Build a Brand That Converts: Create a Cohesive Brand Strategy That Will WOW Your Audience

1. Introduction : Hi, Welcome sued the builder brand that converts class. I am super excited to have you as part of this class and to teaching exactly how to create a brand strategies that will wow your audience. My name is Illiana Ross. I'm a brand strategist, a graphic designer, and I teach entrepreneurs and business owners how to build a memorable brands and create valuable content that will cover prospects, leads the paying customers and clients. I'm super excited about teaching you this class about creating a brand strategy, because creating a brand strategy has literally shifted my business into in a direction that I never imagined possible. Branding is all about the feeling that you want that people have when they come in contact with your brand, and a lot of times we have amazing products and services. But our branding is off, so we end up speaking to the wrong audience, and we don't get those results that we expected. So if you're an entrepreneur who is just starting out where you already been in business, you're just not getting that traction that you want. Then this class is perfect for you. During this build, a brand that converts course, I'm going to be teaching you exactly what a brand strategy is, what to include in your brand strategy and how to apply this concept specifically your business. So at the end of this class, you have a brave strategy that aligns with your target audience, and you will be able to communicate your brand with confidence. So go ahead and follow my profiles and you can stay in the loop with all of the courses that I create their freedom. Comment on the videos and let me know how you're feeling about the constant and let you know what you're working on with the assignments and these shirts to complete the class project and the worksheets. This is going to allow you to get the most out of the content that I share and point to allow you to create a really solid brand strategy. I'm super excited to have you as a part of the class. Thank you for joining me, and I'll see you in the next class 2. Your Brand is More than a Logo: I want to talk to you quickly about exactly what branding is. Ah, lot of times when we think about branding, we think about colors bonds, you know, maybe a brand's logo or maybe even their website. Now all of these are part of branding, but ultimately, branding is the feeling that you want people to have when they come in contact with your brand. So how do you want them to deal? What type of experience do you want them toe have? Once you understand the feeling that you want your audience toe have when they come in contact with your brand, you can really start to create a visual aspect for your brand that really aligns with those feelings and the products and services that you offer. So I want to talk about a view awesome brands that have amazing branding one of them, honestly, one of my favorites. It's Apple. So with Apple, no matter what, you're always going to get this high in high end experience from the people that you talk to in their stores. Whether it's the customer service reps, you talk Teoh online or on the phone. But either way, there's always this welcoming, welcoming feeling and this feeling around really educating you and helping you make the best decision possible. They also tell a story of simplicity and, ah, high end brand feel. So think about how you want people to think to feel when they come in contact with your brand. Another awesome brand that I love is Coca Cola, So Coca Cola tells a story of unity they're all about. You know, if you come together around a code, everything will be great. So it's all about really just evoking those feelings, whether it's, you know, educating your audience, whether it's making them feel welcome and at home, whether it's building that trust with them. All of this adds into your branding. So think about how you want people to feel when they come in contact with your brand. Now your brand strategy is an outline of all of the branding aspect, so your brand values what sets you apart from other brands. Your target audience, your colors, your bonds, all of your visual branding, all of these things as far as your identity, what you stand for and your visual branding all of these things make up your brand strategy . So during this class, we're really gonna dive deep into what your brand strategy should consist up and how outline is specifically for your business. 3. Three Things to Consider BEFORE Creating Your Brand Strategy: you're breaking strategy is a collective of all of the things that make up your brand. So who you are as a brand, what you stand for, who your target audience are your brand colors. Everything that makes up your brand is pretty much gonna be included in your brand strategy . So before we hop into what exactly makes up your brand strategy, I want to talk about three things you need to consider before creating your brand strategy . So the first thing I want you to consider is Who's your target audience? Who are you targeting? Are you targeting entrepreneurs? Are you targeting families? Are you targeting women? Are you targeting corporate professionals? You need to know who your products and services are meant for. That way, you can communicate with your target audience and the way they like to be communicated with . So you want to think about their demographics? How old are they? What type of income are they bringing in? Where do they live? But more importantly, you want to think about their goals and challenges. What is it that they want to accomplish? What are they struggling with? What keeps them up at night? Once you really understand your target audience, you can really begin to communicate with them in a way that speaks directly to them. That's what it's all about. Your audience needs to know exactly why they should choose your product or service