Jamaican Monique Lawrence has been in the media and communications field for over 17 years. A long-time business woman and consultant, she recently launched MJ Branding & Media, her latest foray into entrepreneurship.
The boutique design agency, based in Kingston, Jamaica, services both emerging entrepreneurs and high-powered corporate clients alike. As the head of the company, Lawrence brings with her veteran creative design skills, as she has worn just about every hat possible in brand development. She has been a marketer, visual designer, producer, scriptwriter, voice-over talent, and audio programming supervisor, and specializes in full 360 campaign development. With its broad-based creative skillset, Lawrence and her team craft successful campaigns across a variety of mediums.
As she puts it, branding is Lawrence’s life. Here are her essential tips for business owners who want to supercharge their brands in 2023.
The best foot forward is your own foot
Lawrence explains that branding is a unique and personal experience. To build a brand that connects, you need to not only understand the people you’re aiming to serve, but you also need to understand yourself. Spend some time defining your story, she says. Your audience has a nose for authenticity, and will gravitate toward your authentic story. “The audience you’re aiming to serve is the ‘you’ from 5-10 years ago,” Lawrence explains.
Invent the look
Your literal brand look and feel is important. Lawrence says your branding should be as unique as possible, but also be congruent with your mission and tone. The colors have to match the vibe. For example, if you’re a brand focusing on environmental action, you’ll look into softer shapes, more greens, and natural colors. Your fonts need to be consistent, she notes, and also match the vibe of the logo. Consistency is the key to acquiring mindshare, which means you’re the first name your audience thinks about within your industry.
Show up where your audience is
A common mistake many emerging brands make is spreading themselves too thin, Lawrence says. She explains that a part of knowing your audience is knowing where they are. Hit that space consistently. That can be prioritizing one social network over another, or simply targeting your ideal demographic down to occupation, gender, and age breakdowns.
