46 | Values Aligned Brand Messaging with Ashlee Sang
Your values have a living, breathing function in your business, and Ashlee Sang is an expert at bringing them to life.
Ashlee does values-aligned brand messaging strategy and marketing consulting. Many women Ashlee works with struggle to talk about themselves or find it difficult to string together their long CV into a cohesive bio or personal brand.
Many founders have a clear vision but need an outside perspective to translate it to those outside of their heads and hearts. Leaders need clearly defined values to base their decisions on and rally their teams and board members around.
Listen and learn how value-aligned brand messaging can transform your business, and be sure to connect with Ashlee and share what you loved about this episode!
Episode Transcript
Dani: All right. Welcome to the podcast. Can you share with my guests a little bit about you and what you do
Ashlee: and what you're all about? Yeah, thanks so much. My name is Ashley Sang. I run, Ashley Sang Consulting and I equip conscious and caring business owners with values aligned brand messaging strategy so that they have the confidence.
Ashlee: To clearly talk about what they do and why it matters, and they're able to run a business that not only feels good, but also does good. I really believe in the power of business as a mechanism for impact as a mechanism to live out our personal and. And company values. So that's what I do professionally.
Ashlee: And then in terms of who I am as a human, outside of being a, a strategist and a consultant, I have a toddler with my husband which is all consuming. And I am a traveler and a [00:01:00] thrifted and a, I'm a new podcast host myself. It's called The Purpose and Progress Podcast, and it's my way of sharing anecdotes and advice.
Ashlee: From and for all the amazing women that I meet. Okay. That is awesome.
Dani: Yes. A toddler will keep you very busy.
Ashlee: So
Dani: busy.
Ashlee: Yes. Busy is like the understatement. Yeah. Yes. Oh
Dani: my goodness. And it's always like, it's a miracle. You can be a podcaster, the toddler as well, so that that is an accomplishment. So,
Ashlee: yeah.
Ashlee: Thank you.
Dani: Awesome. I love what you do and I love like the whole purpose behind what you do. And so how did you get into the whole brand strategy world? Like what was like your origins that brought you up to this
Ashlee: point? Yeah, I'm one of those accidental, turned intentional entrepreneurs. I have always been in and around the communications and marketing space without even knowing necessarily in the beginning [00:02:00] of my career that that's, I.
Ashlee: What I was doing I have a background in international development and then turned local nonprofits, and I had been freelancing on the side, and it was through those freelance projects specifically that I kind of found myself on these strategy projects. And I was googling as I went. Literally, I, I got placed on a brand messaging strategy and I had to.
Ashlee: I, I literally had to google frameworks of what goes into one and what is this and how does this serve the project that I'm part of. And the, the more I got into it and the more projects I saw the opportunity to take on in this strategy realm and specifically in the brand messaging strategy realm, the more I fell in love with it, the more I saw that when I was doing done for you copy and content and all things creation.
Ashlee: I was realizing that people were throwing money at a problem without any strategy behind what it [00:03:00] was that that money was fixing, right? What, what it was that they were trying to accomplish with X blog post or y social media post or anything in between. And so, As I honed my skills and my own personal approach to brand messaging strategy, and as I learned more about the role of brand values specifically and how they really do just make business feel better, a across the board for yourself, for your partners, for your team, for your customers, of course.
Ashlee: I really double down on that values aligned brand messaging strategy. So it's been an evolution for sure, and I'm sure there will be some future iteration of, of what it is that I do and, and why I do it. But that has been the, the slow build that has gotten me to where I am now. That is amazing.
Dani: And I think it's still right because I've been in a position where I provided a blog post or even just like social media content, cuz that's like kinda the world I'm in.
Dani: I'm in the podcast management, social media management world. [00:04:00] Where it's like the, I provided it, but then it wasn't like within a framework of overall strategy. So it's like it wasn't really guiding anything to a good direction. So I think that's such a good point.
Dani: What would be a sign that you would say, what would the symptoms of somebody who.
Dani: Is kind of stuck in that, like you're, you're creating content, you're doing your content marketing, but it's not actually feeding to the overall strategy of your business. It's like what would be some symptoms of that?
Ashlee: Yeah, so there are lots. One might be that. You feel like you're spending all this time and energy on content, but it's not leading anywhere, right?
