Branding Masterclass: How to Create a Brand Strategy for Your Business — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00If I showed you a swoosh, a little green owl, or  a red can, you would probably name that brand in
2. 0:06one second. That's not a coincidence. That is  brand strategy in action. Because behind every
3. 0:12logo that you recognize is a bigger system, a  clear mission, strong values, a distinct voice,
4. 0:19and a consistent look that builds trust over  time. In fact, 71% of consumers say that brand
5. 0:25trust matters now more than ever before.  If your brand doesn't build that trust,
6. 0:30they'll find another one that does. So whether  you're branding a business or developing your
7. 0:34personal brand, this video is your step-by-step  guide to building a strategy that actually sticks
8. 0:40and grows with you. By the end, you will have  a full brand system that includes your mission,
9. 0:46voice, visuals, and a real plan to launch and  stay consistent. We're using HubSpot's brand
10. 0:52identity worksheet and style guide template  to walk you through it. These worksheets also
11. 0:56come with this amazing free ebook that gets  even deeper into everything we're about to
12. 1:01cover. All of the links are in the description,  free and ready when you are. Let's get into it.
13. 1:11Before you even touch your logo, you need to  know why your brand exists. That clarity will
14. 1:17shape every other decision that you make. This is  the foundation of your brand. And yeah, it's easy
15. 1:23to skip, but if you want a brand that actually  sticks in people's minds, this part matters the
16. 1:29most. If you're following along with the brand  identity worksheet, we're filling out slides 3
17. 1:34to 9. Step one is to define your mission. Why do  you exist beyond just making money? Your mission
18. 1:42is your north star. It guides what you build, how  you show up, and what you stand for. For example,
19. 1:48IKEA's mission isn't just to sell furniture.  It's to offer affordable, well-designed home
20. 1:54furnishings for as many people as possible.  That clarity drives everything that they do. So,
21. 2:00write out one to two sentences about the impact  that you want to make. To get some help with this,
22. 2:05open up your favorite AI chatbot like Notion AI,  Google Gemini, Meta AI, or Chat GBT, and type
23. 2:12this prompt and fill in the blanks. My product  or service helps core audience do outcome. Can
24. 2:21you help me write a clear and inspiring mission  statement? Now, always remember when you are
25. 2:26using AI, don't just copy paste. Tweak it. Make  it sound like you. AI is your brainstorming buddy,
26. 2:33not your brand. Once you know your why, it is time  to figure out what you stand for. Step two is to
27. 2:40identify your core values. What do you believe in?  No matter what, your values shape decisions, tone,
28. 2:47and culture. They should actually mean something,  not just look good on your website. For example,
29. 2:52Coca-Cola's values include optimism, connection,  and inclusivity. You can see it in their ads,
30. 2:58like this 2024 spills campaign, which is all  about human connection. You can also see it
31. 3:04in their product collabs, and even the way that  they respond to trends. Pick three to five values
32. 3:09that feel true to how you work and what your  audience cares about. If you used AI for your
33. 3:14mission statement, in the same chat that you used  in the last step, type this prompt. What are three
34. 3:19to five core brand values that align with this and  would resonate with my audience? All right, you've
35. 3:25got your beliefs. Now, who are you actually trying  to reach? Step three is to know your audience. Who
36. 3:33are you really talking to? Not everyone, not  millennials, one real person with real needs,
37. 3:41dreams, and frustrations. For example, IKEA isn't  chasing luxury shoppers. They focus on younger
38. 3:48folks, firsttime renters, and budget friendly  renovators. Their entire brand, from price point
39. 3:53to showroom layouts, is built with that audience  in mind. So, sketch a quick audience profile.
40. 3:59Include age, occupation, and biggest pain points.  If you've been using AI to help in the same chat,
41. 4:06type based on my mission statement and values,  can you help me define a detailed customer
42. 4:11persona? If you want to get even more granular  on this, because this step is very important,
43. 4:16I have a full video on how to find your target  audience that I will link in the description for
44. 4:21you to watch. Once you know who you're talking to,  let's figure out how to emotionally connect with
45. 4:26them. Step four is to write your brand story.  Why you? Why? Now, your story builds trust. It
46. 4:35helps people feel something when they come across  your brand. Here's a template to use. Fill in the
47. 4:40blanks. I started brand because I noticed problem.  I wanted to create solution to help audience feel
48. 4:51outcome. What makes us different is unique belief  or approach. Then in your AI thread, type here's
49. 4:58my rough brand story and paste your version.  Can you help me rewrite it to feel authentic and
50. 5:04emotionally engaging? Now, let's take that story  and turn it into momentum. Step five is to set
51. 5:11your brand goals. What are you trying to achieve  in the next 6 to 12 months? Awareness, leads,
52. 5:17community. Be specific. Pick one to two goals  like book five consult calls per month through
53. 5:22our site or grow Instagram to 5K with reals  that showcase our values. If you're using AI,
54. 5:29in the same chat, type, "Can you help me define  clear brand goals to help grow my business this
55. 5:35year?" Now that you have your goals, how do you  want people to feel after working with you? Step
56. 5:42six is to define your brand promise. What do you  guarantee every single time someone interacts
57. 5:48with you? This isn't a slogan. It's a consistent  experience that you deliver. Try this formula.
