The Hidden Strength in Your Brand: Why Perception is Key to Connecting with Your Audience

Canva

Last month, I learned a surprising lesson about perception. Funny enough, it was tucked into the last part of my newsletter—a lighthearted meme about a dog through the perspective of a cat. At first glance, it played on the classic trope: cats are smarter than dogs. In the photo, a smug-looking cat comments on how "obviously" cats are more intelligent, while a dog stands chest-deep in water, looking clueless.

It seemed funny, right? But, when I looked again, I realized the dog wasn’t clueless at all. It was actually standing to keep its head above water. The dog was using its intelligence to survive. And that’s when the meme took on a whole new meaning for me: What we perceive isn’t always the full story.

This simple meme got me thinking—about how we view others, and especially about branding. How people see you (or your business) can shape everything.

How We Form Our Perceptions

Perception is tricky. We don’t always take the time to look beneath the surface. Instead, we rely on beliefs we’ve absorbed from our cultural paradigms. Who do we listen to? Those we see as authorities. And much like that meme, these messages shape our perceptions—whether or not they reflect the whole truth.

Sure, the meme is just a small, playful example, but it illustrates something big: We accept perceptions without always questioning them. And as we’ll see, that’s a powerful lesson when it comes to how we brand our businesses.

This brings me to a book—How the World Sees You by Sally Hogshead. In her book, Hogshead discusses the concept of fascination, and she breaks it down into a system called the Fascination Advantage, which shows how others see and are captivated by you.

But before I dive into that, I want to share something else that clicked into place for me about perception and branding.

Business vs. Brand: What’s the Difference?

This is where branding expert Re Perez comes in. In his book, he hammers this principal home for us: your audience doesn’t really care about your business, they care about the perception of the value you bring to them.

So, if you’re an energy healer, for example, your audience may not care about the specifics of your practice—what techniques you use, how many certifications you have, or where you trained. What they care about is the result, the feeling they walk away with after working with you. That’s perception.

Your brand is essentially your business translated into an emotional connection with your audience. It’s how they feel when they think about you.

Perez’s key takeaway? A brand is a desired perception. And shaping that perception is the heart of branding.

The Fascination Advantage: How the World Sees You

This idea of desired perception ties in perfectly with Sally Hogshead’s work. In How the World Sees You, she introduces a framework called the Fascination Advantage. Unlike other personality assessments, which measure how you see yourself, this system looks at how you naturally impress and influence others.

Hogshead identifies seven "Fascination Advantages," or ways people captivate others:

1. Power

2. Passion

3. Mystique

4. Prestige

5. Trust

6. Innovation

7. Alert

These seven categories represent different ways people—and brands—can stand out. And here’s the kicker: You don’t have to be all things to all people. In fact, trying to fix your weaknesses or be something you’re not waters down your true strengths. Instead, Hogshead encourages us to lean into what makes us naturally fascinating.

If you chose the Passion Advantage in Hogshead’s system, your brand language should captivate your audience by infusing energy and emotion into your messaging. On the other hand, if you chose the Trust Advantage, your messaging should convey stability and dependability. The lesson here is simple but profound: Understanding how others see you—and leveraging that—is the key to connecting with your audience on a deeper level.

Shaping Perception: Your Brand’s Ongoing Strategy

Let’s circle back to the core idea from Re Perez: Branding is the process of creating, shaping, and influencing a desired perception. It’s not about being everything to everyone; it’s about crafting a consistent, authentic experience that resonates deeply with your target audience.

If you’re an energy healer, lightworker, or holistic practitioner, your brand should evoke trust, connection, and transformation. To do this, you need to focus on shaping perception at every touchpoint—your website, social media, emails, in-person interactions, and even how you present yourself in everyday situations.

Here are a few steps to keep in mind:

1. Identify your Fascination Advantage. What makes you unique? What draws people to you naturally?

2. Understand your audience’s perception of you. How do they see you? What emotions or values do they associate with your brand?

3. Tailor your messaging. Speak to your audience in a way that aligns with how they perceive and connect with you.

4. Reinforce your desired perception. Be consistent in how you present your brand, from your visual identity to the tone of your messaging.

Conclusion: The Power of Perception in Branding

Perception is everything. It’s how we form beliefs about the world—and it’s how the world forms beliefs about us.

In the end, much like the dog in that meme, your brand’s true intelligence and value may lie just beneath the surface. It’s up to you to shape how the world sees it. The more you understand and align with the perceptions of your audience, the more powerful and authentic your brand will become.

The lesson? Be intentional about how you’re perceived. After all, the world is watching—and perception is everything.