A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer. - Seth Godin

Branding is the core of your business' marketing, it is the first impression, the core message, the values, the purpose, the mission and the vision. At its heart, it is the essence of your business and and why you do what you do.

I work with a lot of clients on branding projects. Re-branding, brand "refresh" and brand new branding design projects. They're the most challenging and the most rewarding projects I work on.

Having done this for a while now I have a set of questions that I ask clients when working on branding and logo design projects.

Over the last 12 months I have undergone a major overhaul in my business. I'm undergoing the sometimes overwhelming, always fun but very time-consuming task of tweaking my website to attract my dream client.

This process has sparked a brand examination. I designed my logo rather hurriedly one afternoon back in 2009 when I had to drop everything as my first freelance client had fallen out of the sky!

Since its inception I have received more than one comment that people "love" the simplicity of the blue circles in my logo (as my primary business back then was as a copywriter, the circles were intended to evoke imagery of pens, writing, ink, etc.). I love the blue circles too. The original font, however? Nuh-uh. Yuk. So: blue circles in, font, out.

So I have changed things up a bit and have maintained a clear, business-y font but the blue circles stay. It's not outrageous, it's not particularly bold but it's me: clear, to the point and loving blue circles.

So, are you undertaking a re-brand?

Here are twenty four key questions to ask yourself before you re-brand:

1. Why are you re-branding?
2. What are the reasons behind your motivation to re-brand?
3. Do you feel your branding is dated?
4. Does your logo look too much like a competitors?
5. Does your logo not communicate what you do?
6. Does your current logo not engage your audience?
7. What is it about your current brand that isn't working?
8. What don't you like about your current brand?
9. Every brand has integral elements what are the elements of your current brand that need to be maintained through the re-branding process? 
10. Is this a re-work or a complete do-over?
11. Do you want to retain or invest in new typography/fonts?
12. Do you want to retain or invest in new colours?
13. Do you want to retain or invest in new design elements?
14. How is the new brand going to be used? 
15. On your website? (Obviously this is always a firm yes!).
16. In print design i.e. annual report design, business cards and letterhead designs?
17. Across your social media channels?
18. Do you use any promotional items or uniforms?
19. What will engage your target audience?
20. What do you know about your target audience?
21. What do you want your target audience to feel when they interact with your brand?
22. What do you love?
23. What are absolute non-negotiables?
24. What elements of your personality do you want to shine through in your new brand?

We interact with brands constantly. Some brands I love and some I detest. Some I want to engage with, others leave me with a terrible impression. Think about the brands you interact with on a regular basis; are they memorable? What do they make you feel?

I could talk about branding all day and I go through these questions (and many more) with my clients at the start of every branding project.

I have put together a branding workbook for you to download.

Social media is a crucial element in most brand's digital marketing ecosystem. Social media is a tool that can be used in so many ways: to increase brand awareness, to establish your brand as an expert in your field, to drive traffic to your website, to promote your service, to advertise ahead of a launch... The list goes on....

Social media isn't something you can take a scattergun approach to. You can't just post occasionally and hope it will be effective (which is where I see most people fail to get traction on social media and then give up); you need to be committed and have a system. I know it's time consuming and it can be overwhelming but allot some time each day, week or month (I do it weekly) to take care of your social.

"But I don't know what to post!" I hear it all the time and it's one of the main barriers to clients taking control of their own social media presence (which is why they employ me).

I'm telling you: you are the expert in your business. You do know what to post, I promise.

Here are some super simple ideas to help you get your social media sorted.

1. Industry trends

If you work in, say, mortgage broking, there is industry news coming out all the time (hello 22nd interest rate hold in a row!), post your thoughts, predictions and interpretations about what this means for your customers.

If you work in jewellery design, post about colour, design trends, cool materials you've found recently. There is always something going on in your industry, don't take for granted that your audience know as much as you do: position yourself as the expert.

You can tap into a wealth of knowledge by setting up a Google Alert for your industry keywords.

2. Memes

Humans love to have a giggle! Whether you're a funeral home or a vet, there are loads of memes of the internet to share. Just be sensitive and take a moment to think about what you're posting and ensure they're appropriate and not offensive. Sharing your sense of humour will make your audience feel more connected to you.

3. Inspiration quotes

Yeah yeah, don't groan, they're not all epically cringe-worthy. If you come across something humourous, funny, inspiring or motivational that speaks to you or speaks of your business, share it. Or, even better, create your own!

4. What are you doing, right now?

Take a snap and post it. These are especially useful to post as Instagram or Facebook stories.

5. Gif off (pronounced "Jif", FYI, but I still say Gif with a hard "g")

We have loads of fun with these over on my Facebook page - describe your week in a Gif (perfect for a Friday afternoon).

6. Behind the scenes photos

People love to see the people behind the brand, share who you are, your work space, your process... It doesn't need to be polished or perfect. Authentically sharing what you do, how you do what you do and where you do it creates another way to connect on a deeper level with your audience.

Humans love other humans doing human stuff. Humanning, if you like.

7. Statistics

From key industry stats, i.e. the Reserve Bank has held interest rates steady for a record 22 months in a row. Or something unique to your business: we've completed 100 projects since the beginning of the year. Or we've had 800 cups of coffee this month (possibly more accurate).

8. Testimonials

Testimonials are marketing gold - I ask every client for one at the conclusion of each project. #truestory Ask for them and share them everywhere!

9. Fill in the blank

You can make it relevant to your industry: If I had $5,000 to spend on marketing I would _______. The feeling I get when I'm buying flowers is _______. My favourite type of wine is ______.

Or general: If I had $1,000,000 I would ______. My spirit animal is ______ because ______. My favourite donut is ______.

The point of these posts is to get engagement! And for the industry-relevant ones, you can garner interesting market intel without having to overtly ask.

10. This or that

Pizza or burgers? Hustle or flow? Coffee or tea? I've found these to be engaging posts, stimulating engagement on my page and often hilarious conversations with followers and potential clients. A really good "get to know you" idea.

11. Use hashtags

More groaning... It's not difficult. I keep an Airtable file of all the different hashtags I use. Take a look at what industry leaders, competitors and other people in your niche are doing. Use all 30 if you can but try to mix them up and pop them in the first comment - it looks nicer (you can use grum.co to do this).

Handy tools

Canva - This free app (web- and device-based) has been a game-changer! It allows you to create gorgeous, correctly sized, branded (just upload your logo) images that will make you look like a professional designer! We now create Canva templates for our branding clients to help them deliver a cohesive branding experience to their customers.

Wordswag - this free app is perfect for creating pretty quotes and word-based posts.

Grum.co - a PC-based Instagram scheduler - cost depends on how many accounts you need to manage. There has been some debate whether schedulers affect your reach in the mysterious Instagram algorithm and they most likely do but for us mere mortals you'll get more reach if you schedule posts than if you don't post at all!

Plann - an app that allows you to visually plan your feed *swoon* plus it has scheduling and analytics (the 'Little' plan is currently free).

Airtable - All of my content planning takes place in Airtable - it's a really fantastic tool.

If you need help with your social whether it's strategy or content get in touch.