58. 5:54Every time someone engages with our brand, they  outcome because we what you do differently or
59. 6:01in your AI chat type, can you help me write a  brand promise that communicates a consistent,
60. 6:07memorable experience? Now, let's bring it  home with the one-time pitch that sets you
61. 6:12apart. Step seven is to define your unique value  proposition or UVP. What makes you the nobrainer
62. 6:21choice? Try this formula. fill in the blanks. We  help target audience solve problem by your unique
63. 6:29method or approach. For example, we help busy  business owners create consistent content without
64. 6:35burning out or becoming content creators. Or in  your AI chat, type, can you help me write a UVP
65. 6:42for my brand and include what makes us different  from competitors? Now that you know who you are,
66. 6:47what you stand for, and who you're here to  help, it's time to figure out how to say it.
67. 6:51Your brand foundation gives you clarity. Your  messaging gives you connection. So in section two,
68. 6:57we're shaping your voice, your key messages,  and your positioning so that every post,
69. 7:03pitch, and paragraph sounds unmistakably you.  [Music] Think about it. Dualingo, bold, cheeky,
70. 7:14unhinged in the best way. Apple, sleek, minimal,  confident. Coca-Cola, warm, inclusive, and
71. 7:21optimistic. Those tones didn't happen by accident.  They were crafted. And now it's your turn. If
72. 7:27you're following along in the brand identity  worksheet, we're moving on to page 11 to 15.
73. 7:35Step one is to define your brand voice and  tone. Ask yourself, if your brand were a person,
74. 7:41how would it talk? Is it cheeky and sarcastic,  calm and reassuring, inspiring and bold?
75. 7:48Your voice helps you stand out and your tone helps  you adapt it across platforms. Here's how it might
76. 7:53shift. On Instagram, your tone might be fun,  punchy, and emojiheavy. But on your website,
77. 7:59it's clean, friendly, and a little more  polished. And over email, it's helpful,
78. 8:04direct, and to the point. If you're using AI, in  the chat, type based on this mission and audience,
79. 8:10what should my brand voice sound like? Give  me a voice style guide with three adjectives,
80. 8:16dos and don'ts, and platform specific examples.  Once you know how you sound, it's time to figure
81. 8:21out what you're saying. Step two is to define your  key messages. Key messages are bite-size value
82. 8:29propositions. Ask yourself, what ideas do you want  people to associate with your brand on repeat?
83. 8:35Think of these as three to five belief statements  that show up again and again in your content. Now,
84. 8:40these aren't taglines. We will get to those. These  are just ideas that your audience starts to expect
85. 8:46from you and trust you for. Think about what your  audience needs to hear to trust you. What are you
86. 8:51here to remind them of? In your AI chat, type  based on my brand's mission and values, what
87. 8:57are three to five belief statements or messages  that my brand should reinforce across our content.
88. 9:04Step three is to create your tagline. This is your  brand's oneliner. It should be short, memorable,
89. 9:11and emotionally resonant. For example, Nike's  tagline is just do it, and Airbnb's is belong
90. 9:18anywhere. Both of these help you feel the brand  in one short, punchy line. Try looking through
91. 9:24customer testimonials or reviews. What phrases do  they repeat? That might be your tagline hiding in
92. 9:30plain sight. Or in your AI chat, type based on  my brand mission, values, and audience. Write
93. 9:37five tagline options that are short, emotionally  resonant, and easy to remember. It's pretty cool,
94. 9:43right? By the way, if you are finding this video  helpful so far, give it a like. It really helps
95. 9:48more small business owners find it. So, now your  brand sounds like you. Let's make sure it looks
96. 9:53like you, too. Because if your audience hears  one thing and sees another, that is a recipe
97. 9:59for confusion, not connection. Now in section  three, we are building your visual identity,
98. 10:05your logo, colors, and fonts that tell your  story before you say a single word. [Music] Your
99. 10:16brand should look the same wherever people find  you, whether it's on Instagram, your website,
100. 10:21or a pitch deck. That consistency builds trust,  and it starts with setting a few key visual rules.
