How to Build a Brand That Truly Reflects Your Vision - Hilary Hartling & Nick Williams

Speaker A: So tell us a little bit about your background and then we'll touch on. What are we going to talk about today, if you don't mind?

Speaker B: Yeah, I would love to. Thank you for having me, Nick. This is so great. So, background wise, I am, um. Uh, my career has started in advertising and branding, but I really grew up at the Walt Disney Company, and so I was in charge of synergy across the company when it came to the film studio. So brand positioning, marketing, media promotions. For 15 years, I did this for films across Pixar, Marvel, Disney, Touchstone and DreamWorks. Um, after I left in 2015. I've spent the last decade building my own brand strategy consultancy, really helping entrepreneurs and brands of all sizes figure out how to clearly talk about what they do, have a foundation for their brand and their messaging so that they stand out and can attract the audience that they really want to grow their business.

Speaker A: Love that. And you're behind. Some people might not know this, but obviously this is specifically. Our group is all around early childhood education. You're behind some of the big names in the industry, some very big speakers, aren't you? You've helped them a lot. There's people like Beth Cannon, Rachel Zupala, various other people you've helped. And one of the big, big things I'll always know with Beth is I immediately can resonate with her brand. I know her brand. I can see it in my head right now. She's very, very big on brand. She's very big on the whole thing around what she's about. So first of all, we want to touch on here is why is a brand strategy important?

Speaker B: Yeah, it's a great question. And Beth is a great example of this too, because she went from saying, okay, here's what I want to do, but she really dove into understanding and learning the value of having a brand and a brand strategy because it's essential to stand out in the marketplace. It's essential to create trust with your audience and establish that credibility experience that you have. Like, what is a brand? A brand is all about trust with your audience, and that's why you build it, because it, uh, not only gives them a sense, a clear sense of what you do, who it's for, and the benefit for them for getting involved with your brand. And Beth does a fantastic job of that, because when you have a brand strategy, it's a. It basically goes across every single consumer touch point that you would ever have or you could ever think of. So you're getting this consistent experience along the way, and it's Something that creates brand loyalty with your audience because they know what to expect from you. And they're going to be, um, able to tell others and refer others to your brand because it's so clear about what your brand stands for.

Speaker A: I love that. So let's see a quick question on that one. Sometimes people can cross over or misunderstand the difference between brand identity, culture in the center. Is there a crossover between those two? What's your kind of thoughts around this? Because sometimes people misidentify them or they say, well, I'm all about this, but actually the brand might be separate to that. So what's your personal opinions around brand and culture? Do they overlap? Do they, Are they separate? What's your thoughts around that?

Speaker B: I think, I think they overlap. If they have anything to do with your business and the business that you're growing, that is a part of your brand. And so every single component that comes with it, whether it's, um, they find your website, they land on your social media, you're giving them a tour of your school, um, you're doing an interview, you're speaking on stage, you're writing a book, and you're putting your philosophy or your approach forward, no matter what it is you're doing or how you're showing up. Um, culture, specifically, is the experience in your school, whether it's between you as the owner and your teachers or your teachers and your students, it flows all the way down and all the way across. And honestly, one of the best things you can do for your, for growing your positive brand perception is to create a very, uh, clear and consistent experience. And that goes across all levels.

Speaker A: Love that. What's this kind of starting point? Where should someone start if they haven't really focused on this? Because one of the things I know we're going to talk about a little bit later on is the difference between personal brand and business brand, for example. But where does someone start if they're just starting out and they haven't really started to build a brand? What would be your kind of top things they should be working on right now?