Ashlee: Which is easy to feel even if you do have a strategy, it, it is very easy to feel like you're on a hamster wheel, but ideally there will be some sort of feedback loop where you create something and it resonates with the exact people you want it to resonate with, and [00:05:00] they'll ask more questions or they'll give amazing feedback about how helpful that was, and that will inspire future posts.
Ashlee: And it really does build upon itself. It's like a snowball going down the hill that picks up more slow snow as it goes. So if you are not feeling that momentum, if you are feeling disjointed or like everything you're posting is starting from scratch or something like that, you need to have something to anchor you.
Ashlee: And for me, that's always values and audience. Another sign might be that. It just doesn't feel like you, or it doesn't sound like you. You haven't nailed your voice yet, or you haven't nailed your audience yet, or you're kind of embarrassed by what it looks like or sounds like or feels like. And you want.
Ashlee: Your business and the way it is presented in the world to just look and feel and sound more like you or more like, it doesn't even have to be [00:06:00] you, you know, founder forward face of the brand, more like the vision you have for your brand. And so really stepping into that. Brand persona, whatever you want it to be should feel really, really good.
Ashlee: Should feel easy to communicate to someone else. If you're outsourcing your social media, if you're outsourcing your podcast intro, they should be able to nail your vision because your vision is so clear and it's recorded somewhere. It needs to be clear to someone who does not live inside your head and heart all day, every day.
Ashlee: So if you have not taken that step yet, then that's a really important step to take. That is such
Dani: a good point because the
Ashlee: whole I'll, oh, when you
Dani: outsource your content, I'll, I'll know it when I see it. Like, you know, and that really kind of is a sign of like, you're not communicating your brand voice well enough, right?
Dani: Mm-hmm. And if you're having a hard time with people creating things that just look like they fit, [00:07:00] that could be like a really good site and you're just not very firm on your brand voice, and it's just not. Strong enough, so. Mm-hmm. That is such a good point. When you say it's recorded
Ashlee: somewhere, would you say like
Dani: people, what would you suggest when it comes to outsourcing?
Dani: This is a little bunny trail, but when it comes to outsourcing, what would you suggest that they have it recorded into like a brand voice document? What would you say?
Ashlee: Yeah, so what I do with my clients is I create an entire brand messaging guide. Mine is pretty robust. I get pretty wordy, like if you're on my newsletter list, you know, I have a lot to say cuz I really just care about this a lot.
Ashlee: But my guides are generally 10 ish pages. They could be much shorter. But you need to capture these thoughts, these ideas, this essence. Somewhere you need to put words to the feelings you want people to have when they interact with your brand. So whether that is simply capturing your three to five brand values, [00:08:00] uniquely defining them and making sure those are captured somewhere, that's a great place to start.
Ashlee: Capturing that audience. Et cetera. And, and not just, you know, they are 35 year old women who live in Philadelphia. That's, that's not enough. It needs to be what they care about what their tastes are, why they're shopping with you, what problems that you are solving, et cetera. But when I create a full brand messaging guide, I have six elements that I like to consider.
Ashlee: One is a brand statement. So overarchingly, it's sort of like an elevated elevator pitch, overarchingly. What is it that you do? Who is it for and why does it matter so darn much? The next element is your mission statement. So that's obviously your why, why you keep showing up even on the tough days, even during the ebbs.
Ashlee: The next element. Which is of course, essential are your brand values. And again, not just slapping some words up there, but really [00:09:00] defining what they mean to you and your brand and how they relate to your vision and your audience. And then your brand voice is the fourth element, and that is, Really how you sound, how you show up.
Ashlee: And then of course you have your core messages. So that's sort of the marketing speak. So the little snippets that you can copy and paste and smush together and pull apart and use as headlines, use as content prompts, all the things. And then I've, I've already lost track. We have, we have that's great.
Ashlee: Brand statement, mission statement. We have your brand values, we have your audience. We have your voice and then your core messages. I think I skipped audience in there, but yeah. Those six elements need to all come together where they intersect, where they're discreetly unique, et cetera. That is what you need to have clear and ideally track [00:10:00] down on paper, not only for your future self to be able to refer, refer back to as you make decisions, but also for any team members you bring on in the future.
Dani: Right. That is so important. It makes such a huge difference. Mm-hmm. That is amaz. That is very robust. That is fantastic. So when people, what is that first thing that you guide people to think about first? Because I think there's a lot of business owners out there. Like when we really think about it, we start our business because we need it to make money and this is what we're good at.
