THE

BR AND
PLANNER

B EC AUSE PL A N N I N G M A KES PER FEC T.

COPYRIGHT 2016 PUBLIC PERSONA LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER INTELLECTUAL COPY LAW

IN OTHER WORDS - STEALING ISN'T COOL.

 START HERE.

Hello! Glad you're here. That means you're (at the very least)
toying with the idea of branding or (re)branding yourself...
That decision alone is a H U G E one—and subsequently not
one to be taken holly-go-lightly, no ma'am.
Being the realist that I am, as much as I'd love to tell you how
easy it is if you " just follow these ten simple steps", I can't.
There is no one-size-fits all solution to "branding." It's a very
personal journey, and a deep-diving one at that.
Remember this: Branding is a process. It's not about putting
lipstick on your logo, throwing up a cool new website, and
calling it a day.
Sure, those are the shiny objects that often come as
a tangible deliverable at the end, but it's important to
understand that branding is a process - and, if done correctly,
it will not be a wham, bam, thank you ma'm."
So whether you're starting up (or over), from scratch, or just
seeking a little strategic nip-tuck, there's only one way to do
it: right.
The best place to start is right here, right now. And because you
shouldn't really embark on a journey without a destination, our
end-goal strategizing is exactly where you should begin.
Take a look at the brands you admire - start to pick them apart.
Notice all of the pieces that come together to create the
admiration you have for them. Notice how consistent they are,
how unique they are, how the visuals go along with the verbiage,
how their "persona" and story seeps out of every nook and cranny
of their brand.
Guess what they did first and foremost? Planned. Because when
it comes to branding... or pretty much anything worthwhile:
Planning makes perfect.
That's what this checklist here for—to help you dot all of your i's
and cross your t-strap shoes before you create anything for your
brand.
I promise, you’ll be rewarded for your patience (and your
planning).
FIRST THING'S FIRST

Because brands should

never be one-size-fits-all.
When planned for and executed correctly, your brand will be like like a custom- So you head to your favorite shop…
made ensemble: one that fits you to perfection—fashioned from head to
You’re probably not just going to grab any dress off the rack willy-nilly. You
footnote, top to bottom-line with YOU (and only you) in mind. Better still: it
wouldn’t settle for one that was 2 sizes off, and then dust off some old scuffed
will turn heads and make (the right) statement to (the right) people.
pumps out of the bowels of your closet to wear with it.

And you certainly wouldn’t just forego the shop altogether and just get a few
Let’s run with this brand :: custom-tailored ensemble metaphor for a bit...
patches sewn onto your old little black dress?
A key element of wearing something that has been made specifically for you is
Both would clearly send the wrong message to the audience.
that, not only will it fit impeccably and look incredible, each piece of the outfit is
designed with the whole look in mind; meaning every element works in harmony
and they ALL strengthen the overall, cohesive “look.” Instead, perhaps you'd go get custom-fitted for a dress that is MADE for you -
a gorgeous dress that hugs every curve.

Let’s say that you have a big television appearance on (insert your favorite
program here). Shut your eyes and imagine yourself there. Thousands - perhaps This is exactly how you should think of your brand.
millions - of eyes watching.
You want to carefully collect, curate, and consider what you’re choosing to
convey. The result? You can confidently work it with your ideal consumers in a
I bet your first thought is - OK WHAT AM I WEARING?
way that is true to you and alluring to them.
+ You want an ensemble that turns heads, right?
And would ya look at that: this brand planner will break down all of that. So
+ One that fits like a glove?
without further ado... Let's do this.
+ One that makes a statement - the right statement, correct?

+ One that looks best for the specific medium, yes? (Example - what looks
good IRL versus on television are two totally different things).
LET'S PREP

Measure to Fit.
You wouldn't be caught dead stepping out in an ill-fitted brand, would you?
Before you can dive head-over-manolos into your (re)brand, be sure to consider (and
answer) the following questions - both for your brand and for yourself (aka YOU - because
remember - you are the face of your brand).
Styling your brand is not so different from styling yourself, after all.