Speaker B: Yeah, it's a great question. I've created something for my own approach to branding called the brand Clarity, compassion. And it gives you four clear directions to start with. The first one being problem. Like, what is the number one problem that you solve and that your audience is thinking about and they're coming to you because they know or they hope that you can solve it. Right. And so for the early child, you know, care education industry, it could be something that and it's interesting too because you have, uh, dual audience, right? It's obviously the kids are coming to the school, but who are you talking to? You're talking to the parents. So you need the parents trust, right? And so when you're thinking about a problem, it could be a problem that you could actually identify as something like, I'm gonna make this up on the spot, but like discomfort, like it literally could be parents feeling uncomfortable in understanding what school to choose and making sure. And so your solution is peace of mind, your approach, your experience, your credibility, all of these things together that help solve that problem. So the first thing you need to establish is what problem am I solving with my school in this community very specifically. And it could be very different across the board depending on the type of school you have, the type of program you have for kids, etc. The second thing would be people you have to understand who you're talking to in order to create very specific clarification, clear, relatable messaging for them that gets them to convert and gets them to establish that trust for you and the school or the program that you're offering. So it's not, it's not just saying, oh well, it's for parents. You have to dive a little deeper than that. You have to understand their motivations, what they're thinking, uh, again, the problems that they're seeing. Like maybe there is a reason why they didn't want to go to this school down the street, but now, and now they're looking at you, right? Why are they looking at you? You need to understand that from your parents perspective. Right? The third thing in this brand, Clarity Compass is really the promise. What promise are you guaranteeing by people coming into your program, into your school, into your brand experience and universe? Right. And that really has to do with some kind of transformation. If a child enters this program or this school, then they're going from a where they started to be, where they, where they end up at the end of it, or how they're experiencing that thing. Is it growth? What is the promise of your school? And again, depending on the brand, that's going to be very different because people have different expertises, different specialties, different approaches, different programs.

Speaker A: Yeah, totally.

Speaker B: And then the fourth thing is the path. It's really the specific thing that you are offering that helps deliver on your promise.

Speaker A: Okay?

Speaker B: And so those are the four things. So it starts with problem, it goes to people, it goes to promise, and then it goes to path. If you can get clarity around those four things, you are well, on your way to establishing a brand strategy that you can take across every single touch point for your audience.

Speaker A: I love that. Uh, is there any particular one of those four that people get stuck on the most in?

Speaker B: You know what? Um, sometimes it is problem because people go right to solution. And unless you identify the problem, that actually helps you articulate the solution better most of the time. But I also do find that the people sometimes is hard, even if it's a very clear parent. It's like you haven't gotten deep enough to understand them. And it's not about what you think in your head that they need, it's what they're saying they need and want. And that's if you can get it straight out of your customer's mouth and use it for messaging for your brand, you're golden.

Speaker A: And, uh, I think that's a big thing, isn't it? Surround. One of the things I learned early on in marketing is what people want and what they need are very, very different.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: And we all assume that they, you know, they, they want, they need this, but actually, a lot of the time people don't want that thing. Um, so I know, I love that. I think that's very important. So in terms of. We've obviously identified four things to get started. One of the big things that we touch a lot on is, you know, I'll give an example. We've got a client right now that has 23 different schools, but every one of those schools has their own brand identity. Okay. So the reason why they've done that, of course, is because heaven forbid any one of those schools gets into trouble. The rest of those brands are protected. One of the things I've got this strong belief around is the difference between your business brand, so to speak, but also personal brand in terms of actually a face to the business. What's your thoughts and perceptions around that site? Personal brand versus business brand?

Speaker B: Yeah, I would say any time you can put a face to the brand, it's going to be better for you. And especially in the field that we're talking about. Right. It's like how, like if we say that the purpose of a brand really helps you establish trust with your audience. Well, what establishes trust more? Uh, a logo sign sitting outside of your school or the person behind the door who's running the program, who is with your child all day. Right. When it's a person, it comes quicker. You, uh, and there's people trust people first. Right. They will choose a program based on the person you've seen. This in all levels of school, too. Even up through college, where it's like, I don't know about the topic of this class for my college, but I know the professor's great, so I'm going to take it right. The idea that. And anytime you can be visible in the sense that it's your philosophy, it's your approach, you're the one pushing this curriculum forward and it's what you strongly believe, then parents are going to trust it more. When you just see a sign or a logo, it's one thing. And if you've established enough reputation in the marketplace, they might like that sign and logo, but you can increase your positive brand perception and probably attendance by putting your face forward.

Speaker A: And on that note, why do you think people don't do that?