Dani: Mm-hmm. So they kind ofs how they kinda like enter into it. But then they kind of realize there's so much and more to running this business and just simply making money and finding clients and pay the bills. And I think that's like probably when people start really positioning themselves to you. Mm-hmm.
Dani: So what, what is that first thing you work through to ask them to kind of like uncover those values?
Ashlee: Yeah, it's a deeply reflective process. And. That it's that [00:11:00] values element that really does set entrepreneurship apart from just having a job. If you just needed to make money because you're good at something, you could go find someone else.
Ashlee: To work for. You know, theoretically, of course, so many people are in a position where, you know, they lost a job and that's why they started their business, et cetera. But in theory, you could at some point find a job doing what you do instead, you are choosing to create this, this thing, this entity, this vision outside of.
Ashlee: Your self and the, you know, direct skills that you can offer or even if you're a product-based business, like, all right, let's say you sell knitwear. Okay? Anyone could buy knitwear anywhere on the internet, right? Why would they buy it from you? What is it about your approach that's so, so special? So the first place I start is with that reflection.
Ashlee: I ask a lot of questions. Around the topic, around the idea, because if I just ask, what are your [00:12:00] values? If you had those done and dusted, like you wouldn't need me. Right? And sometimes it is just a question of having validation. Sometimes you just need someone to reflect it back to you to say, yes, that makes perfect sense.
Ashlee: Or, yes, that is such marketing gold run with that you know, it seems trite to you or it seems so basic to you because you live and breathe it every day. But sometimes what does come outta your mouth really is magic. And so sometimes you, you simply need someone to validate for that for you. But.
Ashlee: Yeah, I ask a lot of questions around the ideas. So one tried and true way I have found for establishing my own values is actually a time where I've felt mortified. That is a very strong emotion, at least for me. And that shows me very clearly what is out of alignment and therefore what I should be seeking.
Ashlee: So for me that's how I came to [00:13:00] my core value of integrity is anytime I'm out of integrity, I have that. Itchy, icky feeling out of my skin. Do not wanna be here feeling. And so that's how I know being in integrity is so essential to the way I wanna show up, the way I wanna make people feel the way, the way I wanna be known.
Ashlee: So either something like, when was the time you were mortified? What situations make you feel mortified or something super positive, like when was a time you were so, so proud or what would make you so proud to be known for? That sort of big picture thing. And then we get really granular. You know, we do that That, I don't know, like four year old trick where it's like, but why, but why, but why?
Ashlee: And we really get to the, the root of it. And we go from there. It's that outside perspective that's so, so valuable. Yeah. That is,
Dani: that is. And I love the fact that you validate probably what like they're already [00:14:00] thinking. Cuz some people, most people probably come in and they kind of have a general feel what their values are, but they're just not sure.
Dani: Like this is. Is gonna work, or is this even like legit? And you come in and you just say, yeah, that, that's perfect. And I love the fact that, that you go deeper, but why? But why? I love that. Mm-hmm. Because that really defines so much goodness in there, so that's awesome. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Okay, so like what are the, what is that transformation that you have seen?
Dani: Can you give like an example of like someone who came to you and then after having this, what could they do with all that? You did
Ashlee: together? Like what was that transformation? Yeah. For me it boils down to confidence, clarity, consistency. That ability to show up and know you're in the right place, know you're saying the right thing, know you're talking to the right people.
Ashlee: That is so powerful for you. The [00:15:00] ceo, the founder, the leader of your business. But also it's so powerful for your customers and their experience. It would feel really, really weird for you to have this amazing content that, you know, talks about, I don't know inclusivity and transparency. And then your client gets onboarded and it's like super shady and.
Ashlee: No one is using inclusive language or captions or, you know, whatever, whatever the experience is, that's opposite what you have been projecting online, right? So it's really about that alignment and that decision making. For me, a sort of hidden benefit that I don't think most people think of when they think of brand messaging strategy is that operational decision making power.
Ashlee: So who is it that you're going to hire? Refer to your brand messaging guide. Is that job description in alignment with your [00:16:00] values, in alignment with your mission? Is that person's website in alignment with everything you've mapped out for your brand? You're hitching your wagon to them, right? So it needs to, it doesn't need to be verbatim.
