So On Brand, Episode 10
TL;DR
- Your first impression now happens on your Instagram profile, your Google listing, or in what AI says about you.
- Run four checks on your business: findable, believable, memorable, and repeatable.
- The only-you rule: every post gets one name, number, or moment that is totally yours.
- Good Company of the Week is The Sensory Shoppe in Carmel and Noblesville.
A recommendable brand is one people trust before they ever reach out and remember long after they do. In Episode 10 of So On Brand, I walk through the four checks I run on my own business. You can try every one of them this week, and there’s a rule near the end you’ll still remember while you’re driving.
In this episode
- [00:05] Growing up at Bogey’s Family Fun Center
- [01:25] Why your front door looks different now
- [02:40] What a brand really is
- [04:35] Check 1: Findable
- [06:15] Check 2: Believable
- [08:35] Where AI photos fit
- [09:55] Check 3: Memorable and the only-you rule
- [12:40] Check 4: Repeatable
- [14:20] How AI helps me keep my routine
- [15:35] Good Company of the Week: The Sensory Shoppe
- [17:55] Next week at Brown County State Park
Your front door looks different now
When I was growing up, my parents owned Bogey’s Family Fun Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. It’s still there today, though our family doesn’t own it anymore. I helped with just about every part of the business, and nobody ever used the word branding.
But when you walked into Bogey’s, you could smell the pizza and hear the game machines going. Someone was right there at the front desk to greet you, and kids were running around the party rooms. That first experience was the brand. The sign and the logo colors my parents picked were a small part of it.
Most of us don’t have a front door like that, and even with a storefront, the first impression usually happens somewhere else now. It might be your Instagram profile, your Google listing, or what AI recommends. People decide before they ever come inside and talk to you.
The way I look at it, your brand is how it feels to find your business and work with you, anywhere that could happen. The things that slip over time, like an old photo or an outdated bio, make a brand harder to trust. I’m guilty of it myself, so please don’t feel behind.
Check 1: Is your brand findable?
Can people and AI find your business, and does everything match online? AI looks for consistent information to pull from. For me, that means saying I’m a brand photographer serving the north side of Indianapolis on my Google profile, my website, and my social media. When it all lines up, AI can find you, and then more people find you. The same habits help on Google and YouTube. I covered AI search in more depth in Episode 5.
SEO, blogging regularly, and putting out content on a consistent basis all make you easier to find. I don’t have a physical office, so nobody wanders in off the street. If that’s you too, think about what someone sees the first time they find you.
Try this week: Line up your info
Pull up your Google profile, website, and social media side by side. Check that they describe what you do and who you serve the same way.
Check 2: Is your brand believable?
Once people find you, does it look like a real person runs the business and that it’s active right now? Look for a photo of you on your website (ideally several brand photos, or some video), a bio that matches what you do today, and recent work in your portfolio.
I’m in the middle of this myself, taking out some of the video education I did previously. I had a bunch of ideas when I started, and pivoting helped me stay in business. It also left some inconsistent things out there. In the last three or four years, I’ve settled into being consistent about my brand and who I serve. Maybe you’ve been consistent since day one, and if so, good for you! Everyone else, give yourself some grace.
My newest work usually shows up on Instagram first, and I update the images on my website about once a year. I just went through my own update, and it’s hard. When you’re busy, your website isn’t your first thought. But up-to-date photos build that believable element into your brand.
People hire the person in the picture. AI photos and videos get better every day, but in my personal opinion, I don’t know that this is the spot to use AI. If your photos look fake, believability is hard to check off.
Being active on social media, at least on some consistent basis, matters too. When I’m looking to hire someone and their Instagram hasn’t been updated in a few years, it’s harder to feel sure. Behind-the-scenes videos and in-the-moment stories add trust and make you more memorable.
Try this week: Reread your bio
Read your bio out loud and check it against what you do today.
Check 3: Is your brand memorable? Try the only-you rule
Here’s the rule I promised you’d remember in the car. Every post gets one name, number, or moment that is totally yours, something AI or a competitor couldn’t make up.
I could say, “Brand photos help you show up with confidence.” It’s clear and true, and any brand photographer could say it. Or I could say, “I started shooting brand sessions in 2016 on a Canon Rebel T3i, and to be honest, I barely knew how to use it properly.” I could add that my husband bought it for me for Christmas. Every true detail that belongs only to you makes the story more memorable and easier to believe.
