insight : claudia clobes yudis
5 Tips for Curating Your Brand The skills needed to create a beautiful art exhibit are similar to those required to craft a strong brand message BY CLAUDIA CLOBES YUDIS
W
e all know that your brand should have an identity and a voice that is cohesive and consistent across all your channels. Your clients hire you because they trust you and need your guidance, so make it easy for them to connect, engage and make an investment. It is more important now than ever to make your company shine so you are poised to weather the challenges our industry and the world are facing. When I was in college, I completed a museum curatorship program. I quickly discovered that many of the skills I learned in those classes can be adapted to any business. You and the products you offer should resonate on an emotional level with your client base and define their experience. You should also curate a product collection
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for your firm much like an art historian curates an art exhibition. This is a key step in creating a strong brand story and driving sales.
for you: products that were modern, mid to high end and fashionable. You don’t have to live in an urban center or in a loft to get the idea.
Define Your Brand Personality
Invest in a Great Website and Professional Photography
You can’t curate a collection if you don’t know who you are or which segment of the population you are targeting. Who is your client? Who are you? How can you best serve your clients? In my case, I decided on a brand identity before hiring professionals to design my logo and build my website. I wanted to serve the luxury home space and, more specifically, women and men between the ages of 40 and 65 who share a similar lifestyle and aesthetic to mine. I selected my company name, Urban Loft Window Treatments, to communicate that whether your style is traditional, transitional or contemporary, I was offering something
NOVEMBER + DECEMBER 2020 | wf-vision.com
An art collection is based on having beautiful things to show off. You need the same thing in a modern design business. That’s why this is nonnegotiable. Your website and virtually everything you do has to speak to your prospective client. I hired a graphic designer who was one of my previous clients. We shared a similar aesthetic, so I knew she would understand my goals and purpose. Then, I hired a web designer who only develops sites for interior designers, window treatment professionals and real estate stagers. Because her company messaging was so clear and curated, I knew I would be in good hands. I