Ashlee: It doesn't need to be same, same, but different. It just needs to be in alignment. It needs to fit like a puzzle piece. Something like how to set your prices. So if being a luxury brand is important to you, because the women you work with have traditionally undervalued themselves and the only way they're gonna get results is if you charge a high ticket.
Ashlee: Cost for your service because they don't believe they're worth it unless they put so much skin in the game that it's a little bit scary for them, and therefore you charge a luxury PRI price point and create a luxury experience because you know that's what your people need from you. Okay, great. Now you know how to set your price, whereas if you are so eager to help these.
Ashlee: Just [00:17:00] off the, the ground fledgling business owners and they have $200 to their name and you know that their potential, potential for success and impact is amazing, and that's the person you wanna work with. You can't charge them $2,000 when you know they have $200 to work with, right? So how can you create an offer around that price point?
Ashlee: How can you reach them? On mass instead of, you know, one-on-one v i p days, et cetera. So things like pricing, hours of operation snippets in your signature line. All of these things add up to the brand experience that you are creating not only for yourself, but also for your customers and your team.
Ashlee: So it is really not only how you show up online, but also how you show up. In your business that really, really is a direct reflection of the the brand messaging strategy work that you do. [00:18:00]
Dani: That's amazing. Yeah. As you were talking about it, I was kind of thinking, whenever we think of a brand strategist coming on, we think about, oh, this is gonna transform the marketing.
Dani: Right? And it, and it does. It gives you like the words and it shows you how to show up. But then I'm like, oh my goodness. It also transforms the onboarding process. The process of what it's like to work with you, how does to communicate with you? Like, that's gonna show up everywhere, and if it does it, that means we're not aligning up, like what we're doing with what we're marketing.
Dani: Mm-hmm. You want them to be like the same. So like, that has such a big, big impact. And you're right. The fact that when you hire somebody that you are hiring someone that lines up with those values is so important. Mm-hmm. Yeah. When I start off as a virtual assistant, that was the one thing that like struck out to me was that like, you know, yes, there's lots of virtual assistants out there.
Dani: Mm-hmm. But that's more of a matter of like people finding the one that [00:19:00] lines up with them like that. That's where, that's, that's the key right there. So,
Ashlee: That's so true. Yeah. Not only in the people you hire, but also in the people who are hiring you. Right? There are 1,000,001 other people who do what you do.
Ashlee: So how can you show what, how can you show what you do is special. You know, whether it is simply the way that you view the world, or whether it is a unique method based on your values. The, the more specific you can be about. What is so special and unique about the way you view the world, the more specifically you can attract the perfect fit people, and the more specifically they can spread the word on your behalf too.
Ashlee: Referrals we all know
Dani: are so,
Ashlee: so powerful, and while I don't recommend relying solely on referrals, thank you. The best way to have amazing referrals is to attract the right people to begin with and then make it so, so clear. [00:20:00] How they can spread the word on your behalf. Exactly, yes. A business
Dani: completely living off referrals, you, you can't control that, but it's
Ashlee: a huge part of running your business.
Ashlee: Mm-hmm. So that's so good.
Dani: Awesome. Is there anything else that you would just love to share with the audience of maybe something you don't really think about when it comes
Ashlee: to their brand voice or strategy? Yeah, so. It can feel heavy, right? Or it can feel like it's a one and done thing, or it can feel like a nice to have or like a, okay, so I created my logo once, so my branding's done right.
Ashlee: But your branding, your messaging will inevitably change. It will evolve as you evolve as the founder of the visionary. It will evolve as the marketplace changes. You know, like what people in general in your industry want or need. It will evolve as your [00:21:00] audience evolves, as you get more specific or as you're able to branch out.
Ashlee: So definitely start somewhere and start with intention and then gather these little nuggets of data along the way. So these are questions that keep popping up or words that people keep using or hopes or personality tribes or traits or, or all of the above that keep popping up and that you want more of and that you are able to create more around.
Ashlee: And then going through the brand messaging process allows you to have a really solid base to grow up from to. Edit and to actively, proactively evolve around instead of just running sales calls or creating content, or crafting a customer experience from scratch every time or by the seat of your pants, right?
Ashlee: So [00:22:00] yes, it is important lofty work to sit and create a brand messaging strategy. But know that it is a living, breathing process. That's why my brand messaging guides are Google docs and not like beautifully designed decks. That's one of one of the reasons, but the main reason is that I want it to be copy and pasted and tweaked.
