Brand Strategy

Workbook

A Workbook designed to help you understand your business,

market, competition and how it all fits together.
 INTRODUCTION

About this Workbook

Use this Brand Strategy workbook to do the foundational work of planning

and setting yourself apart from the sea of competition. Take the time to
work out the details here and you will find that it streamlines much of your
operation.

While this workbook was first introduced in our packaging course, it can, most
definitely be used as a stand alone branding workbook.

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 What to Expect
from this Workbook

Analyse brand purpose

You’ll write down the reason you started your business in the first place. This will
help you put in place a north star to strive towards and keep you motivated.

Setting brand values

These will help you align yourself with your customers and keep you on the
right track. Values are also important for how your brand visuals will look like.

Set goals for your brand

Setting goals is important! The workbook will help you prioritize what’s import-
ant and what’s not. This way you’ll also see your progress which is motivating!

Get clarity!
Overall the purpose of this workbook is to help you get clarity around your
business and help you build a coherent brand that you can be proud of!

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Purpose

What inspires you about your business?

01

How are you helping your customers? What problems are you solving?

02

How is your brand/business different from your competition?

03

Who are the people you're alming to help with your business?

04

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK WWW.SCENTSOFTOBAGO.COM

 Brand Goals

Write down what you want to achieve with your brand/business. Generally these can be things
building a bigger community, developing new products (what kind), hitting some financial goal etc.
Also write down the steps you think you should take to achieve these goals - don’t worry these are
just guideposts that can be adjusted later on during the process.

My Vision or Goal #01: Steps to Take:

My Vision or Goal #02: Steps to Take:

My Vision or Goal #03: Steps to Take:

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 The Golden Circle

This exercise comes from Simon Sinek’s book

“Start with Why”: “Why” is the reason and
motivation for your brand/business to exist
(don’t confuse this with some benefit, for
example earning a six figure income etc. -
that is a result). The “why” is the cause you
believe in and your purpose. Why?
“How”is what makes you stand out from your
competition - how you do things differently.
“What” is the things your business/brand How?
actually does (products and services it sells)
and the problems it solves.
What?

Why?

How?

What?

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Mission

Your brand mission is a simple statement on why you do what you do. This helps you clarify why
your business exists in the first place. Feel free to draw on some themes you wrote down in “Brand
Purpose” & “Brand Goals” worksheets.

The mission statement in something you can use later on in your marketing and easily convey what
you do and why you do it. Below is a list of some questions to take into consideration when drafting
your own brand mission statement

Why you do what you do? Why are you different? (be honest)

How you do what you do? Who is your iseal client?

What problem are you solving? What will be the metric of your successs?

Whose problem are you solving?

Write your mission statement here:

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Vision

This is where you can let loose your wildest dreams you have for your brand/business. Try to think
what you want to achieve with the brand you’re building and how it might look like in one/two
years. The easiest way I have found to go about this is to think how you’d want your ideal workday
look like - think of the things you’d love to do (designing a logo for example) and the things you
don’t fancy doing that much. Now you can imagine what your brand/business should look like to do
more of what you love and less of what you actually don’t want to do.

Here you can also imagine what your financial goals would be like and how much you would have
to sell (or increase prices and add more value) to reach it.

Write your vision statement here:

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Dream Client

Instead of focusing on a target audience, focus on imagining just one dream client. This helps you
narrow down who you’re actually targeting and makes it much easier to actually connect with these
kinds of people. Remember by making yourself irrelevant for a lot of people, you’re at the same time
making yourself much more relevant to a very niche group of people who will actually convert.

Name of your dream client: Where does your dream client live?

Emma Wilson
What platforms does he/she use? What websites does he/she use?

What kind of personality does she/he have? What does he/she talk about?

What kind of problems does she/he have? What does he/she want to achieve?

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

Brand Voice

Brand Voice is how you determine how you speak to your potential customers in your messaging
(social media channels, website etc). Finding the right voice helps you to connect with your
audience makes you more trustworthy.

Below you can select a few keywords (and add your own) that will help you determine your brand
voice. For example think if your brand is conveying confidence and authority or being simple and
casual? Is it uplifting and motivational or down to earth?

Brand Character: Brand Language:

ex. Confident , Playful, Creative, Passionate, ex. Casual, Conversational, Funny,

Helpful, Diligent, Sassy, Witty, Inspiring Formal, Professional , Simple, Authentic

The keytakeaway here is that when you’re making a social media post, adding a blog post or creat-
ing copy for your website - all of these will be seen by real people who will react based on what they
read. If you have previously identified your ideal client then that’s who you should be talking to! Try
to use the words and phrases she/he uses to connect with him/her.

Do this when communicating with audience: Avoid this when communicating with audience:

ex. Talk and write casually. Don’t take yourself ex. Don’t talk jargon. If you’re audience does
too seriously. You can be a professional not understand what you’re saying, there’s no
without being uptight. point in saying it!
 Brand Tone

Here you can determine how you will like your brand to sound to your customers. Always keep in
mind your ideal customer! You can think of the brand tone as your brand personality. Try to align
your brand tone with the personality type of your ideal client.