Speaker B: They're scared. They're scared. It's hard for people to be visible, even though it could really, really help them. Like, it's not so hard when it's like one on one. So, like, if parents and children show up for a school tour, so easy for the owner of the business to come and meet them and say hello and, you know, tell them about the school and show them the school. But sometimes when it comes to social media and all the new ways of doing it that change, you know, five times a day of what works and what doesn't, that can be overwhelming. But also, showing up with your face is very vulnerable, and I get it. But it's also, if you just think about it in terms of, uh, less about it being about you and more about being. When you show up, you're serving, you are serving your audience by showing up. Because if you can show up and share, that's going to create this trust and establish your credibility and people are going to know what sets you apart more because you've shown up for your brand.

Speaker A: I love that. I, uh, think there's, there's something I tie into that as well, is that there's always going to be people that know more than you, but there's also going to be people that know less than you. I think particularly, I think we have to see it as our duty, particularly in the early childhood education space, that it's our duty to provide that information, that advice and guidance to parents to be, you know, new mums, new dads, etc. That might not have gone through any of this before. Maybe childbirth is new to them. Um, you know, dealing with toddler tantrums might be a new thing, except there's all different scenarios that actually we should be trying to Serve people more. And I think sometimes there's a danger. We see this a lot in our industry, where people will just, with a great disrespect, hide behind their brand name and not actually be a face of that. So on that note, how have you coached or encouraged people to maybe start to become that face? Because it's a big step. What would you say? The first couple of points they need

Speaker B: to do it is a big step. It does not mean you need to show up on day one, turn your phone to your face, and talk straight into the camera at your audience. You can, if you're comfortable, go for it. But honestly, the way I have people start is by having other people film you. So this can just be B roll, meaning you're not even talking to the camera. It could be showing you walking across campus, um, interacting with a child, um, whatever it is. And then you're putting graphics and words that you want them to know over that footage. But it's your. But you're showing up still. Right. The other way I've coached people to do it is to just do audio to start. Right. You can show whatever you want. Kids on the playground, kids in the classroom, kids having fun, teachers doing their job and teaching a specific curriculum for this time of year. Um, but your audio can talk about the promise, can talk about the people, can talk about the problem that they're solving, whatever it might be. And so those two things I have found very helpful for people, and then they get a little bit more used to and acclimated to showing up in that way, sharing their voice, um, which is sharing their message and sharing their approach and what sets them apart and what they stand for with their program, but then also showing more of their program and their school, obviously, with the right permissions. Right. Um, but that really does help people. And people won't know the difference. Like, even if you're never doing what we're doing now face to camera, and you're just talking and giving tips or pointers or whatever, they won't know the difference because they're seeing you. And, uh, the other. The third way, I would say, is to have someone else, and it could be someone from your program or whatever interview you.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: For social. Right. Because then you're talking to another person and not trying to talk to nobody behind this, like, little dot on your phone. Um, and then you're more comfortable. You're just answering. It's like you're answering questions from a parent or you're answering questions from a fellow teacher. And it Just comes out more naturally.

Speaker A: I love that. Uh, there's um. I remember my son jumped up on stage once when he was 7 at one of our live events and he turned around and he'd taken some pictures of my wife doing a video and all the footage had changed where she didn't realize she had this filter on her face and it kept changing every few seconds and she had no idea how to switch it off. But he got up on stage and said, when you first start doing video, you'll suck and when you then you'll eventually suck a little bit less. And he kept putting these videos up of my wife and she had no idea they were going to come up on stage to show these pictures. But the point he was trying to make was that eventually you'll suck that little, that you actually become good. And I think it's that, uh, overcoming that barrier to actually just getting your face out there, putting yourself out and just. Yeah, you know, showing that you have value to give to people.

Speaker B: Yes. And honestly, I've heard this so much just in giving speeches too. But this goes for showing up on video, on social media or whatever you want to do is when you're so concerned about how you look and how you sound, you're making it about you, you're making it about you. And instead if you just switch your focus and say, just like you would in a classroom or in a program, how am I serving my audience right now? What am, um, what can I share with them that's going to make them more comfortable, more excited, have more fun, whatever that is for your brand? You just think of how am I serving? And then that switches the perspective immediately, 100%.