Ashlee: You know, one word here and one word there as your business evolves because. A stagnant business is not a very sustainable one. That is such
Dani: a good point. It's a want that working, living document, right? Yeah. That is so good. That is so good. Awesome. Well, what is
Ashlee: inspiring you right now? I. Honestly, moms and, and this might sound, I don't know, trite, I am very in the thick of it right now, but primary caregivers in general, you know, whether it is a parent or an illness or, you know, no matter your identity, but especially these people [00:23:00] who carry babies and birth them and nurse them and tend to their every need around the clock every single day and still find grace and humor and.
Ashlee: A sliver of identity and nuance outside of this all-consuming role. It it, for me, it is very powerful and inspiring and, I, I find it so, so motivational to see moms specifically run thriving businesses or share a day in the life content online about how hard it can be or how to keep things fresh for themselves and their children and people who do it alone and, People who surround themselves with support because they know that's what they need.
Ashlee: Basically. It's inspiring to me to see all the ways that people can make this identity of parenthood and this lifestyle and this role work for them and their unique families and goals. Yeah, it's just, it's a powerful stuff. It's, it's [00:24:00] so run of the mill. Everyone does it every day. Of course, not everyone is a parent, but everyone has this, this Lifestyle decision that they live with every single day.
Ashlee: But that doesn't mean that it's easy by any means.
Dani: Yes. I love your answer. It was definitely surprised me of moms. I'm like, oh wait, I'm a mom. But yeah, it, it is so, and you're
Ashlee: crushing it. Yes.
Dani: Yeah. There, there is some days, and I think it's really interesting too because, you know, I've talked about this before on my podcast, but virtual assistant, Marketing is really marketed towards moms.
Dani: I'm sure you may even noticed that. Like, this is like a business you could do at home and it, it is true. But man, that juggling of everything, I mean mm-hmm. It's kind of work late or work during naps, but when naps don't happen and what do you do? And then like also like if you could fall in that trap of looking at your kids as they are in the way of me doing my business.
Dani: Which is not true. [00:25:00] And then you have to like, oh my gosh, I just viewed them in that way. And just like, there's like, so it is a journey and then when you figure it out, six months
Ashlee: later it's different. Or six days later. Or six hours later.
Dani: Yeah. It's like I nailed it. Like I'm rocking it this week and then like next week you're like, okay, that doesn't work.
Dani: Work anymore. Yeah. So it is like you, you learn how to like thick on your feet and find beauty in the mundane. Mm-hmm. Really quickly, so yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. I love it. Awesome. Well, I know that there's probably people listening to this and they are realizing, oh my goodness, this is what's missing in my business.
Dani: Or they just wanna listen to you some more and just learn from you in that following world.
Ashlee: Where can they find you? Yeah, so the best way to get a real taste of my approach to marketing and messaging is to download a visionaries guide to elevator pitches. It's a free guided [00:26:00] template to talk about what you do and why it matters in a way you actually feel confident with.
Ashlee: So I have a social link for listeners, which is just ashley saying.com/discovery call. And then in the discovery call spirit, I would love to get on a call with people with listeners. So, I like to call them instead of discovery calls. I like to call them collaboration calls because we're chatting about how we're gonna, you know, potentially collaborate.
Ashlee: So that's our time and our space to talk about how we can take steps together toward your vision. Either with me as your consultant and strategist, or with me as your connector to someone who's a better fit. So I have those available@ashleysang.com slash collab. And then of course you can listen to the Purpose and Progress podcast, which is my audio love letter to the online business community.
Ashlee: And it's where values spark action. I release new episodes every single Tuesday. Oh,
Dani: that's awesome. Well, thank [00:27:00] you so much. I hope that everyone hops in a call that would love to talk to you and that I just love that you just started your podcast. It's pretty new, right? You started
Ashlee: about a month ago.
Ashlee: Yeah, mid-February. So I think episode 11 just released recently. So yeah.
Dani: Congratulations. And they always say pod fate is after seven episodes, so you,
Ashlee: you're past that. You're doing great. I made it.
Dani: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming onto the podcast.
Ashlee: Thanks so much for having me.
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A small business owner, social media and marketing pro, who is on a mission to help YOU grow your network through listening to podcasts. Reach out to Dani, or her guests, at any time! That’s what she’s all about.
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