What
I diagnose trouble spots in your brand and help you understand current perceptions and how you can better shape and create the right perception and present your business more effectively to your marketplace.
Then I identify areas for improvement and explore any opportunities that may be obtainable. I put together a plan, creating a foundation for your brand, highlighting your optimal marketing routes and outlining what brand collateral you will need moving forward. I break it all down into logical stages so that you can decide which parts fit within your budget, which bits can be scheduled for another time and which bits you would like to totally remove from the plan. This way you get to review all costs up front so you know exactly where you stand and allay any fears of escalating costs.
Next I design the innovative, compelling marketing collateral that is entirely on brand, to achieve your objectives. Carefully planning all visuals and tone of voice to deliver a professional, consistent and unified brand approach.
Thereafter
Moving forward I offer on-call advice and support, assuming the role of brand guardian, ensuring consistency and that brand standards are adhered to across all your communication channels. I identify potential issues and make recommendations to solve them. I analyse how the overall business and brand is performing and what, if anything, needs tweaked or improved in order to achieve your goals.
How
First off you set up a free no obligation consultation (at a time that suits you) where we get to ask questions of each other. It’s my goal at this meeting to find out all I can about your business and your goals, both immediate and long term. This helps me understand what needs to happen and how best to proceed.
After the initial consultation I put together a written proposal of what I think you will need, why and how much it will cost. Once you are happy with what I’ve proposed I can put in place a deadline for the agreed deliverables.
If I feel I can’t deliver what you require or I don't think I am the right fit for your project, I’ll tell you straight and up front. Then, if I can introduce you to someone who is an expert in the field you’re looking for, I will.
The beauty of what I offer is absolute flexibility as a freelancer, so you can hire me either for a specific project, or on a retainer for a set number of days per month, or simply on an ad hoc basis to help out as and when needed.
Who
Typically I work with SMEs from all over the UK who don't have someone in place to manage their brand on a full time basis and either don't want the expense or need the hassle of recruitment. Often it falls upon the shoulders of the business owner to manage the brand - when they have the time.
Sometimes they may even have a small marketing team in place who would benefit from strategic oversight and expert brand guidance and input from time to time or simply some external help on a specific project.
When
Often the clients I work with are never exactly sure what they need from me. Sometimes it is simply advice, other times it's a review of their entire branding and marketing approach.
For instance:
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Perhaps you’re simply not attracting enough of the right type of customers as you once were
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Maybe you’re facing new or stronger competition
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Perhaps you’re trying to reach a new market or introduce a new product
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Possibly there has been a rethink of the businesses overall direction
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Potentially your branding has become disjointed and inconsistent over the years, or it simply doesn’t reflect who you are anymore - or both
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Maybe you just feel you’ve outgrown your existing brand design.
Ensuring you don't throw the baby out with the bath water
Deciding what needs updated and what is working just fine, takes years of experience. Sometimes it's a simple tweak here or there. Maybe your brand collateral merely needs a facelift or perhaps your marketing needs some direction and guidance. Sometimes it’s purely bringing some consistency to your overall branding approach and other times it calls for refreshing and reinvigorating your current branding.
A fresh perspective
Ultimately, this is where my experience can add value. My unbiased opinion can see things that you may have overlooked and may be harming your business. I can provide ideas and suggestions that you may not have considered. And those suggestions, big or small, can have a massive impact on your business. I can help you to establish a plan of action to reinvigorate your brand and more importantly, implement it.