+ WHAT'S YOUR BIG PICTURE VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS/

BRAND? Think 5 years from now...

+ WHAT’S THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF YOUR (RE)BRAND?

(Hint: Refer back to this frequently to stay focused)

+ WHERE DO YOU WANT TO SHOW UP?

+ YOUR MISSION: What's your purpose / the primary the mission of your
business / brand? + Your Target Market: Who do you currently attract? Who do you
want to attract?

+ YOUR THING: As in that thing you do / sell.

Before you can determine your perfect ensemble (brand), you have to ask the
pertinent questions... + YOUR COMPETITION: Who are they?

+ Where are you going to show up? (your medium(s)) + WHAT'S YOUR PERSONA? Your essence? What are your 'best' most
identifiable features? How can you leverage your unique personality?
+ What's your vision? (your goals, your business plan)
+ What's the occasion? (your campaign, your product launch) + WHAT'S YOUR STORY? How'd you start doing what you do? Why do you do
it? How do you do it?
+ Whose heads do you want to turn? (your market)
+ What will everyone else be wearing? (your competitors)
+ What are your measurements? Your best colors? Your ideal silhouette?
(your brand identity)
STEP ONE – STRATEGIZE IT

Foundations First.
A solid brand foundation is like a great bra - it helps to lift and separate you from your
competitors, boosts your bottom line, and supports your business.

This is the foundation of your brand - which you can think of as your intimates or
unmentionables. Not because they’re a secret, but because you need them in place
before you can slip into that perfectly fitted dress.
You don't want unsightly brand panty lines or business bra bulge do you?

This is a CRITICAL step where we ensure your brand is positioned correctly

to really flatter and show off all of your "curves".
To think strategically about your brand, you need to definitively nail down
the following:

+ WHAT YOU DO / SELL: How can you make that more attractive
to your market / audience? What new products or services would attract and
delight 'em?
+ YOUR COMPETITORS: How are you similar? How are you different?
How can you further differentiate?
+ NICHE: What's yours? In other words, if there are others out there that
do-that-same-thing-you-do, can you target a different market than they do?

+ WHAT IS THE "STATEMENT" YOU WANT TO MAKE? What

is the message you want to get across? How do you want to be perceived
by your audience? Turn this into Your Brand Statement - think of it as your
tagline... Look at your unique values and key attributes and you should be able to
develop a 1-2 sentence brand statement, answering these three questions:
+ What value you provide (what problem do you solve)
+ How you do it uniquely (your USPs)
+ Who you do it for (your target audience)?

+ YOUR USP: (aka - your Unique Selling Proposition). Simply put, your
USP is what makes your business different from everyone else in your market. A
strong unique selling proposition can help you attract and retain customers.
STEP TWO – STYLE IT

Dressing Up Your Brand.

Now that your undergarments are all set, it's all about creating the dress.

The next step is choosing the fabric / materials:

- Patterned fabrics?
- What colors?
- What type of texture?
- Zippers? Buttons?
For your brand, this is your visual identity—the colors, fonts, logos you want to use to
tell your story; the embellishments that will influence your perception as you enter
the “room”.

Think of it like an upside down triangle, going from wide to narrow in focus,
refining with each stilettoed step:
+ CREATIVE CONCEPT: That big picture idea/ hook / story that that
keeps things nice and consistent and becomes the fabric of your brand.
+ BRAND MESSAGE: This is a biggie: What do you want to SAY?
+ PERSONALIT Y: Since you’re the face of your brand, your brand should
exude some of your own personality - got a quirky sense of humor? So should
your brand.
+ BRAND VOICE: How do you speak? That’s how you should write. Jot
down a bunch of commonly used words and phrases that you use and pull from
them if you’re feeling stuck.
+ VISUAL LANGUAGE: How do you want to communicate visually?
What do you want to “say”?
+ BR AND IDENTIT Y: Colors, Logos, Fonts, Patterns, Textures.
+ IM AGERY: Give good face: your photography.
+ COPYWRITING: Word Up: This is your Brand Voice in action.
STEP THREE – SHOOT IT

Completing the Ensemble.

