Welcome to Day 5 of the Big Brand Challenge—the last day!
On Day 1 and 2 of the challenge, you laid the foundation for your brand. On Day 1 you defined who you are, on Day 2 you defined what you look like, on Day 3 you created (or updated) your logo, and on Day 4 you outlined those essential marketing materials you needed to create. Now it’s time to prepare your brand for liftoff!
Branding might get you ready for the date—but marketing gets you the date. Before you are ready to move from the branding to the marketing phase, you need to follow these five steps.
Prepare for brand liftoff!
1. Check with your friends
Contact your friends, your customers, your suppliers, your vendors. Does your new brand resonate? Are you missing anything? Call, email, survey—hey, even throw a party.
2. Compile your contacts
Get ready to make the announcement. Put people into lists and determine when and how you will let them know about your announcement.
3. Setup analytics
You need to measure your progress. If you have a website, setup Google Analytics. If you’re doing email marketing, use the reports tools in services like MailChimp. Whatever vehicles you’re using to deliver your message, make sure you’re ready to capture the data of what’s working and what’s not.
4. Go social
If you’re not already, consider engaging in social media. Social media now drives over a third of all referral traffic to websites. Choose the platform that’s right for your business, based on where your customers engage.
5. Set goals
Know where you are today. And set realistic, but optimistic goals for where you can go tomorrow. Write these down. Share them with staff.
Completing today’s work
Although a brand change can be costly, just take it in phases and remember to search online for the best values. What was your experience working through these exercises? Tell us on Twitter @Bplans!
Prefer to work through it later? Download the 2-page PDF version of Day 5 of the Big Brand Challenge.
Sara Conte is co-founder of Brand Genie, the creator of an affordable, automated brand builder for small businesses. Brand Genie automatically matches small businesses with a recommended brand personality through 12 easy questions. Small businesses can then quickly build a cohesive and well-designed Brand Kit, including a logo, business card, and website.
