The 5 components of a COMPLETE brand include:
- 1. COMMUNICATION
- 2. BRAND PERSONA
- 3. POSITIONING
- 4. SUBSTANCE
- 5. VISUAL EXPRESSION
BRAND STRATEGY
The internal, strategic & growth-minded plan(s) for how your brand will interact with the world.
FIRST THINGS FIRST...
Take a look at the overview of what a fully developed brand consists of before going right into strategy.
When equipped with this knowledge, you can then make a more educated selection about your needs and desired experience. So, soak up some knowledge of what a complete brand is made up of first, and then continue on to learn more about brand strategy!
A COMPLETE BRAND
A complete and fully developed brand structure includes more than just the logo and visual expression(s) of the brand; it includes a strong and strategic foundation as well.
And from there, more in-depth sub components stem out from the core.
The core components of a brand’s strategic foundation are: Communication, Brand Persona, Positioning, and Substance.
Most people start with the logo, or visual expression, when they set out to develop their “brand”, and as you can see in the infographic, that is only a small portion of what a complete and comprehensive brand actually consists of.
Imagine having a beautiful flashy car that looks great, but has no engine, so you can’t actually drive it or go anywhere. That’s what is at play when you have a logo but no strategic foundation…It can look great, but if it isn’t functional, then it definitely doesn’t take you places or serve you as well as it could!
F Yeah! Creative strongly encourages that brands be developed with a STRATEGY FIRST approach, but we realize the challenges of businesses that may limit your ability to do things in the ideal way.
Because of this, we offer strategy as an independent offering that can be completed at any time. We do enthusiastically encourage our clients to make the development of a complete brand a goal of their overall business strategy though, and to invest in that development, whenever they are able to!
OK, LET'S GET TO SOME STRATEGY!
Brand strategy is a crucial ingredient for a brand's success. It can be defined as a long-term plan for the development and growth of a brand.
Brand strategy is an ever evolving process of growth and refinement, and its development should be guided by keeping in mind the kind of experience and relationship you want to build for your customers. The brand strategy should be woven into all aspects of a business, and is directly connected to consumer needs and emotions.
Essentially, a developed brand strategy serves as a reference manual for your business and will assist you with the multitude of business growth and marketing decisions you have to make.
A basic brand strategy will define:
• your goals
• your mission and purpose
• your values and what you stand for
• your personality and tone
• what makes your business unique and sets you apart in the market
A more robust brand strategy will also include:
• a developed audience persona(s) (who you serve or help)
• the problem your audience faces and the solution(s) you can provide them
• a competitive audit and comparison
• branded paths of engagement and promotion
• individualized in-depth strategic analyses of your business and brand
• and more
Every business needs a brand strategy, but not every business is ready to undergo or commit to the more involved strategy process. It truly comes down to your unique situation:
• where you are in your business journey
• what challenges your business is facing (so that a root issue(s) can be determined)
• what you can healthily commit to (financially, mentally, time to devote to the process, etc.)
• how deep you feel you can to dive into the discovery and development of your strategic brand foundations (sometimes a newer business won't have all the answers/history needed to conduct a thorough, in depth strategy that an older business would)
The infographic below highlights the strategic components of brand development.
Let's use that car we talked about earlier to paint a more complete picture of your brand:
The VISUAL EXPRESSION is the BODY of the car.
The BRAND STRATEGY is the ENGINE of the car.
And YOU are the FUEL that POWERS the engine!
Even though each part is valuable and worthy on their own, they become a whole MOMENTUM MACHINE™ when they team up and activate together!
THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO DEVELOP YOUR BRAND STRATEGY:
1.) A DIY (Do-It-Yourself), self-guided course/workbook
-OR-
2.) 1:1 (One-on-One) session(s) with a certified brand strategist
// DIY STRATEGY OPTION //
The Brand Discovery™ option is a DIY (Do-It-Yourself), self-guided approach to strategy development.
