Brand Story: From Work Wear Fashion Blogger To Expert Career Strategist
How we elevated SUITS & SNEAKS to become a high value brand.
Meet Kristin Alongi from SUITS AND SNEAKS. I’m so excited to bring her brand story to you because I think it’s one that many of you can relate to. Kristin has a 9 to 5 job as a recruiter at a big corporation and she loves her job. Over the last few years, Kristin did a huge pivot in her corporate career to actually find the work that lights her up.
Inspired by her own journey, she started her blog, SUITS AND SNEAKS. to help and inspire others to find the job that suits their strengths, interests, and passions. She does exactly that at her corporation, and the blog gives her a way to expand her reach wider.
Kristin has a great eye for style and her blog and Instagram soon took on the look of a work wear fashion blogger and got a bit distracted by what was working for everyone else. Her social and website began to blend in and her message wasn’t coming through.
However, when Kristin came to me for my help, she thought the problem with her brand was that the colors and visuals weren’t cohesive enough. What we quickly discovered is she needed to reconnect with the bigger purpose of her brand and mission so that her intention for starting and growing her blog could be fulfilled.
Brand clarity is everything…it helps you know without a shadow of a doubt, why you’re starting your brand in the first place, who it’s for, and the mission you want to accomplish. It helps you stay on message so you can fulfill your greater vision. In Kristin’s own words, here are more details on how we elevated her brand from work wear fashion blogger to what she really is - an expert career strategist (with a keen eye for fashion & elevating your personal style with a purpose):
WHAT DID YOU FEEL YOU NEEDED HELP WITH MOST WHEN YOU FIRST REACHED OUT FOR HELP WITH YOUR BRAND?
KRISTIN: Everything, I couldn’t even put words to it because I wasn’t actually even sure what I wanted to do. It was a case of total mental burnout, paralysis by analysis, and I had gotten to the point where I had lost sight of my original purpose (but hadn’t realized it yet), and with that lost a lot of confidence on being able to move forward at all.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST BENEFITS TO YOU & YOUR BRAND FROM WORKING TOGETHER IN MY 8 WEEK BRAND STRATEGY PROGRAM?
KRISTIN: What I REALLY appreciated about Hilary’s method is we went back to the absolute basics, Day 0, on how my idea first surfaced. If I could sum up my branding experience with Hilary it’s that this foundation is so important and she will help you know what you stand for.
You HAVE to know what you stand for in order to execute a brand and business strategy. And you might totally know this upfront, but a year or two into the million stressors and distractions of trying to build a brand and business, you can easily lose sight of this. It’s so so important and I’m so glad she spends time on this because once you get over this hurdle, the rest becomes so much easier.
HOW HAVE YOU ALREADY PUT YOUR NEW BRAND STRATEGY TO WORK FOR YOU?
KRISTIN: I went back to my roots, my “why” and my vision that I had from the very beginning. It wasn’t to be a fashion blogger, it was to help everyone in the corporate world let their real selves shine through during their 9 to 5 workday.
I executed on this in the very beginning, before I joined Instagram and got distracted by the world around me, and then leading up to the time right before I worked with Hilary, I had gotten off course in a pool of confusion.
I brought my website experience back to what I want it to be for users: a resource for them to go through for advice and inspiration on how to show up to work as their best selves and find fulfillment in their career.
We re-ordered things, introduced a consistency of themes, fonts, colors, and most of all MESSAGING. This has been a huge help. Since working with Hilary, I know my key words, phrases, values, mission statement, positioning statement, tagline, and I say it in almost everything I do. This repetition and consistency help my audience clearly understand who I am. I was all over the place before.
WHAT TANGIBLE RESULTS HAVE YOU HAD WITH YOUR BRAND SINCE GETTING CLEAR ON WHAT YOUR BRAND STANDS FOR AND HOW TO POSITION IT TO YOUR AUDIENCE?
KRISTIN: For one, I feel a hell of a lot more confident in myself. Hilary helped me remember why I started my brand and got me back to what I believe in and stand for. Now that I’ve narrowed down specifically what that is, I can communicate so much better to my audience (and with SO much more confidence).
I also got my podcast up and running and have stayed CONSISTENT each week. My website looks much more cohesive to my brand strategy. And now I need to carry that through to social media as far as aesthetic goes, but I’ve definitely already made progress on my messaging.
AFTER WORKING TOGETHER ON ELEVATING YOUR BRAND TO HIGH-VALUE STATUS, WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
KRISTIN: I have direction, confidence, and a cohesive brand look, an entire package of communication and key words, and most importantly, THE most important thing Hilary helped me get back - I truly feel like I have a PURPOSE.
Thank you Kristin, for the great honor of trusting me with your brand. I’m so excited to see where you take it!
And, if you’re ready to connect with the greater purpose of your brand, I recommend you start with your vision. Happy branding!