101. 10:29This is about more than just aesthetics. It's  about recognition, professionalism, and creating
102. 10:34a visual vibe that matches your values. You  don't need a design degree. You just need to
103. 10:40know what your brand needs to look like and what  tools to use to make it happen. In this section,
104. 10:44we're filling out the brand style guide template,  aka your brand guidelines, that comes with
105. 10:50HubSpot's free toolkit. You can keep it simple  or go deep. I'll walk you through the essentials
106. 10:55first. And if you want more help throughout this  section, Hostbot has a great brand kit generator
107. 11:00that I will link in the description to help you  out. Step one is to design a logo. Your logo is
108. 11:08usually the first visual that people associate  with your brand. It doesn't have to be fancy, but
109. 11:13it does need to be legible, scalable, and aligned  with your brand personality. For this step,
110. 11:18you can use an AI powered logo maker like Look,  or simply head into Canva. Type your brand name
111. 11:25and browse font options and layouts that reflect  your voice and vibe. You'll want to choose one
112. 11:29logo style for everyday use, like this, and one  simplified version for tight spaces, like this. In
113. 11:36your AI chat, you can also ask, "Can you suggest  some logo styles or font directions that would
114. 11:42match our vibe and create image mock-ups?" You can  then send this info to a logo designer. You can
115. 11:48easily find freelancers that do this for a pretty  reasonable price on a website like Fiverr. Step
116. 11:55two is to choose a color palette. Color psychology  is real. Your palette should reflect how you want
117. 12:01people to feel when they interact with you. Use  tools like colors.co, Chroma, or Canvas color
118. 12:07palette combinations to play with combos. Choose  two to three colors and one to two accents. Save
119. 12:13the hex codes in your style guide and write down  why you chose each one. For example, Coca-Cola
120. 12:19owns its red. It evokes passion, excitement, and  energy, all aligned with their brand's values.
121. 12:26In your AI chat, ask, "Can you suggest three to  five color palettes with hex codes that would work
122. 12:32well together and support my brand's vibe?" Step  three is to select brand fonts. Fonts have a tone.
123. 12:40A bubbly script feels different than sleek, simple  typography. You want one headline font that pops
124. 12:45and one body font that's easy to read. Use Google  Fonts, Font Pair, or Font Joy to explore different
125. 12:52font pairings. You'll want to pick one that  works across platforms, social, website,
126. 12:57email. Put the font download links in your style  guide and create guidelines on when to use each.
127. 13:02For help in your AI chat, ask, "Can you suggest  two to three Google font pairings that reflect my
128. 13:08brand personality?" Once you've got the essentials  locked in, you can go deeper with icon style,
129. 13:13photography tone, and layout templates. These are  great if you're building a bigger brand or working
130. 13:18with a design team, but totally optional for now.  Now, that style guide that you just filled out,
131. 13:24that is your brand guidelines in action. It's the  rule book that keeps your team, your freelancers,
132. 13:30and your future self all on the same page. So,  your brand now has a voice and a vibe. Let's
133. 13:35show the world what you're all about with a  launch campaign that actually gets noticed.
134. 13:42[Music] You've got the foundation, you've got the  visuals, now it's time to launch. But that doesn't
135. 13:50mean you need a huge budget. This does not have  to be a paid campaign. You can run this entirely
136. 13:56through organic content and still make a huge  impact. The key is consistency and alignment. You
137. 14:03just need a clear message, a format that you're  comfortable with in a vibe that matches everything
138. 14:09you've built so far. Step one is to set a clear  campaign goal. Ask yourself, what do I want this
139. 14:16campaign to do? This could be raise awareness,  drive sales or signups, build your email list,
140. 14:23or even just to reintroduce your brand identity  to your current followers. For example, your
141. 14:28goal could be get 100 new email subscribers in 2  weeks using an Instagram reel to promote a free
142. 14:34downloadable guide. Step two is to choose a simple  format. Pick a format that you already use or want
143. 14:42to test, like a short form video, a carousel  post, an email newsletter, or a launch landing
144. 14:48page. Stick to one format and then repurpose  it across two to three channels. For example,
145. 14:53one real concept can become a LinkedIn post and an  email newsletter. You don't need to reinvent the
146. 14:59wheel for every platform. Just drop your script  or your concept into ChatgBT and say, "Repurpose
147. 15:04this content into three other formats for my  other social media channels. Step three is to
148. 15:11lock in your messaging and visuals. For this, pull  directly from your brand foundation. Use your new
149. 15:18tagline or unique value proposition in your hook.  Reflect your brand values in your copy and apply
150. 15:24your logo colors and fonts to the visual content.  For example, a productbased brand might run a
151. 15:30meet our mission carousel showing slide one your  tagline, slide two, your values, slide three, the
152. 15:37product you created because of that mission, and  slide four, a clear call to action. Step four is
153. 15:44to use AI tools to speed this up. You do not have  to do this all from scratch. Here are some tools
154. 15:50that help. Canva Magic Write can help you build  visuals and write captions in the same place.