Here’s the test. If a competitor could copy and paste your caption, blog post, email, or bio and put their logo on it, it needs something more specific.
You don’t need to put more and more content out there to be remembered. What helps is more proof of what you do and who you serve, plus true stories that pass the only-you rule. I keep a story bank of experiences with clients, at events, and while traveling, along with what I learned from each one. Leaning on what’s true to you is how you stand out in this age of copy-and-paste AI slop.
Try this week: Add one only-you detail
Before your next post goes out, add one name, number, or moment that only you could write. This is the one I’d start with!
Check 4: Is your brand repeatable?
This one has two sides.
Repeatable messaging. These are the things people recognize you by: your colors, your logo, or the fact that you love Diet Coke, so someone sees a can and thinks of you. Showing up consistently on stories and Reels counts too. Things that feel familiar feel safe, and the more people see you, the more they trust you. A content series on Reels is another way to keep building on your story.
A repeatable routine. This is the process you can actually keep up, for your content and for your client experience. When every client gets the same great experience from beginning to end, they tell the same story about you, and that’s what makes a brand recommendable.
For email, blog posts, and social media, find a routine you can stick with. AI helps me most here. It handles a lot of the repurposing and busywork, like scheduling, while I read everything and make sure it matches my message and voice. I love routines and have trouble keeping them, so having AI as my little assistant behind the scenes has been so valuable.
Try this week: Pick a routine you can keep
Choose one content routine you can stick with, and look for the button-clicking busywork AI could take off your plate.
Good Company of the Week: The Sensory Shoppe
If you have tweens, you’ve probably waited in a squishy line at Five Below. (It’s kind of fun, and they’re really cute.)
This week’s Good Company is The Sensory Shoppe. Owner Emily Hawthorne started it because her daughter has autism, and shopping could be complicated and overwhelming. She wanted a store where neurodivergent kids and adults are the norm. The Carmel store opened December 1, 2025, the Noblesville store at Hamilton Town Center opened August 15, 2026, and a Greenwood location has been announced.
You can test products before you buy them. The lighting is soft, there’s no loud music, and you won’t find any do-not-touch signs. They also host classes and work with social groups. My girls and I have been in a few times, including once when we landed in a NeeDoh line by accident. It was really fun! It might be the one store where I feel relaxed shopping with my kids.
What I love is that everything you read about the company holds up when you walk in the door. Emily owns her brand, and it’s memorable and believable. Now hopefully it’s a little more findable for you, too.
Visit: Carmel, 99 E. Carmel Dr. | Noblesville, Hamilton Town Center | sensoryshoppecarmel.com
Build a recommendable brand one check at a time
Start with your only-you messaging this week, then work through the other checks at your own pace. Each one moves you closer to a recommendable brand that’s easy to trust and hard to forget.
Next week, I’m taking you along on my camping trip to Brown County State Park to talk about what parks know about being easy to trust. It’s the most beautiful fall season in Indiana right now, so it felt like a good fit. Thanks for listening to Episode 10. We’re officially in double digits!
Frequently asked questions
What is a recommendable brand?
A brand that’s easy to trust and hard to forget, where every client gets the same great experience and tells the same story about you.
Does this apply if I don’t have a storefront?
Yes. I don’t have a physical location either. Your first impression happens on your Instagram profile, your Google listing, or in what AI says about your business.
How often should I update the photos on my website?
I update mine about once a year and share my newest work on Instagram in between.
What is So On Brand?
The show where I dive into what makes brands and businesses stand out and get noticed, with a local Good Company of the Week feature in each episode.
When do new episodes come out?
Every Tuesday.
Places and resources mentioned
- Bogey’s Family Fun Center, Terre Haute, Indiana
- The Sensory Shoppe, Carmel and Noblesville (sensoryshoppecarmel.com)
- Brown County State Park (next week’s episode)
- Episode 5: getting found in AI search
- Canon Rebel T3i, my first camera for brand sessions
Listen and subscribe
- Apple Podcasts: So On Brand on Apple Podcasts
- Spotify: So On Brand on Spotify
- Acast: So On Brand on Acast
- Instagram: @kelliwhitecreative
Want help making your brand easy to find and hard to forget? Let’s plan your content.
Kelli White is an Indianapolis-based brand photographer, videographer, and strategic content partner serving women-owned businesses in Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville and Zionsville. She’s the host of So On Brand.
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