Interview with a Caregiver Brand: Becoming Families

Now that we have explored each of the 12 brand archetypes, let’s take a look at some businesses for real-life examples. Today we will feature the Caregiver.

The Caregiver brand archetype exists solely to help others. Motivated by compassion and generosity, this particular archetype strives to make people feel nurtured and secure. This archetype’s ultimate goal is to give of itself in order to care for others.

BECOMING FAMILIES

Becoming Families, founded by CEO Desirée Sterling, is an excellent example of the Caregiver archetype. Becoming Families is a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals and couples navigate the foster and adoption process. Desirée experienced firsthand the struggles families face when seeking to adopt a child, and she wanted to make the process easier for others. Becoming Families puts the needs and emotions of kids first by offering education, training, and support for prospective families, as well as families who have already adopted and are seeking additional guidance and resources.

Here Desirée talks about her business, the powerful role Caregiver archetypes can play in society, and how she uses that knowledge to further the mission of her nonprofit.

Tell us about your company. What do you do and how do you do it?

Becoming Families is a resource for families navigating the foster or adoption process. We offer education and training opportunities, as well as one-on-one support for families who are considering fostering or adopting a child. We also provide support for families who have already welcomed a foster or adoptive child into their hearts.

We actively recruit families to foster and share information about the importance of opening their homes to children in need. We stand by foster and adoptive parents 100% as they navigate their way through the complex system. We also offer support services and counseling for parents who have completed the adoption process by providing guidance on how to handle the challenges of parenting and how to introduce additional foster children into the family.

You identify primarily as being a Caregiver. What does the Caregiver brand archetype mean to you?

The Caregiver archetype is definitely a great category for our business. We try to help as many families and kids as possible. We want to be a voice for children and families.

What specific marketing practices do you currently do that exemplify your archetype? What opportunities do you see in your business to further enhance your brand personality?

Right now our marketing efforts include community outreach, social media, and printed marketing materials. We attend and organize events in the community, and we also act as advocates in places where lots of people gather, like shopping centers. We are always out spreading the word about the need that exists for children in foster care. So many people want to be foster parents, yet they think they can’t. Part of our work is to educate people about the reality and to clear up misconceptions.

We put everything we can up on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. We hand out brochures. We are currently in the process of developing rack cards to get even more information out there. We also rely on word of mouth from families who have benefited from our services.

One of our goals to further enhance our brand personality is to become a placement agency. That way we can certify people as foster parents. We are aiming to help on a grander scale by being a one-stop shop and offering help for everything in the process, from beginning to end.

Do you find you attract customers or clients who are Caregivers? If not, can you identify the archetype you see most prevalent in your customers/clients?

Most of our clients are Caregivers because they, too, have the desire to truly help children. We have a vetting system in place as we only want to attract those who have kids’ best interests in mind. We work with people who are looking to better the lives of children who need families.

What advice do you have for others who are Caregivers when it comes to branding, marketing, or business in general?

There will be times when things will get difficult, but you have to persevere. You will encounter resistance and you will get frustrated. The foster and adoption process can be time-consuming and cumbersome, and sometimes the monotony of the tasks that must be undertaken in order to get through the process will make it seem impossible. No matter what, though, you must remember that you are fulfilling your destiny by helping others.

What is your secondary brand archetypes and how do you see that expressed in your business?

The Hero is our secondary archetype, but I don’t see us as the stereotypical hero, saving the day. We are just individuals doing what everyone should do.

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Thanks, Desirée, for sharing!

Want to find out which archetype defines your brand? Take the brand archetype quiz to find out your results, and then check out an overview of the 12 brand archetypes to learn more.