"I've worked with the people behind the "Got Milk" campaign- this guy's better.”
With that humble intro from my pal Johnny, we were off to the races-
and I was thrown into the deep end on a branding call with the guy who used to run the United Arab Emirates sovereign wealth fund.
Not exactly a lightweight.
And yet, here I was, running through the same paces that I outlined for those of you who purchased the Brand Builder's Bible.
The proof is in the pudding.
I know that my system works, because I've gone from using it myself, on my own businesses, to doing 25 minute consultation calls that net me a fast $2500- before we've even started doing any of the real work that makes up the rest of the contract.
That's just my opening rate these days to get on the phone.
For those of you who don't have a copy of that, you can get one HERE.
But, I'm going to dig into some of it right now.
What follows are the exact steps I take on the phone to isolate key factors in forming the "big idea" for someone's brand-
whether they're an Instagram t-shirt company, or, in this most recent case, a would-be giant in the world of financial publishing.
First, I break down their TARGET AUDIENCE.
Here, I dig as deep as possible- just who, exactly, are you looking to market to?
It's these people that make up the entire decision process for the lifecycle of your brand, so it pays, literally, to know everything about them.
Second, I isolate the target audience's PERCEIVED VALUES, that is, not necessarily what they believe, but what they believe themselves to believe.
A critical distinction- we all deceive ourselves every day, often at the very core of our personal make-up.
Sometimes, what we like to think we believe in makes a greater part of decisions for us than we'd like to think.
Third, I try to coax out a rough MISSION STATEMENT by asking: In what unique way do you solve a specific problem for or directly benefit your client or customer?
Next, I move on to the unique characteristics of the brand-
this is the feel, the bones, muscle and skin of it.
Five words I want people to think when they interface with the brand.
The architecture of it- sometimes literally, as one of the tricks I use to drag information out of a client is asking questions like:
"What buildings or era of architecture comes to mind when you envision your brand?"
or
"If your brand was a movie genre, which one would it be?"
Finally, I start to hammer out a BRAND VOICE, and work on the editorial/copy style that will be used.
Once I've done all of this, I start to think about logos, fonts, colors, and more.
Often, people start here, which is dead wrong.
If you're building a logo before you understand exactly what it is you're trying to convey with that sigil, that esoteric symbol of your brand...
you don't understand the process at all.
Once you get a feel for doing this, it becomes as simple as creating a framework, and then letting the imagination run-
followed up by hours and hours of scrapping designs, tearing your hair out as you write terrible slogans and brand names down on sheets of paper...
and then the inevitability of your client not liking the package you're really into and having to pitch that and start over.
But that's just all part of the game.
You can check out my approach by grabbing a copy of the Brand Builder's Bible at the link below-
CLAIM YOUR COPY HERE
or stay tuned here for more branding tips and advice, for free, ya filthy animals.