over someone else's. The next area that you want to think about is why is your product or service needed? Ah, lot of times we create products and services, but we forget why they're needed. So you need to understand how your product or service fits into the everyday life of your target audience. What results do your customers and clients get from your product or service? This is important because people want to know what's in it for them. It's all about the results that they're going to get when people know what they're going to receive from a product or service, they're more likely to buy because they feel that this is a product or service that they truly need. So you want to understand how is your product or service beneficial in the daily lives of your target audience? The third area that I want you to get clear on is what sets you apart from other brands. Think about when you go in the grocery store and you go to the bread aisle. Where do you go to the soda aisle? You have all of these different brands, and while there are a lot of choices, they still get bought by many different people. So there's enough room for everyone. Don't get intimidated by other brands or by an industry seeming saturated. When you understand what sets you apart from other brands, you can communicate specifically to your target audience. Think about it. There's, you know, there different types of bread for different types of lifestyle or two different taste palettes. So think about what sense you will part and speak directly to your target audience and make sure they know what sets you apart from other brands. Think about what your strengths are. What are some things that seems to be missing from the industry? What is something new that you could bring to the industry? Or do you do something a little bit different from the typical brand in your industry When you understand what sets you apart from other brands, you can communicate your brands value with confidence, and this will give other people the confidence in your brand also. So today's work. She is all about helping you get clear on what sets you apart from other brands and why your product or service is needed. So go ahead and download the worksheet. Feel free to share any questions or concerns that you may have, and I look forward to hearing some what some of you guys have for what sets you apart from other brands again. When you're clear on what sets you apart from other brands, who your target audience are and why your product or service is needing, you can really project and present your brand with confidence and understand that there is something that your brand has to offer that no other brand can offer. 4. Who Are You Targeting?: your brand strategy consists of three phases. Phase one is a discovery based face to is the identity phase and phase three is the execution phase. During this class, we're going to focus on the discovery phase. The goal of this phase is to look at your target audience and identify your target audience . Look at your industry and assess your brand. The first thing that you want to do with the discovery phase is really get clear on who your target audience are. Who were you targeting your products and services to? Who seems to be the person that will benefit the most from your product or service? You want to know who you're targeting, because this is going to allow you to create content that speaks directly to them. Now, a lot of times we want to help everyone. And while we can help everyone, we still need tohave a specific audience for our marketing strategies. Now, this doesn't mean that you can't help people outside of your target audience, but again, you wanna have a focus for who you market Teoh and who your brand speaks to. Ah, lot of times we have amazing products and services but we're speaking to the wrong target audience, so we don't get the results that we want. So the first step to creating a solid brand strategy is knowing who your product and services are. Four so that you can communicate with confidence and you can communicate with ease, knowing exactly who you mean to speak. Teoh. So think about who you're targeting. Why does your product or service need to be in the hands of your target audience? What do the people in your target audience have in common? How does your product or service help your target audience again? You need to know exactly how your product or service fits into the daily lives of your target audience. For example, as a brand strategist, my target audience are entrepreneurs who are struggling to get consistent customers and clients. Most of the time. This is because they are speaking to the wrong target audience, so their branding isn't even attracted to who they're speaking. Teoh. I hope my clients get clear on who their target audience are, so that they can create a solid brand strategy with me that speaks directly to their target audience, and they can communicate their brand with confidence and establish themselves as an expert in their field. Understanding who your target audience are is going to help you determine how your brain needs to be perceived and how it should be presented. Your brand is all about the feeling that you want people toe have. So when you're clear on what product or service it is that you offer, you need to know who your product or services for, so that you can create a brand strategy that aligns with them and that speaks to them. Your first assignment for this class is a worksheet meant to help you outline your target audience. So go ahead and download the worksheet and begin feeling it out and feel free to share in the comments who your target audience are and who your services and products are meant for . 