Ambassador spotlight: Shyne Webster
We will periodically feature Adobe Express Ambassador spotlights to shine a light on the fantastic work of people who build their business and personal brands using the Adobe Express app.
Shyne Webster learned the power of good branding the hard way. Shyne first started her company in 2019 which at that time, sold t-shirts and stickers. Even though her products were quality and told a compelling story, the business failed to grow. According to Shyne, the reason her business stalled was because she lacked direction for her brand.
“I had no brand strategy,” Shyne shares, “No ideal client, no brand values, no vision. I just sold things for fun. But despite the clothing label being a hobby and a labor of love, I was bummed that my company didn’t have the impact I knew it could.”
Building brand wisdom
Shyne had a passion and product with limitless potential. She just didn’t know how to get her message in front of the right audience. This realization led Shyne to another lightbulb moment. Her brand already existed—even before she recognized it as a brand. As Shyne puts it, “My brand stems from the experience I provide and the way I make people feel.”
Once Shyne realized that she did indeed have a brand, she got to work leveraging it. She honed her brand voice and started crafting a message to tell a story. Applying a clear brand to her business led Shyne to a deeper and wider impact than she previously imagined for her company.
Nowadays, Shyne offers her hard-earned advice through her business Designed by Shyne which specializes in vibrant, human-first, holistic branding for women entrepreneurs. She’s now an industry leader in the online business space and shares her wisdom with others.
Shyne puts it this way to people who are building their brand: “Your brand exists whether you know it or not, so the question is: are you ready to start being more intentional and strategic about the way you make people feel when they interact with your business?”
Sharing your brand on social media
Once a business has a solid brand, the goal shifts to spreading the brand messaging far and wide. This is where social media comes in. Shyne shares her tactics for building brand recognition and loyalty on Instagram in three tips:
Keep your brand voice consistent
Your marketing copy communicates your brand personality. This includes the tone and voice of your company’s Instagram captions. Let your unique personality come through in your words and people will take notice, stop scrolling, and digest your social content.
Establish a visual identity
A visual brand identity helps your audience recognize your business and product in their Instagram feed—and keep them coming back for more. If you’re consistent in your visual identity, people will become familiar with your brand’s consistent color palette, fonts, and graphic elements like logos, shapes, and designs.
Stay fresh with DIY content
Hiring a professional designer is expensive and out-of-reach for many small business owners. That’s why Shyne recommends stepping up your content DIY skills. Hint: she’s a power-user of Adobe Express because you don’t have to be a design expert to quickly and easily make standout content.
Make your brand content your own
When Shyne’s not helping other entrepreneurs build their marketing, she applies her own brand know-how and creativity by making content related to surf, skate, and sneaker culture. This practice calls back to her recommendation that others hone their DIY content skills for social media. Shyne uses Adobe Express to drive brand consistency by uploading her logo into the app and always using fonts and colors to match her aesthetic.
If you don’t know how to get started, Shyne recommends using one of the Adobe Express templates for social media graphics or exploring the template collection for inspiration. Speaking of templates, check out this tutorial on how to apply your brand to a template in Adobe Express.
Shyne knows from her own experience that being intentional and strategic about branding can lead to business growth. If you put in the work of building your brand—and sharing it on social media—you’ll set yourself up for success.