BRAND PLANS

The foundation of strong brands.

I bring a collaborative approach to research based brand management. As a third party working with your team, I offer objective and unbiased clarity into why people seek your brand, the value your brand brings to their lives, what aspects of your brand are most recognized, why and when people recommend you to others, and much more. Let’s work together to strengthen your brand equity and ensure that your business grows.

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BRAND COURSE

Brand planning for small business owners.

Join me in an adventure of brand discovery. In this “do it with you” style course, I will give you the guidance and resources you need to research and define your own brand plan. You’ll find new and exciting insights into your company, customers, and competition that will help you plan and execute marketing moves for the year ahead. Building a brand is an adventure. Let’s make it a fun one!

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Brand Plans

When was your last wholistic brand audit?

A strong brand has significant potential to be a business’s most valuable commercial assets, yet many fail to invest the time and resources to truly understand what makes their brand valuable and distinct in the minds of the consumer. Let’s change that trend with a robust diagnosis of your brand and the formation of a strategy that will strength your brand equity and help you grow.

  • For those who understand the value of an outside perspective when addressing growth challenges.

    In your business, you are deep in it every day. Your teams are pinned to their tasks as they drive to meet deadlines and hit goals. It’s hard to see the world with fresh eyes when you are at full speed. I offer research, perspective, and suggestions to strengthen brand equity as you address growth head on.

  • Brand planning is an adventure and every path is unique. In an initial discovery call we will take the time address your ambitions, the challenges you perceive, and understand your specific needs in order to suggest a plan to move forward.

    That said, there are 2 core phases in my brand plan building process with an optional phase 3.

    1) Diagnosis / Discovery

    • Kickoff meeting and process overview.

    • Brand origins - location, heritage and founder’s story.

    • Relevant company background, aspirations and perceive challenges. Review of previous strategies, tactics and the works of past brand managers. Leadership and key employee interview.

    • Customer interviews, perceived segments, focus groups.

    • Brand survey to test preliminary key associations.

    2) Crafting the strategy. Depending on your needs this may include defining:

    • Brand DNA

    • Targeting

    • Positioning

    • Financial year objective(s)

    • Brand codes palette

    • Brand architecture

    3) *OPTIONAL: Assistance finding, briefing, and managing creative agency partners.

  • All brand plans are custom. Depending on the agreed scope of work for your project, deliverables may include:

    • Strategy document with mass market and/or segment target(s), positioning, objectives, key brand codes, brand architecture.

    • Supporting documents gathered during project research.

    • Map of the market and defined segmentations.

    • Custom Sales funnel with supporting quantitative data.

    • Sales funnel drivers/reducers sliced by market segments.

    • Defined brand palette with strength scores for individual brand codes/identity.

    • Key brand associations & strength scores relative to your competitor set.

  • All brand plans are custom. Pricing is based upon scope of work. Please schedule a 30min discovery call to discuss.

CONTACT

”As small business owners it is hard to define the line between our brand and ourselves. David has helped us understand our brand in the eyes of our customers, allowing us to focus our messaging on what is both genuine and resonant.”
- Bree Breckel & Eric Weninger
Co-founders of Embark Maple Energy

”Working with David was unlike any brand experience I've participated in before. The depth, time, insight and wise perspective that was brought to our work shone through in every meeting and presentation. I finally felt that my work was seen and understood in a way that I was not able to do. The result was a very comprehensive brand road map that will serve my business well now and long into the future.“
- Nancy Sheed, Owner, Sheed Communications

Brand Course

Brand management fundamentals course designed specifically for small business owners.

As a business owner, do you get that stressful “what I’m doing?” self talk nagging at you? Do you struggle to communicate what you do and why it matters to employees, customers, and collaborators? Do you “want a brand” but are not sure what this mean, entails, or how to get there?

I’m on a mission to help business owner’s like you build the brand you envision. I designed this course to let you flex your self-starter strengths and journey into brand confidence.

  • For the motivated small business owner who wants to leverage the value of a cohesive brand.

    I have experienced many brand strategy courses and here’s what I’ve found:

    • Your brand is not cookie cutter. Online DIY templates, frameworks, and resources result in cookie cutter brands.

    • DIY with no guide is stressful and confusing in the short-term and the more expense and time consuming option in the long-term.

    • YouTube promises yet rarely delivers clarity and actionable results. Especially in business. YouTube videos are intentionally designed to be a less than complete story to keep you wanting more.

    • Pre-recorded courses are immediately outdated and never satisfy. This is why there is a massive quantity of post-course resources on private blogs, youtube, social, etc. I answer questions in the moment so you can learn and apply immediately.

    This brand strategy fundamentals course keeps you in the drivers seat of your brand and puts an experienced co-pilot at your side.

    • Guidance with action steps starting day 1!

    • Structure and accountability

    • Lower stress.

    • Lower cost.

    • High value guides, templates, & documents.

    • Proven strategy process to grow with.

  • Meetings are conducted virtually.

    STEP 1) Hit that “Reserve A Seat” button and schedule time for a 20min call so you can feel assured that this is the best option for you and your business.

    STEP 2) Scheduled hour long weekly sessions (or at an interval that feels comfortable and meets your needs).

    In each session, we’ll review progress on an assigned task, address hurdles and any new needs that arise, and finally you’ll receive a new assignment for the week.

    Assignments are spaced out to reduce stress and to force reflection at each step of the process.

    STEP 3) At the end of our time together you’ll have new found brand confidence, a powerful brand plan, and the knowledge you need to shape your brand as you grow.

  • This “done-with-you” brand strategy fundamentals course for small businesses is semi-customized to meet your needs yet still puts you in charge of the progress and pace for $3,500.
    (Or, if you prefer, my “done-for-you” Brand Strategy options start at $10,000.)

    GROUP RATE?
    Yes, for groups of 4 business. If interested please schedule a call to discuss.

RESERVE A SEAT

“David’s branding class was incredibly well-organized and full of practical insights that were perfect for my small business. David was approachable, knowledgeable, and made complex topics easy to understand. I walked away with clear strategies I could implement right away.”
- Lena Johnson, Roundtable Therapy & Consulting


”David is insightful, creative, knowledgeable, and motivating! Bring your curiosity and passion and he'll take care of the rest! “
- Miriam Skrade, Upper Iowa University, ExCEL Program


”This course was like caffeine for my creative brain—energizing, insightful, and the motivation I needed to spend time ON the business and not just IN the business. I walked away inspired and reminded that Brand strategy is so much more than fonts, colors and logos. I would 10/10 take this course over (and over) again.”
- Brittany Todd, Mill Street Mocha