How to Apply Brand Archetypes to Your Brand Strategy

If you missed last week's blog post, I broke down what archetypes are, why we love them and why you should be using them in your branding.

This week, I’m going to break down how to identify the right archetype for you and how to apply your primary and influencer archetype to your brand.

Before we begin...

If you haven’t yet, take our free Brand Archetype quiz {linked here} to identify your top archetypes. This quiz will take you through a series of questions to understand your personality, your motivations and how you show up as your best self for your clients.

Once you have identified your primary archetypes, how do you choose the best one for your brand?

Your primary archetype should be the one you score the highest in and your influencer should be one of the remaining two. I suggest that you don’t apply more than 2 archetypes: a primary and an influencer, so that you can keep a clear and defined brand personality.

But before you commit to an archetype, consider this...

After taking our archetype quiz, sometimes the results can be crystal clear, like you are 90% one type, 10% one type and 0% any of the rest.

But sometimes, people may get a 33% split, and then what? One thing to understand is that archetypes embody basic human core values, so it's very possible that we can identify with more than 2 of them. If you think about all of the different facets of your life, at some point, you could have related to or embodied a majority of them, however if you tried to be all of them your brand would come across as confused and inconsistent.

And... just because you may have scored higher on one archetype over another, doesn't mean that is the archetype you have to embody.

You ultimately have the power to choose what archetype your brand will embody.

Although I would suggest sticking to the two you naturally gravitate towards, you need to be able to embody the archetypes so that your brand feels authentic and you want to make sure that your brand archetypes align with the core values of your audience.

To narrow in on and embody the right archetypes for you, consider these 4 areas to determine the best two for you and your brand.

RESEARCH EACH ARCHETYPE.

Learn more about each of the 12 archetypes, what they stand for, what their core values are, what their core message is, what motivates and inspires them. When you understand each of the archetypes and who they are at their core, you can not only better understand which is best for your brand, you can better understand how to apply that archetype to your brand in a way that speaks directly to your ideal customer. Click here to learn more about the 12 different brand archetypes >>

OBSERVE YOUR INTERNAL REACTION TO EACH ARCHETYPE.

What is your first gut reaction to each of the archetypes you scored highest on? Do you feel like they totally make sense or do you feel a sense of rejection to your results? Listen to what your natural reaction and consider what your audience may be looking for in a business in your industry. Would they have the same negative reaction or would this specific archetype fit into their core desires?

ANALYZE YOUR ARCHETYPE IN YOUR NICHE.

How would your archetype fit into your industry? Does it make sense? Does it have the core values and the personality to capture the right audience. On the flip side, maybe it's not the obvious choice for your industry, but is there a way that you can use your archetype to set your brand apart from the crowd in a new and authentic way?

DECIDE WHICH BEST FOR YOU AND YOUR BRAND.

If you are trying to be everything to everyone, you're diluting your message. It's important to decide what your primary and influencer archetypes are and embody them. I can’t stress it enough that while, yes, I want you to align with your archetypal mix, I want you archetypal mix to align with your ideal clients and customers core desires more. Narrowing in on your two main archetypes and truly encompassing every bit of who they are to their core will help you to create a brand that captivates and connects with your audience in a more authentic and sustainable way.

So, now that you have your primary archetype, how do you choose and use your influencer archetype?

If you've taken our Brand Personality Quiz, you would have received 3 archetypes that you scored the highest on. When working with clients, I always suggest focusing on two brand archetypes (no more) made up of your primary archetype and your influencer or secondary archetype. While there is no percentage that each archetype must align with - you want to make sure that you clearly define what your brand stands for, and stands against - and that it aligns with your audiences’ core values. Depending on the industry, your primary may align with your industry archetype (for instance, the caregiver archetype for a medical or non-profit organization), while your secondary archetype can be used to differentiate from the crowd.

The beauty of an archetypal mix is that it gives us 144 different archetypal options to choose from, allowing our brands to truly be unique and stand apart from the crowd.

Now that you have a clear idea of your primary & influencer archetype, how do you apply them to your brand?

Consider what each archetype stands for as it relates to your brand, your industry and your audience - and lean into each archetype's strengths as they relate to your audience's core desires.

For example, my brand’s archetypal mix is both the Royal and the Girl Next Door. Most of my clients are coming to me to help them get their branding, website and business essentials established, in order, and refined in a sophisticated & streamlined manner. They look to me as the expert (Royal) in my industry to help them to achieve their goals - however they are entrusting me with one of their most valuable assets, which I don’t take lightly. I approach each client and project as not only a professional, but as a friend who is there to help, assist, guide and mentor them through the process. Never judgmental or overly opinionated (Girl Next Door)- I want them to feel welcomed, heard and a part of the team. My visuals tend to be more Girl Next Door while my color palette and messaging tends to be more Royal.

In order to apply an archetype to your brand, you need to first understand that as archetypes represent personalities, they must represent both your brand and your customers.

The trick is two-fold. Not only do you want to appeal to your ideal customers and solve their pain points or what they are pining for, you also want your brand to embody these personalities so that what you are saying, standing for and selling feels authentic.

Let me be clear here, archetypes aren't about appealing to everyone, they are about appealing the right ones.

Aligning your brand to a primary archetype will allow your brand personality to feel familiar to your audience and allow you to communicate with consistency and feel like a living, breathing human they are doing life with.

Ready to discover your archetypal mix and start applying them to your brand strategy? Hitting a roadblock on how to choose your archetypal mix or how to apply your mix to your brand? Click here to book a complimentary 30 minute Discovery Call and let’s work it out together!

So grateful and glad you're here!

Kelly

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for man." - Colossians 3:23