the starting point to a successful business
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strategy with substance
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the starting point to a successful business • strategy with substance •
BRAND STRATEGY SESSION with AKIN
What’s the difference between a business that’s at the whim of their competition, and a business that has future-proofed their offering with raving fans that happily shop with them again and again?
Hint: their brand.
Picture your favourite brands: odds are, what they offer isn’t unique. But there’s a reason you are happy to support them over a similar business. That’s because…
The secret to branding is not in your marketing mix, or even your logo.
It’s in your brand strategy.
The eye opener: people buy into stories and messages (not what you’re selling!)
If you really want to turn your clients and customers into raving fans, you need to give them something they can’t get anywhere else. A unique story, mission and purpose that they can be a part of. An experience they can only get from you.
A brand strategy underpins the rest of your marketing. It’s the essential starting point to building a business that stands out, that knows who it is, and who it serves.
It’s the difference of having a good idea but no direction vs. having a strong presence, a defined personality, a clear identity (so you not only know what to say, but how to say it).
Is a brand strategy what you need?
Hands up if you can relate:
◦ I have a great business concept and so many ideas, but I don’t know how to put it in words
◦ I can’t answer the head-scratching question of “Who am I?”
◦ I don’t know how to describe my brand to a stranger or a customer
◦ I don’t know how to position, or differentiate myself in my industry
◦ I am not clear on who my target audience is, I’m currently trying to serve everyone
◦ I’m running a business, but it feels like I have no direction or mission
◦ I don’t know how to resonate with my customers, I don’t have a “tone of voice”
◦ I want to re-brand but I don’t know where to start, and what it should look like
◦ I am working on my website/brochure/sales pitch but I have no idea what to say about my business
◦ I don’t feel like my business has an identity, there’s no consistency anywhere
◦ I can’t honestly answer “is this on brand?” when I have to make a business decision
If you answered YES to any of the above, a brand strategy session with me will clear the fog and pave the path to clarity.
Picture this: when you come across a brand that looks super consistent on every touch point, is instantly recognisable and oh-so-memorable in what they say and how they say it? I’ll bet money that they invested in a brand strategy. They may even offer a similar product/service to you [and you may even do it better] but they’re magnetising customers by aligning their pain points with the perfect solutions. (You guessed it, by having a brand strategy to guide their every marketing move).
Whether you’re launching a new brand, or re-branding an existing business – a brand strategy is the smartest starting point to getting all your marketing ducks in a row, before you start marketing.
What happens in Brand Strategy Session?
A brand strategy allows you to be clear on who your brand is, who it serves, what it uniquely offers, and how it communicates that with the world. It maps out everything you want your brand to say & stand for, delivered in a comprehensive and practical document that solidifies all your ideas into written words that you can always go back to for every business and marketing decision you make.
My clients use their brand strategy to:
◦ Distil their brand’s key messages
◦ Connect them with their ideal customers
◦ Reference in design briefs for brand collateral
◦ Serve as an anchor point to every decision they make in their business
◦ Know what to say on their website, ads and marketing materials
◦ Have a unique tone of voice when they write copy
The brand strategy process is as simple as 3 steps:
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We start with a strategy call where we spend 1.5 – 2 hours walking through a set of carefully crafted questions together. This allows me to get inside your brand, helping you to draw everything out from your thoughts onto paper. This is your opportunity to think deep about your business, and my time to discover your brand and gain the insights into what is unique to you. -
After our insightful call, where I fully understand your business inside and out, I compile our thoughts together and put pen to paper! In this second stage, I utilise 10-12 business days to research, brainstorm, and craft your brand strategy for your review.
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You will receive the first version of your Brand Strategy. We then workshop it together to finesse and refine the contents, and then I finalise the document for you. You now have a shiny new “brand bible” that you can refer to for all facets of your business! This is definitely not a document you read once and file away into the archives - it’s a reference point for every piece of marketing you will create; the strategy that steers the ship!
Nice to meet you.
I’m Julie, founder of Akin Studio.
Since I’ll be getting to know your business, it’s only fair you get to know a little about me!
The elevator pitch: I’m a brand strategist, digital marketer and copywriter that breathes life into brands through visual and written storytelling. I craft messages that matter to your customers, by sculpting stories that speak to their hearts and minds.
The story book: I’m a digital native with a decade’s experience in marketing, social media and creative consulting. After working in e-commerce and learning all things digital marketing, I founded Akin Studio to fulfil my love for supporting businesses to achieve everything they dreamed of, and more. I work with businesses 1:1 to really understand their goals, bring their vision to life, and ultimately help them create the brand that exists in their head (and can’t wait to be released into the wild!). On a personal note, I work remotely from my home office - currently, in Tokyo, Japan. My days are filled with words, walks in nature, good food and good company [with my home chef-ing fiancée and my walk-loving puppy!]. I’m a dreamer and do-er that will never stop creating and seeing the beauty in everything. I guess that’s my approach to brand strategy – I see the “specialness” in your brand, even if you don’t [yet], and I help you create your universe that can be shared with the world.
I can’t wait to learn more about your vision and discover your dreams for your business!
Kind words from my clients that have found their clarity
“Julie’s insights and recommendations gave me so much confidence about my business and the clarity I needed to move forward. Akin has been instrumental in helping me position the program in exactly the right way. All of this translates into tangible outcomes – I’m more confident in my marketing approach, I have clarity about what to include on social media and I’m making more sales. This is an investment that will pay dividends in your business for years to come.”
