Introduction

Over the years, working within a combination of large corporations and startups, I've learned the best aspects of companies that create a sustainable business. I typically do not share any of this outside of my trusted clients, as this is the key to building your ultimate brand. This is what I use to help guide new or small businesses to their sustained success. Most of these aspects might seem very common knowledge or not, but the key is understanding how to best combine them and execute meticulously. This guide can be used to conduct brand audits, or help organize everything needed for a brand to launch.


Remember: This is only a base guide that can be used to customize and expand from, depending on your business needs.

Brand & Culture

Outline

How is your brand viewed... from the customer and employee perspective?


Creating a powerful brand and culture stems from the fact that you are solving a problem, improving something, or positively impacting people. This is done simultaneously internally, as it is externally. It's often said that it's hard to find employees that'll care as much as you... This is only true if you are not building the company with culture in mind from the start. Culture should be reflected on the customer and employee side in an equilibrium to ensure the value you provide is seen across the board.


Overreaching Purpose Statement / Value proposition

💡 What makes your business different? This is something that should be short and sweet, easy to understand, and make your business stand out from your competition within 1-3 pain point solutions.


  • Mission Statement


  • Vision Statement


  • Tagline


  • Attributes & Core Values
  • Attribute /Value 1
  • Proof Point
  • Attribute /Value 2
  • Proof Point
  • Attribute /Value 3
  • Proof Point


Employee Journey & Experience (EX)

  • Awareness
  • Recruiting
  • Application
  • Interview
  • Phase 1
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3
  • Offer
  • On-boarding
  • Orientation & Paperwork
  • First Day
  • 30 Day Goals and Check-In
  • 60 Day Goals and Check-In
  • 90 Day Goals and Check-In
  • Day in the life

Goals and Challenges should reflect both, Company goals and Employee's goals

  • Goal / Challenge 1
  • Management Support
  • Peer Support
  • Resources
  • Goal / Challenge 2
  • Management Support
  • Peer Support
  • Resources
  • Enablers
  • Compensation
  • Benefits
  • PTO
  • Perks
  • Feedback / Performance Reviews
  • Career Growth


Target Market


Customer/Client Personas

Divide up your target market into their Demographics, what their need, what they value, and what they act like. Naming Persona's and creating "example characters," will greatly help humanize your clients helping your team better understand them.

Identify the following:

  • Persona 1
  • Who are they
  • What are their challenges
  • What are their needs
  • What are their motivations
  • Persona 2
  • Who are they
  • What are their challenges
  • What are their needs
  • What are their motivations

Competition

  • Competitor 1
  • Value Proportion
  • Links to Platforms and Example of Messaging
  • Competitor 2


Strategy

Breaking down your strategy from the customer side and following their journey helps create a better experience for everyone. This should be done on a regular basis. Having someone from your team go through the whole process, at minimum yearly. The customer journey map can get expanded into extreme details and really help understand pain points to improve upon. Additionally, you can go one step future and breakdown company interactions and abilities to intervene at any point. Making sure you have the opportunity to create the best customer experience possible.

Customer Journey & Touch Points (CX/UX)

  • Awareness
  • Interest
  • Desire
  • Action
  • Advocacy

Communications Strategy

Charting out the following can be used as a guide or database to monitor communications and ensure cohesive branding.


Message | Purpose | Audience | Channel | Cadence/Timing | Measurement / KPI

Conclusion

I've had the privilege of working with a number of small business in helping them start or build their brand. It takes time and planning to be able to execute a vision well. Once everything is planned out and working in cohesion with each other, you'll begin to notice the power of your work. I regularly do brand audits to ensure consistency of messaging and value is being provided across your entire brand. There is so much more that can be expanded on here but for the sake of not writing a book, let's talk to personalize the approach for your brand.


Reach out for consults, workshops, or content creation

Please let us know what your brand is, why you're reaching out, and what you'd like to achieve.