Nobody Comes in to Motivate You, You’ll Have to Get Up Yourself | Kezia Israel, MBA - Verbal Identity Strategist - Founder of Kizkopop

Kezia, a verbal identity strategist, talks about the importance of verbal identity in branding and how it shapes a brand's communication. She explains that verbal identity encompasses the linguistic component of branding, including the brand's voice, tone, and personality. Kezia emphasizes the need to develop a solid foundation of voice and tone before diving into verbal identity.She also shares her journey of transitioning from graphic design and brand strategy to focusing on verbal identity. Kezia provides insights into how she helps clients find their verbal identity and the common mistakes people make in branding. She also discusses the connection between personality, values, and verbal identity, and the importance of consistency in brand communication.In this conversation, Kezia and Elisabeth discuss self-motivation, tackling to-do lists, and the challenges of sales in freelancing. Kezia shares her strategies for staying motivated and productive, including creating a daily agenda and prioritizing tasks. They also discuss the difficulties of sales and finding the right clients. Kezia emphasizes the importance of building relationships with clients and using social media to showcase expertise. They also touch on the influence of Kezia's entrepreneurial grandmother and the intangible traits that contribute to success in entrepreneurship. Learn more about Kezia and KizkopopInstagram: instagram.com/kizkopopLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/keziaisraelWebsite: kizkopop.comSupport the Freelance Blueprint Podcast Follow the podcast Leave a review Sign up to the Freelance Blueprint Newsletterhttps://mailchi.mp/19bd323f0892/sign-up-to-my-newsletter Become a sponsor - Visit freelance-blueprint.com for more information Join the Freelance Blueprint Discord Channel https://discord.gg/e4g2BgKy Keywordsverbal identity, branding, voice, tone, brand personality, brand communication, visual identity, copywriting, self-motivation, sales, freelancing, productivity, motivation, clients, social media, entrepreneurshipTakeaways Developing a solid foundation of voice and tone is crucial before diving into verbal identity. Personality and values shape how a brand communicates and should be reflected in its verbal identity. Consistency in brand communication is key to effective branding. Self-motivation can be a challenge for freelancers, but creating a daily agenda and prioritizing tasks can help stay productive. Building relationships with clients is important, and social media can be a powerful tool for showcasing expertise and attracting warm leads. Sales can be uncomfortable for many freelancers, but finding the right approach and positioning can make the process easier. Chapters00:00 Intro 01:23 About Kezia 02:00 What is Verbal Identity? 04:48 How Kezia Transitioned from Visual to Verbal Identity 06:54 How to Learn About a Topic to Gain a Skill that's not Common 09:26 How to Evoke Emotions Through Words 09:51 Getting the First Verbal Identity Client 11:17 Repositioning Oneself as a Freelancer and Entrepreneur 14:31 Coming Up with a Name for Your Business 16:21 Common Mistakes with Branding and Verbal Branding 19:25 At What Stage Should Freelancers Look Into Personal Branding? 22:33 Kezia's Process of Creating a Verbal Identity Strategy 24:28 Self-Motivation for Freelancers 28:11 Starting a Business Straight Out of University 29:44 Learning from Mentors and Sources Online 30:20 How to Sell When You Hate Sales 32:32 Outsourcing Sales 34:01 Bad Experiences After "Being Sold to" 36:11 How Kezia Gets Clients Despite Disliking Sales 37:44 Dealing With Clients Who Don't Know What They Need 41:16 Getting Inspired by an Entrepreneurial Grandmother 43:47 Can You Get Someone to Want to Work With You? 45:15 Learning from Chris Do: Your Content Needs to do the Heavy Lifting 47:19 "Selling" on Social Media 49:49 Final Freelance Blueprint Questions 52:06 How to Connect with Kezia 52:40 Outro