Speaker A: I couldn't agree more with you. And um, the thing is as well, you know, one of the big things we're all about here at CBG is this family run facilities. Because there's lots and lots of corporate chains out there, there's big multisite operators, and yes, there's a place for everyone. But the reality is that if you're just running the same kind of social media content, same ads online, the difference between one logo and another logo really isn't going to have that much of an impact. But what I love about creating content, as you've said, Hillary, regardless of what type of content it is, it's personalized to you and it's all about you. No one else can produce that same content, no one else can produce that tone of voice, etc. One of the ones that I want to go on to if you don't mind, is around, people are worried about upsetting someone or someone saying something bad about them. Um, my personal perception around this is we almost have to be polarizing and realize that if we want to make an impact on the world, we can't just be neutral by staying in the middle. What's your thoughts around that side? Is that ever come up when you're coaching people around this topic?

Speaker B: Uh, yeah. I think, honestly, these days, I think there's so many people worried about being canceled in general. Right. Like, how do I show up, uh, and do that? Well, so it's. It's helping my business and never hurting my business. And I think part of what you need to do to start is no matter what it is you're doing and putting out there, before you put it out there, you have to ask yourself, what's the purpose of this? You have to understand what is the purpose of. Even if it's just one single post on Instagram or Facebook, what's the purpose of this post? What am I trying to convey? Or what am I trying to get my audience? What action am I trying to get them to take? So there's that part of it. But also branding, to create a brand means you want to stand out. You want to stand for something different. And so I'm a big advocate for the idea of, if this is what's going on in your industry, what can you pinpoint to disrupt whatever the norm is of that industry, as long as that's authentic to you. I'm not talking about disruption for disruption sake, but, like, where in, in your industry do you go against the grain? And when you highlight that, that does make you stand apart, that does take you out of that neutral middle and make people pay attention to you. And when you show up with authority and confidence in talking about your approach and what you believe in, the people who are attracted to that, that that is your audience, and the people who don't like that, great. That is okay. You go to the other school down the street.

Speaker A: I, uh, love that. Uh, I couldn't agree more with you. And I think you have to have that opinion, because if you don't have that opinion, you're trying to please everyone. But ultimately you can potentially end up with the wrong clientele, uh, as well by trying to please everyone. Yeah, yeah, exactly. The analogy I always use there or the example I use is this. You know, let's imagine you're a center that believes in the importance of being outdoors three hours every day. For example, you're Outdoors a lot. The last thing you want is a parent coming to you that doesn't want their child outdoors in the winter months. That's your whole philosophy, your mindset around what you believe. We have to advocate that. And so many times we'll run an event and we'll ask people, do you have customers that aren't your ideal customer? And people raise their hands and it's typically because they weren't putting out their personal opinions or perceptions early enough. And they just end up attracting potentially any parent or family. But doesn't suit their brand.

Speaker B: Yeah, I think actually my daughter's preschool is a very good example of a very well established brand that very much stands out in the market that we're in. It's called conscious child. Presumably preschool.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: And they start their day with yoga, meditation, and breath work. And they make sure you know that. And they have a mantra of, you know, I don't remember the whole thing now, but the kids know it by heart. I am strong. I am courageous. I am like, they have this whole thing, they say, and it is the best thing I've ever heard. And coming out of a four year old's mouth, oh, my gosh. It's exactly the kind of school that I want. And they have outdoor time and they have music and nature, and it's not just sitting down with learning at a desk. It's playing and it's doing this variety of things to understand their interests. And that's exactly what I was attracted to. And there's no other school in the market that's doing this?

Speaker A: No. Now let me ask you, since your child has been going there, you found out about this brand. How many people would you probably say you've told about that experience?

Speaker B: Oh, so many. I mean, I probably can't even count. Honestly, I advocate for it all the time. And there's a wait list to get in for a reason. Right. And so that. And that is what you want for your program. You want the demand to rise so high that you're always booked. We always have the opportunity to invite more people in. So, uh, that is the power of saying what you believe. Because not all the families in my town, I will guarantee you want their child starting their day with meditation and breath work. Yeah, right. Who do like, they're like flocking right to this center.

