Branding Brainstorm

In today’s world, your brand is everything.
If you can’t say it with a solid brand voice, don’t say it at all.

Grab a cup of coffee and get cozy -

we’re about to start dreaming.

Dear Inspired (and Overwhelmed) Business Owner,

I know it’s a big leap of faith to begin creating a brand and getting your business out on the world wide web - and I’m so thrilled to be taking this journey with you!
This process is going to be fun - but it’s also going to be hard work. I’m going to ask you to dream big and think deeply about what you want this brand to be. offer. do.
I ask that each decision-maker of your company brainstorm separately so that we get unaltered, unfiltered responses. The messier this is at first, the more genuine it will be as we craft it.

LET’S DIVE IN!

Brand Elements

Aesthetics

Studies show that you have mere seconds to make a first impression. As much as we may want to fight it, looks matter. The colors, fonts, images, and organization of your online presence all matter.

    1. Colors - Use color theory to choose coordinating colors. You want 5-6 brand colors in a combination of neutrals, lights, and darks (and maybe brights, if it feels right!).

    2. Fonts - You can choose 3 fonts. One should be a bit nicer for your headers, usually a serif font. One will be for all general text, usually a sans serif font. The third can be as wild as you’d like.

    3. Imagery - Do all photos need to look a certain way? Will you have professional photos to work with? Headshots? Is there a particular “look” you advertise (i.e. bright, colorful, classy, muted, etc)?

    4. Video - Are you comfortable showing behind-the-scenes or do you want to stick with polished & professional?

    5. Personality - How much of your personality fits the brand?

    6. What words or phrases come to mind when you think of your brand?

Offerings

Young adults are on the hunt for people that understand them and their goals. In a world that seems to keep hurting people down, what you offer will make a world of difference to those in need of hope.

    1. Who is your ideal client? Think of their financial status, their life goals, do they have pets, do they travel, what kind of music do they like, how do they spend their free time, what does a work day look like for them, etc?

    2. What kind of identities do you feel most aligned with? Are there specific characteristics of kids that really inspire you and make you feel excited about your work?

    3. Are there unique skills you have that make a difference for a teen/young adult?

    4. Is there anyone you won’t work with? How do you pinpoint that type of person?

    5. Do you only work with particular ages or genders? With particular budgets?

    6. What benefits does a client get to working with you in-person?

    7. What problems do you solve?

    8. How long is a typical life-coaching “session”? How many do people typically need? Is it ongoing for many years or is it periodic?

Experience

When someone considers hiring you, they want to know what to expect when working with you. Helping them to feel comfortable, secure, and taken care of is key when they’re spending money and time.

    1. What does your process feel like? Are you friendly or professional? Will you be holding their hand and guiding them through every decision?

    2. Which other services do you work with? Do you have connections with therapists, job providers, trade education programs, or other vendors that may benefit a client?

    3. What does “success” mean? What are the results of working with you? Are they proven?

    4. Do you have any testimonials you can provide for the “social proof”?

Personality

Bold
Helpful
Adventurous
Imaginative
Neat
Youthful
Dependable
Trustworthy
Friendly
Authoritative
Responsive
Supportive
Strong
Whimsical
Masculine
Community-focused
Warm
Relational

A “brand” is everything a company puts out into the world. Choose 5-10 words from the list below that you think best describes what you want your brand’s personality to be. This will give us insight to ultimately determine elements like fonts, colors, imagery and messaging.

Formal
Informal
Thought-leader
Caring
Light-hearted
Cosmopolitan
Gentle
Intellectual
Humble
Energetic
Cutting-edge
Serious
Rational
Witty
Collaborative
Elegant
Client-centric
Healthy

Altruistic
Feminine
Leader
Genuine
Cooperative
Edgy
Conservative
Relaxed
Innovative
Quirky
Mature
Calm
Clever
Luxurious
Stoic
Savvy
Humorous
Connected

Your brand is a voice that speaks for you - in rooms you never stepped into,
in conversations you never knew took place.

BREATHE

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just breathe.
If you’re feeling eager, just breathe.

It can be easy to jump in too quickly and make changes before you’re ready. It can also be easy to back away and throw your hands up in defeat.

BUT WE’RE NOT DOING THAT TODAY.

A fabulous brand requires a lot of hard, intentional work.
But the payoff of a well-developed brand will exceed expectations, yours - and your clients’.

NEXT STEPS:

Make sure that everyone has had time to work on this individually. It can take some time, so be patient with each other. Feel free to talk between yourselves about your answers once you are finished - but no decisions need to be made until our meeting.