With your brand's strategy + style in place, you can now determine exactly how you and
your brand should look in photos and in person.

You know what your "dress" will be, now it’s time to complete the look.
What's your sartorial story?
How about the accessories that you can add that will make the look decidedly you?
The photoshoot & your resulting images are an important part of conveying your
brand identity.
As the face of your brand, how are you going to show up?

These seemingly-small details are what really polish a brand. They are the things your
viewers won’t even realize they’re drawn to because every element is well-thought out
and well-executed. And yes, this is exactly what separates the pros from the amateurs.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO LOOK IN PHOTOS?

+ PERSON VS PROP SHOOT (OR BOTH)

+ PHOTOGRAPHER

+ IN STUDIO VS. ON-LOCATION

+ CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

+ HAIR & MAKEUP LOOKS

+ POST-PRODUCTION NEEDS (ADDED GRAPHICS,

WORDS, EFFECTS)
STEP FOUR – SPREAD IT

Flaunt it.
The only thing left to figure out is where you’re going to go to show off this new look—
and how you’re going to get there.

You are ready to spread your new brand like wildfire. Before you do a spin or share a
selfie, you’ll want to ensure consistency in the whole ensemble.
As always, there’s a process we follow to ensure that you spend your time wisely and
thoughtfully pursue the right avenues for your brand and - more importantly - your
target market.
Create your brand style guide based on your strategy + style. Keep that in mind
& follow those guidelines with everything you do, create, write, say, and wear.
Consistency is key.

Then it’s time to figure out how to get where you want to go. How to really show off
what you’re workin' with.
For your brand, this means creating content and digital marketing. You'll need:

+ COPYWRITING

+ IMAGES (FOR WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, ADS, ETC)

+ VIDEOS

+ BRAND COLLATERAL (BIZ CARDS, ETC)

+ SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

Basically all of those things that bring your hard-earned, laser-focused, stunning
strategy to life.
You will be stunned at how intuitive and freely you (and/or those you hire) can create
irresistible content once you’ve done all of the other steps. Not just at the beginning of
your brand, but throughout your brand’s life.
And since content is queen, that’s pretty priceless, no?
 SOME BONUS TIPS

BOOK YOUR PROFESSIONAL S E ARLY.

When it comes to your dream team—your photographers, makeup and hair artists,
branding experts, copywriters, designers, and developers….PLAN AHEAD. This is not
the time for instant gratification because these pros book up quickly and often require
booking weeks or months in advance. You don’t want to have to sacrifice talent for
timeline, so book those badasses EARLY

TALK TO YOUR CURRENT AUDIENCE.

Truth: your brand is in the eye of the beholder. It doesn’t just matter what YOU think
your brand is, it matters what they think it is. So a great way to understand how you’re
coming off is to interview your audience.
Find out a bit more about why they love you - why they purchased your product and/
or service. What their experience was like to work with you? If you actively blog - what
content do they find to be the most engaging? This is solid gold feedback and can make
incredible impact on what you keep doing, cut back on, or fine-tune.

At the end of the day, your brand is your bottom line. Your perception is your payday
and your image is your income. So if all of that is true, why not spend the time, the
energy, the care to craft it intentionally? You’re too smart not to.

WANT MORE? THIS IS THE PROCESS WE WALK YOU THROUGH,

IN-DEPTH, IN OUR WORKSHOPS FOR THE FACE.

THE-FACE.ME

WE ALSO OFFER PRIVATE CLIENT SERVICES IF YOU ARE

INTERESTED IN ONE-ON-ONE WORK WITH SARAH. BOOK A
T E T E-A-T E T E F O R S O M E I M M ED I AT E C R E AT I V E CO N S U LT I N G .

COPYRIGHT 2016 PUBLIC PERSONA LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER INTELLECTUAL COPY LAW