Speaker A: Yeah, I love that. I love that. And I guess they creating content around that side.

Speaker B: Yeah, they post a lot on Facebook and they're always talking about their curriculum, their approach, which is called Origins. I think, um, you know, unique name as well. Yeah, they have a unique name. They're always showing. So this is an important part of brand and storytelling of all kind. Instead of just telling, they show. Yeah, right. You're not just telling what you do, telling what you believe in. You're showing how you embody it and you're showing how the kids are actually doing it.

Speaker A: I love that.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: There's another example. We've got a lady called amazing individual Dr. Uh, Deborah Tillman and she was the former US super nanny. Now she owns two childcare centers. But if you ever want to take your child there, yes, there's a wait list. But secondly, the parents have to go through a seven week onboarding program. Okay, that's amazing. Now again, people's perception that some parents will be, uh, there's not a chance. I'm going through a seven week, uh, onboarding program. But there's parents queuing to wait to get in there. Because one of the big things she believes is having that background is the importance of the parents role in the child's education.

Speaker B: So good. I love that. And honestly, I've even told my child's preschool teachers, I said, you should have parents night to teach the parents the curriculum so that we can continue it at home. Because like she'll come home, my daughter will come home and say something. I was like, wait, that's amazing. Tell me more about that. Right. It's, I think that's an amazing approach because it, it does, it doesn't just happen because they go to school. If you can continue it at home, then that becomes what your child is learning and growing with.

Speaker A: Yeah. Uh, I couldn't agree more with you. I love that. So Hillary, I could talk to you forever about this. What would you say your top three tips to people would be? So someone's listening to this right now. Maybe they've got one center, they don't have anything yet, or they've got multiple locations, but they don't feel their brand's established. What would be your top kind of three tips for people to go away and get started? We talked about the brand compass.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: We talked about how people, the four key principles of that. What else, what are the two things would you recommend that people then go away and start to do off the back of this?

Speaker B: Yeah. One would be what sets you apart in your market. And so, and that could be any number of things, honestly. But it could be the specific curriculum, it could be your very cool blended experience and what you're bringing to the table or the types of teachers you're hiring, whatever it is. But what sets you apart? Right. So there's the foundational brand, clarity, compass, the problem people, promise and path. What sets you apart. And then the third thing I would say, which a lot of people tend to skip, is your values. And this is where the business brand and the personal brand can very much blend together. Um, and so that's articulating the values that you operate by, live by every day that filter throughout your entire program. Um, and those actually can be something that sets you apart too. Right. If you decide I'm going to make this up, community is your number one core value. And how you integrate parents and neighbors and grandparents with the children and the teachers and. Right. That could be something that sets you apart dramatically. So thinking about your values and how you actually. And not just. Just to write them on paper, but because this is how you show up in your program and in your curriculum and how you work with your teachers as well as your students every single day. It's oftentimes also great if you don't have those. If you already have a team to sit down with the team and come up with them together.

Speaker A: Yeah, we advocate that a lot. It's get them on board with it because they are technically living and breathing that every day, aren't they, really?

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: I love that. So if someone wanted to find out more about the work that you guys do, where could they go to find out some more information, um, about you?

Speaker B: Yeah, you can go to hillaryheartling.com I'm also across social media at hillaryhartling. Hillary's with 1L. Um, I also am the chief Brand officer of Growth Mode Agency, which is Growth Mode on dot com, where we actually handle, um, and do for you. Right. Your personal brand and building your thought leadership. So I do both sides. I work with individuals and teams in terms of building brand strategy for businesses, but also work with personal brands and growing your platforms.

Speaker A: I love that. So, Hilary, I'm super grateful for you jumping on today. Um, I'm so grateful that we got introduced to the amazing Beth Cannon. Bless her. And, um, I'm sure lots and lots of people are going to reach out to you off the back of this. Of course, everyone, if you have any questions, as always, make sure you put them in the comments. We'll make sure we, we, um, tag Hillary in as well, so she's aware of those. Hillary, thank you so much for jumping on me. Once again, I really appreciate giving up your time.

Speaker B: Thank you so much, Nick. This was great.