Module 1 - Building your very own Winning Brand

AN INTRODUCTION TO TOPICS IN THIS BOOTCAMP MODULE BRAND & BRANDING

You're about to start a new business and know you need a logo. You also have a reasonable understanding of how branding is important so you go online and Google images. Job done, right? Wrong!

While a logo is important, it's just a tiny part of the branding you need to get your business out there, especially if you want your business to stand out from the crowd. Starting a business isn't easy! There's a lot to think about, new things to learn, and loads of mistakes to be made. But getting your branding wrong is a mistake you should avoid at all costs!

In its earliest form, farmers used branding to mark and identify their cattle The word brand was first introduced to advertising in the late 1950s by David Ogilvy, who coined 'brand image' advertising.

Two very different concepts. But, in simple terms, your branding is the image (the mark on an animal's skin); your brand is what this image represents (the quality of the product).

While the image may change and develop over time, your reason for starting the business will generally stay the same

SO, WHAT IS IT, AND WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE? MISSION, VISION AND VALUES.

Branding is the process of giving meaning to your product or service that connects your customer not just practically but emotionally to your brand. It is what makes them choose you over your competition So, to simplify, it's the reaction someone has when your business is mentioned.

Your brand is often formed from the reason you want to go into business in the first place. What change do you want to make? What is the purpose of your product or service the reason you want to start your business? These form a crucial part of defining who and what your company is. Stories are powerful, and behind every robust and recognisable brand is a good story

There is a tendency to jump into the branding stage before a straightforward brand story is established simply because a logo is the most exciting, most apparent bit. It's crucial that business owners and marketers understand that you cannot start branding a product or service without having a clear, well understood brand already in place.

Throughout this unit, we will look at "the brains behind the beauty". We will help you define your brand's goals, how you will achieve them, and where those achievements will lead. We will guide you towards creating a mission and vision statement and examining the values behind your business.

"Every great design begins with an even better story." — Lorinda Mamo.

3

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMERS CUSTOMER PERSONAS

We will give you the knowledge and tools you need to create customer personas and understand how these potential customers think and feel, providing them with a service that encourages them to buy and keeps them coming back for more!

DRIVING SALES FOWARD MARKETING

FUNNELS

How to get your all important product or service off the shelf and into the hands of the customer. What steps do they need to go through, what influences their decisions, what can you learn from this process, what potential roadblocks were in their way and how can we entice them back? By using and analysing marketing funnels, you will learn what actions you need to take to drive sales, build loyalty and strengthen brand awareness.

IN THE NEXT MODULE.. ALL THINGS CREATIVE

As small business owners and entrepreneurs, we need to be able to wear several different hats, including that of marketers. Unlike big brands with in house designers, we need to be able to create the graphics we need for all the channels we run.

Creating this relevant and exciting visual content for blogs, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are time consuming and complex, especially without the appropriate knowledge, creative flair and what appears to be several different and expensive resources