The Brand Workbook & Why It’s Such a Big Deal

The biggest tell of whether or not a project will be smooth and successful is the brand workbook.

We kick off every project with a bunch of questions about you, your business, your customers, and how you interact with them. Not only does this give us the basics like what you do or sell and how you do it, it gives me a look into your psyche. 

Why is this so important? 

Branding is emotional at its core. It’s different from a business or operations plan because it frequently requires a decision that straddles logic and emotion. Think about it: let’s say you’re a photographer who specializes in taking pictures of pets. You’re not the only person who does this! You may not even be the only person in your city. You may even shoot in a way that is similar (not exact) to another photographer in your city. This happens in every market, it’s the way of the world. So functionally, you may not be hugely different than anyone else. 

So how do you lead the right clients (the ones you really want) to a decision to book with you? It all goes back to connection. We’re people people! We naturally crave connection, belonging, and emotional response. Even from businesses. And branding is all about building the connection between client and company in an emotional way. If this sounds icky to you, go read about my take on authentic branding. 

What does this have to do with my branding project, you may be asking?

Because when I sit down to work on a design or strategy, I’m pulling all of my resources: knowledge on a target market, motivations, copywriting, design, industry research, etc. But frankly, none of that means shit if I don’t know the most important pieces of you and your business. If I can’t authentically tailor it to fit your needs, your business, your goals, and your vision, then it’s just some shapes on a screen.

There’s a certain floaty magic that comes along with a project where my clients are fully bought in to the benefit of branding. I can tell after reading the first few pages of a brand workbook.

For some, the workbook can be confronting. I’ve been told multiple times it feels like a therapy session for your business and that, my friend, is intentional. I crafted it not only to find out everything I need to know but also so you can find out everything you need to know. 

Feeling intimidated? Don’t! You have all the answers already. You just need to get them out of your head.  

Here are some of my tips for getting the most into your brand workbook and the most out of your branding project:

1. Don’t skip a question unless you absolutely must.
   Of course if a question doesn’t apply to you in any way, skip it! But when I get a brand workbook back with 50% of the questions skipped, I can’t wave a red flag fast enough. I’ll ask you to fill out more of it but know the success of the project is dependent on your commitment as well as ours. 

2. Take it slow, but don’t overthink.
   It’s a pretty hefty workbook so I wouldn’t expect to complete it in an hour. Set aside an afternoon so you can focus on your answers. On the flipside, don’t worry about your grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, or how you think it’ll sound to me. Some of the best workbooks I’ve received are chaos; it gives me an accurate look into your brain! Embrace it. 

3. Aim for authenticity.
   Don’t worry about what you “think” an answer of a successful business should be. Focus on truth, as in what’s true for you. Only you know this.

4. If writing it all out feels daunting, say it.
   That tiny computer in your pocket? I guarantee you it has voice-to-text capabilities. It’s a great tool to get all the thoughts quickly out of your head and then you can edit and refine if you need. 

5. Ask me for help!
   Y’all, I wrote the questions and I’m here to help, if you need it. I want you to be successful and the brand workbook is a great first step in the right direction.

This workbook is one of my favorite parts of the whole experience. It’s an honor to learn and know you and your business and I can’t wait to dive in! 

If you’re not ready to start your branding project and want to jump ahead to the workbook without even talking to me, you can purchase it for $100 (and then you’ll get $100 off your branding project, if you decide to move forward). Good deal, yeah?

Check out some of our favorite answers from past workbooks below!