5. Audit & Assess: The next thing you want to do with the discovery phase is conduct an audit. Now, conducting an audit isn't always the easiest thing because you have to be very transparent with yourself. You really have to look your business in the face and say What's not working? You know what seems to be working and where this, and identify where the struggle seems alive. This is a crucial step because in order to move forward, you have to understand where you currently stand Now with your brand again, Conducting an audit is all about understanding where your business currently stands and identify areas for improvement. Some of the questions you may ask yourself are what is currently going well in your business. What goals have you been able to accomplish? What are your customers and clients currently saying about your products and services, what isn't going so well in your business? And also think about what goals you have been struggling to accomplish? Once you understand what your brand currently looks like and where it is that you're trying to get, you then want to start conducting market research. Conducting market research is all about getting clear on where your target audience is currently hanging out and what type of content they're interested in and what seems to be in trend. And you know what seems to be going well for your industry again When conducting market research, you want to focus on your target audience, so you want to take a look at where they're hanging out. You know, see, check out the types of content that they're engaging with, see what interests them and also see what turns them off because you want to know what type of content not create as well as what type of content seems toe work for your industry. You may notice that your audience really likes videos, so this may encourage you to incorporate more videos into your brand strategy. You may discover that their on the go a lot so they may not be able to watch a video, but they're able to listen to audio, so this may encourage you to create a podcast around your offerings. It's all about getting clear on what seems to work for your business and what seems to not work for your industry. Also also, when conducting market research, you want to take a look at the content that you've created over time, what seems to be the content that is doing really well and what time of content isn't doing so well when you know what's doing well and what's not doing so well? You can then create more content around what went well for your audience and what they engaged mostly with. Your assignment today is another worksheet, and while doing this work, she you're going to conduct an audit and assessment. Andrew going to conduct market research There's some thought provoking questions for you to help you get clear on what seems to be going well in your business and where you may need help and also identifying trends in your industry and taking a look at brands that seem to be doing really well in your industry. See you in the next class 6. The Foundation of Your Brand: face. Two of your brand strategy is the identity phase. Now it's time to get clear on who you are and what you stand for. The goal of this phase is to articulate who you are as a brand, what you do and how to talk about it. The first area I want to talk about of the identity base is the foundation. And when I say the foundation, I mean your brand purpose Gillibrand vision and your brand mission. I like to think of these three areas as the why the what and the how. So your brand purpose is your Why why are you in business? What is the purpose of your business and brand? Your brand vision is your What? What is it that you are trying to accomplish? What are your goals for your business and where do you see your business in the next 5 to 10 years? Your brand of mission is your how how will you achieve your brand vision and how do you do what you do? What type of impact are you going tohave when you are clear on the foundation for your brand, you understand who your products and services are meant for because you're your value should align with those of your target audience. And this gives you an idea of what types of brands you should partner with, because the partnerships that you form for your business should align with your values and the values of your target audience. The next area of the identity phase. You want to think about our brand positioning and value proposition, so brand positioning is all about understanding what sets you apart from other brands and order. To really establish yourself as an expert in your field and set yourself apart from other brands is to get clear on what you do differently from other brands. A lot of times were scared to start our businesses because it seems like everyone has a business in that same area. Well, the reason a lot of industries seems so saturated is because everyone is doing the same thing. So focus on what sets you apart and get clear on what sets you apart from other brands, because this is what's going to allow you to really attract your target audience and communicate your brand with confidence. Value proposition is knowing who your products and services are meant for. So who do you help and what do you do and how do you help your audience it? Remember, it's all about the results that you offer. If you don't understand the results that your product and service will provide your target audience, then you won't be able to communicate with them with confidence because they won't understand why they should work or choose your brand over another brand. And honestly, a lot of times when we don't have a cohesive brand strategy, we end up showing other brands that they should choose another brand because our stuff seems all over the place. So we want to make sure that everything is in order were really clear on who we are. We're really clear on who ease who we make our products and services for, and we're clear on what sets us apart from other brands because again the industry isn't too saturated for you. You just need to understand what sets you apart from other brands. So the assignment for this class is a worksheet that is all about helping you get clear on the core identity of your brand. It's also going to help you get clear on what sets you apart from other brands, and it's going to help you get clear on who you help and how you help your audience. 