155. 15:56Opus Clip will turn long- form video into multiple  short form clips. HubSpot social media scheduler
156. 16:02can help you schedule your posts across platforms  and create captions with AI. Chat GBT or Google
157. 16:09Gemini can help draft captions, calls to action,  hooks, and campaign outlines. Try this prompt in
158. 16:15your chat. Can you help me write three organic  social media launch posts that introduce my brand,
159. 16:20explain our mission, and drive engagement? include  platform specific hooks, call to action ideas, and
160. 16:26visual suggestions. But the real magic of branding  isn't just the launch. It's staying consistent
161. 16:33long after the campaign ends. Let's talk about  how to make that happen without burning out.
162. 16:39[Music] Most brands don't fall apart because  they're small. They fall apart because they
163. 16:46grow and forget what made them great in the  first place. Consistency is what turns a cool
164. 16:52vibe into a real brand. It's not about posting  more. It's about making sure that every post,
165. 16:58email, and touch point still feels like you. This  section is all about creating systems that help
166. 17:04your brand stay recognizable and trustworthy  as your team grows, your content increases,
167. 17:09or your schedule gets a little chaotic. Step one  is to treat your style guide like a brand bible.
168. 17:17You already built this in the earlier sections.  Now make it easy to use. Store it in a shared
169. 17:23Google Drive or Notion document. Link it in  your socialer or team onboarding flow. Update
170. 17:28it quarterly with any new visuals, messaging, or  examples. And encourage your team or future team
171. 17:35to always check the guide before publishing. Step  two is to build repeatable templates. Templates
172. 17:43help you scale your content without losing your  identity. Create Canva templates for social posts,
173. 17:49email newsletter layouts, Instagram  reel or YouTube short cover designs,
174. 17:53slide deck branding for pitches or webinars,  and drop them into a brand kit folder that's
175. 17:59easy to duplicate and share. Step three is to save  what works. Create a swipe file in Google Drive
176. 18:07or Notion that includes things like your best  performing posts, brand content that inspires you,
177. 18:14screenshots of messages that felt on brand. This  becomes your go-to when you're stuck or when
178. 18:19you're training someone new. Step four is to pick  a content cadence that you can actually stick to.
179. 18:27Don't aim for daily if weekly is more realistic.  Choose a rhythm like one to two reels per week
180. 18:32and one email every other week and batch ahead.  Use scheduling tools like HubSpot social media
181. 18:38scheduler buffer later or metrical. AI can help  with this too. Type into your favorite chatbot,
182. 18:45I have X hours per week to create content. My  brand is about mission statement and I post
183. 18:52on platforms. Can you help me build a realistic  content schedule that I can stick to, including
184. 18:59batching tips? You don't need to be everywhere.  You just need to be consistent wherever you are.
185. 19:05Brand consistency is how small businesses build  big trust. All right, you've built it, you've
186. 19:10launched it, and now you've got systems to keep  it alive. Let's quickly recap and talk about next
187. 19:16steps. Remember how we recognize the Nike swoosh  and duo the owl in 1 second? That's not magic.
188. 19:23It's consistency. And now you've got the tools  to build that kind of brand recognition, too. We
189. 19:28learned about building a rockolid foundation.  We shaped your messaging and created a visual
190. 19:33identity. We talked about launching your first  campaign using your new brand direction and
191. 19:38how to set up systems to help your brand stay  consistent. That is not just brand identity.
192. 19:44That is brand strategy. The stuff that makes your  brand memorable, repeatable, and scalable. Your
193. 19:50next steps are to download the tools linked below,  the brand identity worksheet, brand style guide
194. 19:56template, and the full how to build a consistent  brand ebook. Then block off 2 to three hours this
195. 20:01week to actually fill it out. You've already done  the thinking in this video, so you're closer than
196. 20:06you think. Make sure to share it with your team,  freelancers, future interns, or even just your
197. 20:11accountability buddy. A brand that lives in your  head doesn't grow. If this video got you inspired,
198. 20:17hit that like button and subscribe to this channel  right here. We drop educational content every
199. 20:22single week to help you grow your brand and stay  ahead of the curve. And hey, if this helped you
200. 20:27plan your next move, check out my target audience  video next to get really granular on who you're
201. 20:33building this brand strategy for. I will link it  below and at the end of this video. Before you go,
202. 20:38comment below and tell me what kind of video you'd  like to see on our channel next. Maybe you'll see
203. 20:43your topic idea pop up here soon. Thanks so much  for hanging out with me. My name is Bridget. Feel
204. 20:48free to connect with me online and I will see you  in the next one. Bye. [Music] [Applause] [Music]