should be implementing your brand pillars. You need to get people excited about what you’re passionate about with vision casting.
Depression and Anxiety as an online entrepreneur
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Key takeaways from our discussion about:
- Influencers using their platforms to talk about depression and anxiety.
- Our personal stories.
- Let’s stop sweeping things under the rug.
- Part of creating an authentic brand is sharing the good and the bad.
- It’s important for us to stop assuming and start feeling vulnerable.
- Zac and Lilah’s program The Forge was created for entrepreneurs with this in mind. To keep each other accountable, connected, and lifted up through the good and the bad seasons.
- Pre-plan for your anxiety and depression. Creating content ahead of time and in bulk can help for those days or weeks where you’re in a slump and can’t seem to function.
- Join groups and masterminds where you can be honest in a safe, understanding community.
- Check out Lilah’s YouTube video for her anxiety arsenal.
- On good days, write as much as you can.
- Be honest. Have that community that you can go to and be clear with what your needs are during that time of anxiety, confusion, and depression.
- Create your friendships in circles – the inner circle, the mentors, the fun friends you hang out with, acquaintances.
- A great book to read is (affiliate link) “Boundaries” by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
Lilah’s 3 actionable steps
- Self-analyze by taking some personality tests.
- Get accountability through a mastermind or small group
- Invest in a coach or therapist that can help you deeply and fully understand yourself, pillars, and align your desires – do what you need to in order to move forward.
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