Do you need Full Service Branding or the Let’s F*cking Go! workshops?
Here at Holbrook we have two primary offerings for clients — full-service branding packages and Let’s F*cking Go! workshops. Both fit in the realm of branding for small businesses and entrepreneurs but we see a clear difference in who each offering best serves. But before we go into which one is right for whom, first let’s break down what each of them are.
FULL SERVICE BRANDING
Full service branding packages at Holbrook are just that — full service. With your input, we do the vast amount of work to bring your brand to life. Here’s what that looks like:
brand strategy
So often we’ve heard people talk about how small businesses or entrepreneurs getting started “just need a logo.” We disagree. Yes, your logo is a part of your brand but it should be rooted in your strategy. All of your branding should be derived from a strategy — it’s what helps to remain consistent. The reason we don’t believe you “just need a logo” is because your logo should be reflective of who you are, who you want to attract, and differentiate you from your peers. Strategy — that’s where we start. And, we start brand strategy with your brand DNA. The questions we answer help you to ultimately bring clarity to your purpose, vision, and values.
From there we work to define your target audience and bring them to life in a persona. We find so many small businesses want to skip this step but ultimately we think intimately understanding your customer is key to your success.
We don’t subscribe to the common notion of competition. Instead, we like to think of other businesses as your peers. We think it’s important to understand who else sells what you sell, how they do it, and who they’re targeting for customers. Understanding this will help you define how you show up uniquely in the space.
Given all of the above, the last piece of brand strategy in the Holbrook methodology is brand positioning — what you do, for whom you do it, and how you do it. In other words, your brand positioning helps to articulate the unique value you provide to your target audience.
brand identity
Brand identity is what most people think of when they think of branding — “you just need a logo.” The deal is that brand identity is far more than just your logo. We work to articulate your brand promise, the literal promise you make to your customers, and messaging architecture to help define the key messages you want to share with your audience. In addition to your messaging architecture, we define copy tone guidelines to support a consistent use of your brand voice.
Logos and other brand assets are created in support of all of the above. Brand color palettes are developed with color theory, customer psychology, and usability in mind. Typography samples in alignment with the ethos of the brand are identified for the variety of end-uses in which they’ll be applied. A primary logo as well as secondary marks (think social media profile pictures, variations of the logo for different applications such as text only, and horizontal versus vertical), and additional brand patterns are created to provide a full suite of brand graphics.
brand execution
Early in our process we create an inventory of what needs to be developed for the brand. Once all of the above is created, we work with clients to bring the brand to life. This means that we create a variety of collateral pieces (think business cards, letterhead, signage, stickers, you name it), templates for use on social media platforms, and more. Lastly, clients are provided a brand strategy and guideline document to help them maintain the integrity of the brand as well as all brand assets in a variety of file types.
Let’s F*cking go! Workshops
The LFG! workshops were designed with the ambitious and cash-strapped entrepreneur in mind. They provide business owners with education about what brand is, why it matters, and how to develop it yourself. Think of the LFG! workshops as DIY branding with the support of a branding expert. They’re broken down into modules:
LFG! - define
In the first module participants are taken through an understanding of why brand matters, why it’s more than just your logo, it’s impact on your business growth, and how it’s different than marketing. We delve into all the ways in which a brand gets defined — purpose, vision, values, brand character, peer analysis, target audience, value proposition, and brand promise. Aside from the instruction to ground participants in the education and understanding, participants are granted access to a series of worksheets to guide them through the development of all of the above for their brand.
lfg! - refine
In the second module participants are educated on how their brand promise relates to their messaging architecture, how to develop key messages, copy tone and how to define what it is (and isn’t) for a brand. We explore what makes a tagline and why some brands use them as well as design principles to support consistent execution of the visual brand identity. Next up is what we like to say is a graphic design primer — color theory with a dose of consumer psychology, typography, and the varying types of logo design. Lastly, we help participants understand how they can template their brand identity within Canva to make it accessible. Just like in Define, a series of worksheets and tools are provided to help participants create their own brand identity.
What are you having? full service or lfg!
Now that you get the difference, are you still wondering what is the right fit for you and your business? We like to say “know thyself” is the appropriate perspective to take when evaluating which service is the better fit for you.
Let’s F*cking Go! workshops might be the better fit if you:
Have been swirling on getting your business launched and could use some accountability to get things done.
You are generally DIY-inclined and scrappy.
Have limited capital to invest in branding your business to get launched.
Are interested in better understanding branding, why it matters, and what goes into developing it.
Have time in your schedule to participate in delivery of educational material on a weekly cadence.
Have time in your schedule to complete all worksheet homework assigned for each module (20-30 worksheets per module) each week prior to the next module delivery.
Full Service Branding might be the better fit if you:
Already launched your business and think it’s time to update or expand your branding.
Want the professional expertise and guidance of a branding company to help you build or evolve your brand.
Have the capital to invest in full service branding.
Know you don’t have it in you, time commitment or otherwise, to DIY your brand.
So, what will it be? Book a consultation call with us to further discuss the best fit for you and your business.
