Branding is an adventure.
It’s like going camping (I love camping) you need to think about all the bits and pieces that make it a successful trip.
First off you need the strategy. Strategy is how and why and who with and what for. It’s the overall plan to help you achieve your goals. So if you’re camping you’ll need to create a packing list, pop to the shops to top up your gas canister and marshmallow supplies, make sure you’ve got firelighters and you know where your mallet is, check that your lanterns all have batteries, that kind of thing – and then play Tetris in the boot to squeeze it all in without suffocating the kids, plan your route and make sure you asked for wood so it’ll be there when you arrive.
With your brand it’s all about what matters to you for your business, why it matters, who you want to work for, what your vision and goals are. It’s thinking big, getting excited and gaining clarity on what you’re all about.
When you get to the campsite you need to choose the best spot, put the tent up, sort out the bedding, set up your chairs – if you’re like me you might want to add bunting and fairy lights – get the fire going. You start off by sorting out all of the aesthetics. Making it look and feel like home and getting everything in place so you know where to find your pyjamas, the teabags and the matches. These will be remembered too. Last time we went camping the owner came over with our logs and he remembered our tent.
This matters when it comes to your brand.
Your brand visuals are all about setting the tone – visually – so that people get a feel for the kind of business you are, an understanding of what you’re all about – a visual version of your strategy to help them know if your business is their type of business – and to attract the people who you’d really like to work with. These also give you really useful elements that you can use over and over whenever you need them. Reusable templates. You know which fonts and colours to gravitate towards and you have imagery that you can pop on your website and social, print on leaflets and clothing. Recognisable, repeatable, memorable.
Once you’re all set up, you’ve got everything in place, your bunting looks so good you’ve already taken fifty photographs – then it’s time to start creating memories. Getting the marshmallows out and checking out the starry sky. Depending on your campsite you might be able to do things like bounce on a trampoline, paddle in the stream or visit the cows. Conversations. Burnt sausages. Playing swing ball with the kids. Fresh air. Hot chocolate. Trips to places nearby. Foil wrapped bananas with chocolate buttons inside. Watching the fire die down and the fog rolling in. Rain on canvas. The sounds of peacocks in the morning. Views.
This is your content. Finding stories. Checking out those connection points that you have with your ideal customers. Making sure that your business plans involve your brand. Thinking about how you can live out your values more in your business and how you can better support the people who you want to serve. Creating blogs and social posts. Developing products and services to help you meet your goals. Getting to know your ideal client more deeply.
Working on these three areas – strategy, visuals and content – is the fullest and most beneficial way to work on your brand.
The strongest and truest version of your brand just needs pulling out of you – you need a brand adventure and support to help you to implement your strategy.
You are invited on a Great Summer Brand Adventure to discover what your brand is all about AND make sure you have all the tools you need for implementation.
You’ll end up with a strategy document that you can refer to which will highlight all the essential aspects of your brand and give you suggestions for implementation, a referral sheet for speedy reference, a gorgeous brand system with bespoke templates that will be built from your strategy up to ensure that your visuals are based on your brand, not on trends and also a content creation call to work through ideas based on your brand strategy and your plans for the next few months.
Your Great Summer Brand Adventure doesn’t just give you the strategy or just the visuals or just the content ideas – this is a complete package that covers all these bases so your brand can really take you places and you get support while you’re implementing it.
Let’s get started. Get in touch here.