Funny Neutral Serious

Casual Neutral Formal

Irreverent Neutral Respectful

Dreamy Neutral Straight Forward

Sassy Neutral Respectful

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Style

Now taking into account all the previous worksheets, try to envision how your brand and brand
assets (website, social media items, logo etc.) will look like. There’s no right answers, but keep in
mind the insights about your ideal client, brand voice and try to align the visuals with what you
wrote down previously.

Modern Classic

Feminine Masculine

Playful Serious

Economical Luxurious

Youthful Mature

Abstract Literal

Minimal Decorative

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Style CONTINUED

Below you’l find a list of keywords from where you’ll select the ones you feel represent your brand
the best. Remember that these keywords are what will represent the aesthetic and the feeling of
the brand you are creating.

Aesthetic Economic Happiness Modest

Ambititios Educational Humility Motivating

Adventurous Energetic Honorable Optimistic

Affectionate Empowering Hopeful Organized

Beautiful Enjoyment Humorous Passionate

Braver Entertaining Insightful Peaceful

Balanced Excellence Inspirational Patient

Casual Enthusiastic Impactful Playful

Comfort Family Intimate Reliable

Confidence Faith Joyful Reasonable

Compassionate Firmness Jovial Self-Aware

Connection Fun Kindness Sassy

Clarity Friendship Knowledgeable Serious

Dedication Focus Loyalty Simple

Diversity Gratitude Leadership Silly

Diligence Greatness Loveable Trust

Devotion Growth Logical Vibrant

Directness Guidance Masterful Whimsical

Dependable Generous Mindful Warmth

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Values

Brand values help you determine what’s most important for your brand and thus set a north star to
strive for. These also help you better align your brand with customers who hold similar values.

Below you’ll find a list of sample core values that you can use to get you on the right path. Select
the ones that most resonate with what you do & why you do it.

Ambition Empathy Honesty Modest

Accountable Equality Humility Motivating

Adventure Empowering Hope Optimism

Approachable Exciting Humour Organization

Belonging Excellence Hard Work Passion

Bravery Enthusiasm Insight Peace

Balance Fitness Inspiration Patientce

Change Family Impact Playfulness

Confidence Freedom Integrity Reliability

Compassion Faith Innovation Reason

Connection Firmness Joy Self-Awareness

Clarity Fun Justice Spontaneity

Dedication Friendship Kindness Sustainability

Diversity Focus Knowledegable Success

Diligence Gratitude Loyalty Simplicity

Devotion Greatness Love Support

Directness Growth Logic Trust

Dependable Guidance Mastery Unity

Drive Generosity Mindfulness Vision

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Core Values

Here you can highlight the three main values your brand stand for. You can use the values from the
previous list or add something of your own. After filling out the values, try to also think what and
how these values will support your future clients and what you’ll have to do to follow them.

Value No. 01 How does it affect how you run your business:

Value No. 02 How does it affect how you run your business:

Value No. 03 How does it affect how you run your business:

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Color Psychology

Here’s where you can put to use all the previous work you’ve done, beacuse colors are one of the
ways you can show off your brand style and values. Below you’ll find a quick guide to simplify the
process of picking the right colors for your brand.

Red Orange
Red is stimulating and energetic. It has a Orange is a emotional color usually associat-
physical effect on your body by raising your ed with joy and happiness. It can also be
blood pressure. assocaited with warmth and comfort.

Purple Green
Purple is associated with luxury and spiritual- Green is the color of growth and balance -
ity. It’s also a color of ambition. thus it evokes an emotion of calm and tran-
qulity. It’s also a color of healing.

Blue Light Blue

Blue is the color of security and intelligence. Turquoise light blue is a color of healing and
It’s easy on the eye and calming. It’s also the spirital awakening. It’s also the color of
most popular color of all for logo designs. protection.

Black Grey
Black represents excellence and maturity. It Grey lacks an emotional undertone, but is
also represent both luxury and class and goes often used to convey luxury and elegance.
well with light greys and pure white. Works well with other complementary colors.

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Colors

With these two questions, you’ll be able to find what’s the most suitable color scheme for your
brand. It’s an important step because it draws upon all the strategy work that has already been
done and starts the actual design process.

What feelings do you want your brand to evoke in your clients - you can refer to
“Brand Style” worksheets for this exercise.

01

Given my brand purpose and style, what would be the best colors to represent
what it’s all about?

02

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Typography

Here’s where you’ll find out what fonts will best represent your brand style and purpose. The first
section is a little cheat sheet to follow to get a better understanding of what each style
of fonts represents.

Sans Serif Serif Fonts

Sans serif fonts are modern and versatile. Serif fonts are classical and timeless. They
They create a sense of practicality, yet can at show off sophistication and class. These fonts
the same time be used for sophisticated are a great way to showcase your expertise
brands (especially when tracking is used). and envoke a feeling of trust.