7. Craft Your Brand Story: branding is all about the feeling that you want people toe have when they come in contact with your brand. It's about creating a relationship with your audience and giving value and becoming that go to brand for them. So one of the main ways to connect with your audience and to start building a relationship is by sharing a story. Storytelling has completely shifted the marketing world because it's not just about selling to people. It's about creating an emotional connection and creating creating an aspect of your brand that is memorable and that resonates with them. And the perfect way to do this is by crafting a story. When I hid behind my brand, I did not get as much traction as as I would have liked. I was kind of all over the place. I was stretched pain on, but I was really confused on what direction it was that I wanted to go in my brand. But once I started really communicating my story and sharing with people who I waas and how I really helped my clients, not only did I start to build a relationship with my audience, but they started to open up a lot more with me. They started sharing with me their goals and their struggles, and I was able to really start connecting with them and creating content specifically for them because I knew exactly what they needed because I shared my story and we had built this relationship. So create a story for your brand. If you have a personal brand, then it would be your story. But if you don't have a personal brand, then you may share the story of a case. Study a past customer or client. Or you may share a story that you wrote around your target audience, so your brand story should consist of three areas. Those three areas are characters, conflict and resolution. So the first area which your characters, who is the main character of your brand, isn't you? Is it someone else who is the main character? And what does their life look like? Do they work? Are they at home? Are they a student? What is their everyday life look like? Who is this character? Who's the main character of your brand story? The second area is conflict, So what are they struggling with? And when you think about the struggles of the character of your brain, Um, story. You want to make sure that it's a struggle that relates to the product or service that you offer, and then the third area is resolution. So how can your brand help? What product or service do you offer that solves the problem for your character? And what type of results can they expect when you have a brand story that really consists of your characters, conflict and resolution? You can really speak to the pain point of your target audience and really starts to build that relationship because they know that you understand that is not just about what you offer, but it's about really helping them, and it shows that you care. It's all about speaking to that emotional side of your target audience, and having a brand story is the perfect way to do that. The assignment for this class is a worksheet. And what this work, she you're going to be ableto outline your brand story so you're gonna be able to outline those characters you're gonna be able to outline the conflict, and you're gonna be able to write out the resolution so that you can put it all together and have the perfect brand story. See you in the next class. And don't forget it's a comment below. Feel free to share your brand story or share any questions that you may have. 8. Brand Guidelines: ready to work. I hope so, because face three of your brand strategy, which is the execution face, is all about taking everything we've talked about in this class and putting it together in a visual aspect to present to your audience. The low of this phase is timed and by the tools to help you communicate your brand story. The first area I want to talk about are your verbal brand guidelines. Once you're clear on who your target audience are, you can now outline how you need to communicate with them. Having a catchy brand name is one of the first steps you want to create a brand name that aligns with your target audience, and it will attract them. So be sure to make sure they know what your brand stands for in your brand name or in your tagline, your brand boys determines how you will communicate with your target audience. For example, if your brand is a really laid back, bring him maybe fun meant to entertain. You may use the more informal communication style, however, if your target audience our corporate professionals, then you may choose to use a more formal communication style. The next area are your visual brand guidelines. So this is the area that everyone thinks some when they think of branding, So your color is your bonds. Things like that. The first thing you want to think about art, your brand colors and she's colors based on the emotions that you want. Your target audience tohave. So when you choose your brand colors, think of two areas. So first, think of your target audience and think about what types of colors that make that they like and then think about what type of emotions do you want them to have. So that's where that color psychology comes in. The next area you want to think about is your logo. So having a logo that catches the attention of your target audience is crucial. So incorporating your brand colors and also just making sure that it's something that pops is very important because again you want to catch the attention of your target audience. Now for your logo, you may choose to design it, or you can hire a designer to view it. But make sure that if you are going to design your logo, make sure you have the proper tools. You know you may choose to use Adobe Photoshopped. You