— Kate James, Founder, Total Balance Group
“The process of creating our brand strategy was easy and slick. After the strategy session, Julie created a document which articulates the vision, core audiences, our brand offer, defines the brand statements and the tone and personality traits for communicating to our audience. The creation of this document really helped us to work through the website, social media and advertising contents. Julie was really easy to work and collaborate with. We are very happy with the outcomes.”
— Millie Robb, Founder, Sunnies+
“Julie has been a valuable member of the Ena team for many years now. Initially on board to manage our social media, Julie was also engaged to help Ena plan our Brand Strategy. By helping to identify our vision and core values, Julie helped us identify with our audience and suggest strategies to connect with them. Her presentation and communication is always first class. She is a delight to work with. I would highly recommend Akin Studio to anyone planning to take their business to the next level.”
— Lindy Lloyd, Founder, Ena Products
The Brand Strategy Breakdown
My brand strategies are grounded in understanding your target audiences, deep diving into their pain points and presenting your brand as the obvious solution. Rather than using pushy and salesy marketing gimmicks, my magnetising approach is what makes you invaluable to your customers.
Your personalised brand strategy includes:
◦ Target Audience Profile
◦ Target Audience Segmentation
◦ Customer Avatars
◦ Customer Transformations
◦ Brand Aesthetics
◦ Brand Offer Definition
◦ Brand Features
◦ Brand Benefits
◦ Brand Personality
◦ Brand Values
◦ Brand Positioning
◦ Brand Mission
◦ Brand Vision
◦ Brand Promise
◦ Brand Essence
◦ Key Messaging
Your outcomes:
◦ Total clarity on the direction of your brand and business
◦ Clearly defined target audiences so you know exactly who you’re selling to
◦ Key statements and messages that can be used for your marketing materials
◦ A definitive starting point to inform your future marketing strategy and tactics
◦ The ultimate ‘brand bible’ to showcase who you are to your customers, team and stakeholders
◦ The complete confidence to launch or re-launch your brand out into the universe
Your Brand Strategy is delivered in a PDF format for you to keep and reference forever. It is the singular source of truth for your entire brand identity, key messaging and future marketing materials.
Your Investment.
Upfront payment $2850 (+ GST)
or 2 instalments of $1425 (+ GST)
➖ Why is investing in your brand strategy important? Because you wouldn’t drive a car without a destination, and you wouldn’t write a book without a plot and characters.
➖ Before spending a single dollar on marketing, advertising or even logo design - a consistent brand strategy will give you the “who, what and why” you need to successfully launch and re-launch your business. (Otherwise - What would you say? How would you say it? Who would you say it to? Why should they care?)
➖ A solid strategy means you don’t run the risk of wasting hundreds or thousands of marketing dollars that don’t effectively speak to the hearts and minds of your customers, or worse, speak to no customers at all.
The Q&A Corner
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You can email direct on julie@akinstudio.com.au to make a booking. You will receive a deposit invoice and a follow up email to book in for a time that suits you. -
The clarity call is designed for you to gain more insight into the brand strategy session and determine whether it’s the right service for your business goals. -
I’ve worked with a broad range of business and industries, from career coaches to coffee shops. Whether you have a service or product-based business - I always say to my clients: a brand strategy is essential to a business’s success in the market – whether you’re a new or existing brand, it’s the first step you should take before investing in marketing. -
Businesses that I have developed brand strategies for include: e-commerce products, eco-businesses, jewellery, fashion, coffee, home décor and furniture, agriculture, art conservation, photography, gyms, skincare, personal coaching, trades services, personal care and beauty service, financial services, travel companies, baby brands, education, B2B multi-platform businesses, and service-based businesses.No matter your industry or business, I draw on my experience in branding and copywriting to create a unique strategy that is tailored to you.
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Thanks to technology - the entire process is done remotely! We communicate through phone or Zoom for the strategy session, and then via email to finesse the document. We can work together, where ever you are in the world. -
Many of my clients are in the messy middle of launching a business, or they have a full-time job and a side hustle. Either way, they’re busy, and I totally get that - which is why the process is designed to be as streamlined as possible. The benefit of my brand strategy session is that the time commitment from you is only during the strategy call (approx. 1.5 - 2 hours), and then the review of your brand strategy, where you can take your time to absorb it all. -
Once you’ve got your shiny new brand strategy in your hands – the world is your oyster! I can help you develop design briefs for your logo, brand assets and website – being the conduit between you and your graphic designer and web designer. I can also further develop your marketing strategy with your brand strategy as the basis, or create a social media strategy for you. If copywriting is the natural next step, we can discuss the best approach for your specific business needs. Get in touch julie@akinstudio.com.au to discuss how I can support your business growth. -
Yes, yes and yes! Words are what connects humans to humans - and that goes for your business too. Because your brand personality, values and tone of voice development exists in your brand strategy document, the natural next step is to use that as a guide to creating the copy that sells. It’s not just your website that needs copywriting. It’s your email marketing, product descriptions, tag lines, ad copy, pitch deck, landing page, bio, opt-in, blogs, social media… even email signatures! I’m a self-confessed “copy chameleon” and can easily adapt to any tone of voice. Email me julie@akinstudio.com.au to discuss my copywriting packages.