Pairs with: Serif, Script & Display Fonts Pairs with: Sans Serif, Script & Display Fonts

Script Fonts
Script fonts come in many categories and Display fonts are a great way to express your
they can be both fun and easy going ( some brand’s uniqueness and personality. They’re
brush script fonts) but also formal and great for titles and for attention grabbing but
elegant (handwritten fonts). they might lack some legibility.

Pairs with: Sans Serif & Serif Fonts Pairs with: Sans Serif & Serif Fonts

Based on my brand’s style and tone, the best font styles to represent them are..? Also try to
explain why you have chosen these font styles (what feeling you would like to envoke?)

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Moodboard

This is where I will learn what kind of visuals you like for your brand. For this the best option is to
jump on Pinterest and create a board of the kind of styles, logos, textures, patterns, typography and
colors you would like to see in your brand. Please also keep in mind all the previous work and the
strategic worksheets you filled out before - try to match the visuals with brand tone, voice etc.

You can either use your own Pinterest account to Pin all your insipiration on separate boards, or
you can send me the links directly on my email (try to also explain what you like in each design).

You can create multiple mood boards, but make sure that each board follows a similar aesthetic
and is also aligned with all the previously filled out strategic templates. (See samples below)

Sample Moodboard (Boho Style)

01

Sample Moodboard (Minimal Style)

02

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Story

The best way to think about your brand is that it’s basically a reputation you have with your clients
and the impression you leave to people who have not done business with you but have run across
you - either on social media, your own website, etc. And your brand story is something that will
have key role to play in all this!
Brand story is something that makes you unique - it encompasses why you started your business in
the first place, what kind of process do you follow that’s unique to you and what’s MOST
IMPORTANT how you’re actually very much like your ideal customer you’re trying to attract.

1. Be relatable
When you’re running a business, especially when you’re a little operation, you will want to put some
YOU into your brand story. This can be a little story on how you got started - how you quit your job
and did not know where to start and then dedicated yourself to your craft for a few years and gradu-
ally started seeing some progress. Also the things you’ve learned along the way and the mistakes
you’ve made. Anything that will make you more relatable!

2. Be inspirational
If you want to engage likeminded people that would cluster to your brand, you must not only tell
your own story, but encourage them to tell their own! This is where the first step “Be relatable” turns
to “Be Inspirational”. By telling your audience how you got started and what you’ve learned over the
years, you’ll speak to people who might be in a similar situation right now, which will help you make
that necessary human connection.

3. Be helpful
To make your brand story more effective, it can also include how you’re helping people with their
core problems (see what you wrote down in “Brand Purpose” & “Dream Client” section regards the
problems). This helps your clients imagine how it would be working with you and how not working
with you will hurt them in the long run.

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Story

This is where you’ll get to the essence of your brand and the story you’ll be telling to your audience.
The first brand story type is based on a struggle you went through to finally start your business and
how you help to solve your ideal client’s problems.

Where did you get started? How and Why did you finally decide to start
your business? What did you believe when you started the business?

01

What was the most difficult thing about your journey/coming up with your
product or service and how did you overcome the struggles?

02

Why is you’r product/service different compared to others how it helps to solve

the struggles your ideal customer has?

03

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Story

This is where you’ll get to the essence of your brand and the story you’ll be telling to your audience.
You can use this simple story structure to create a framework of your brand story very quickly that
you can later hone and build upon.

What’s the main problem/s you ideal client has that you can help solve?

What’s your solution to this problem and how is it different from others?

How this solution will lead to success of your customer? What does success look like?

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Placement

HIGHER QUALITY

My Brand

Competitor #01

HIGHER PRICE
LOWER PRICE

Competitor #02

LOWER QUALITY

Where does your brand place regards price and quality compared to competitors. What do you
need to do differently to deliver this price and quality?

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Brand Checklist

Brand Strategy Pre-Design Elements

Brand Purpose Brand Style

Brand Goals Brand Colors

Brand Mission Brand Typography

Brand Vision Brand Moodboard

Dream Client

Brand Voice & Tone

Brand Values

Brand Story

Visual Elements Supporting Elements

Logo Social Media Design

Color Scheme Business Card

Brand Fonts Letterhead

Brand Images Email Header

Brand Textures Website Design

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Social Media Checklist

Facebook Instagram

Profile Image Profile Image

Cover Image Cover Image

Relevant Bio Info Relevant Bio Info

Call to Action in Bio Call to Action in Bio

Consistent Post Style Consistent Post Style

Consistent Brand Voice Consistent Brand Voice

Twitter Pinterest

Profile Image Profile Image

Cover Image Cover Image

Relevant Bio Info Relevant Bio Info

Call to Action in Bio Call to Action in Bio

Consistent Post Style Consistent Post Style

Consistent Brand Voice Consistent Brand Voice

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK

 Notes

BRAND STRATEGY WORKBOOK