may choose use Adobe Illustrator, but you want to make sure that you're using a solid platform to help you create a unique logo for your brand. The next area are your brand finds. Your brand bonds are actually meant Teoh reflect the uniqueness of your brand, just like your brand colors. So you want to make sure that you're using bots that again really resonate with your target audience. The best thing to do is conduct market research. This will help you understand the bonds that work well for your brand. The last area of your visual brand guidelines that you want to think about our your brand photography. Having the right photos to represent your brand is crucial because low quality images can hurt your brand's all my presence. So don't be afraid to hire a photographer to really help you get the photos that you really envisioned for your brand. But if you have a high quality camera, you know how to do basic editing for photos, and you can take really nice pictures. And don't be afraid to take pictures for your brand. But again If this is something that you struggle with, don't be afraid to hire a designer. So we're gonna be outlining your brand boys. We're also gonna be outlining your brand colors, your brand finds and things like that. So go ahead and download the worksheet and let me know if you have any questions. I'm super excited to see what type of colors and bonds that you guys choose for your brand . So go ahead and download the worksheet. And be sure to let us know what types of brand visual brand guidelines you choose for your brand. 9. Content Creation: the last area of the execution phase is all about content creation. No matter what you dio, always be sure to give value to your audience, but you don't want to over think things. Remember, you're the expert in your field, so a lot of things that seem like common knowledge for you may not be common knowledge for your audience. So I want to talk about three key things. First, I want to talk about captions. Your captions do matter no matter what, make sure that you're giving value. It's not about what you sell. It's about the problem that you saw for your audience, so focused on being personal and building a relationship. Don't be afraid to engage on social media. And don't be afraid to go a little bit more in depth with your captions on social media. Also, make sure you're creating brand cohesive graphics. You may choose to use adobe abs, or you may choose to use easier platforms like can but to create your social media graphics . But make sure you're incorporating your brand colors in your finds. You also made the sides to create social media templates or even higher designer to do So also, the main thing you want to do is make sure you're creating compelling content. Remember, it's not about what you sell. The goal is to create content that really connects with your audience, establishes us and expert and encourages them to buy your products and services. So incorporate videos where you can show people the story behind your brand and show people what goes on in the every day in the everyday life of your brand. The goal is to create content that really connects with your audience. Whether you're giving tips or showing behind the scene footage, be sure to focus on the story around your product or service versus what you sell. So with our assignment for this class, I'm really excited because I'm gonna have you brave storm content topics and video topics for your brand. Think about what types of content your audience is interested in and what types of content they engage with. Do they like videos more? Do they love blood like block post instagram. So we're going to get clear on what type of content your audience likes, and we're gonna start outlining content specifically for your audience, so go ahead and download the worksheet for this class and let me know what type of content you plan on creating for your audience. See when the next class. 10. Next Steps: I can't believe we've made it all the way through the build a brave that converts class. And I hope you enjoyed every moment in this class just as much as I enjoyed creating the class for you. During this class, you learn exactly what branding is what your brand strategy is. You also learned about some noteworthy brands, and you also learn what your brand strategy needs to include and how to create a brand strategy for your business. Now for our class project, it's time to pull everything together. So our class project is about creating a brand board for your business, so your brand board should include your logo. It should include your finds. It should include your brand colors, and it should include pictures around your brand that may include pictures of your target audience colors, feels sceneries anything that adds to your brand. So I actually have an example for you for this class, so be sure to check out the example, and I also have a template reviewed using, Camba said. You can easily create your own brand board, so go ahead and click the link so you can start creating your own brand board B Shot and group. Incorporate all of your brand guidelines that include your bonds, your colors, pictures, all of that good stuff. I look forward to seeing your projects. Be sure to share your projects here with the class and let me know if you have any questions. I really hope you enjoy this class, and I hope you've been able to create a brand strategy that really alive with your target audience and that can drive traffic to your website and really get your prospects, turns leads and then paying customers and client. So again, you should have followed my page so that you keep up with all of the great classes I would be creating you guy. And be sure to let me know in the comments what you think of the class on super exciting and I hope you learned a lot. And again, thank you for joining me for the builder. Brand that comfort class. Have a great day by