BRAND DISCOVERY™
An Introductory Guide For Discovering The Foundations Of Your Badass Brand
If the 1:1 option isn’t the best fit for you right now, this self-guided option will be the next best option, and will allow you to build your brand AT YOUR OWN PACE, but with the helpful guidance of a strategist’s and designers’ touch.
The Brand Discovery™ course includes the guided development of:
- 80+ Page Digital Fillable Workbook
- 12 Lessons / Modules
- Videos for each lesson to help you with exercises
- Your brand story
- Your personality
- Your archetype(s)
- Your gifts, intentions, & vision
- Your passion & what brings you joy
- Your brand’s basic building blocks/foundations
- Your dream client, personality, & persona profile
- How to be the guide to your client’s transformation
- Your one big thing – what you want to be known for
- Your voice + message (in your industry)
- Your point of view (in your industry)
- Your value proposition statement
- Your brand’s niche advantage
- 4-bucket approach to develop your unique offering(s)
- Your visual style and brand vision
- Your brand’s vibe
- Your brand’s tone and story words
- A brand checklist
- A brand strength assessment
- A look ahead and next steps
- And More!
// 1:1 STRATEGY OPTIONS //
The Basic and Premium Intensives are done-with you, one-on-one options.
When we begin to develop a brand strategy for your brand, we will not only develop the 4 core components (Communication, Brand Persona, Positioning, and Substance) and all their subcategories, we will also direct intention to developing (or highlighting) 3 areas that we can then use to design a blueprint for how to promote your brand:
- Purpose: This explains why you are in business, and the specific customers problems you provide a solution for, or the needs you fulfill for them.
- Consistency: Define what allows you to provide your solutions/services to those specific customers, day in and day out.
- Emotional Impact: This is what helps form a bond or a connection between you and your customers. A brand strategy should develop this impact and build upon it.
By undergoing an in-depth strategy session, that can include a mixture of calls and conferencing, questionnaires, strategy worksheets and exercises, and much more, it allows us to get to know you (and your business) better and develop that much needed clarity for you.
Together, we dive into the purpose and goal(s) of your business, brand archetypes/personalities, your target audience and their persona(s), and more. And, from these exercises, we’ll craft a unique brand story and strategy that simply states what your brand is all about and a path of engagement to assist you in your growth.
Trust us when we say that it’s not just some woo woo shit…no, no – there’s some deep, psychological, and scientific shit in this process, and this is where the magic truly unfolds. Sounds pretty awesome, huh?
As awesome and as vital as a well defined brand strategy is, unfortunately, branding if often seen as confusing, or not important because it’s difficult for business owners to see the tangible benefits from it. But, operating without branding or a brand strategy is like hoping to win the lottery without buying a ticket. It’s like a recipe for accepting anything. (Ever heard the adage, “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything” ?) This can be dangerous for any business, but especially for a small business!
Without a brand, a business lacks an identified purpose. And without a purpose, a business can’t stand out from the competition.
With years of experience and skill, sound market research, and a honed intuition about these things, we can design you a powerful and authentic brand, with a real purpose…One that will make you proud and excited by your business once again.
// 1:1 OPTION #1 //
$600
PAYMENT SCHEDULE AVAILABLE – $600
10% Due at Booking: $60 (Non-Refundable Deposit)
30% Due at Start of Project: $180 (About 2-3 wks after booking)
30% Due at Presentation: $180 (About 1 week after start)
30% Due at Completion: $180* (About 1 week after presentation)
TOTAL PAYMENT: $600
*Total balance must be paid in full before any final files will be released.
// 1:1 OPTION #2 //
$2,200
PAYMENT SCHEDULE AVAILABLE – $2,200
10% Due at Booking: $220 (Non-Refundable Deposit)
30% Due at Start of Project: $660 (About 2-3 wks after booking)
30% Due at Presentation: $660 (About 2-3 wks after start)
30% Due at Completion: $660* (About 1 week after presentation)
TOTAL PAYMENT: $2,200
*Total balance must be paid in full before any final files will be released.