The VISION. The VISUAL. And The VISCERAL

I’ve had some great questions pop by my inbox following last weeks video — if you’ve not seen that one yet, I basically call bullshit on the term Brand Strategist while also using that term to describe myself!

Confused?! Me too!

So am I a Brand Strategist? Do I hate all brand strategists… Am I trying to put myself out of work and cause a riot among the branding world!!

And Deeeeeeee…. what even is a brand strategist!!! And why do you find that word so hard to say!!!

Video not showing? Watch it over on YouTube >

So hey, Im Dee Woodward — and I like to make up titles for myself because committing to a title is something I can’t seem to bring myself to do! I’m a disobedient little shit when it comes to most things — I can rarely stick to my own rules let alone anyone else’s! But that little disobedient fire in me is exactly the fuel I need to help you design your unforgettable brand! So sometimes you’ll hear me call myself a brand strategist, mostly a brand designer and always a cheerleader for YOU being more you in your business!

So back to these Qs from last weeks video…

Dee — where do you sit on the whole brand strategist spectrum?

that’s where the 3 Vs come in.

Branding at its core is communicating who you are, what you stand for, what you offer, in a way that connects with your tribe of perfect customers.

So your brand is your message

Your brand is communication

Your brand is the verbal, the visual and the visceral

When these things all work together that’s what creates your unforgettable brand

And that’s where I sit. On the 3 Vs and how they all work together to create your brand. Call it strategy, call it mentorship, heck call it coaching if you like.

It doesn’t really matter much what you call it, the results are the same, an unforgettable brand for your business.

Now if you want to get ‘technical’ my official background is in graphic design — that’s what it says on my degree anyway! if you caught my Instagram stories this week you’ll have spotted snippets from my dissertation, university Dee kick-started some excellent ideas!

So I come to this brand world with years on years of design theory & practice.

This fascination with the psychology of design that sparked in university Dee followed me into the commercial world and when I started my business…. which is 10 years old this coming year!

My love for the psychology behind the design in marketing became an obsession and that’s where my passion for all things visceral comes in

And then we’ve got the verbal and while I’ve said it so many times that I’m not a copywriter I keep getting comments on how well my writing connects… and that my lovelies is because what I do know about the verbal is how to use language for your brand.

How to write in YOUR brand style. Basically How to get comfortable showing up as you, using that voice of yours that no one can copy!

So that’s me.

Your jack of the 3 Vs… master of the brand!! ;)

But the Q that popped up which I loved the most, was…

I loved this question most, Because it was sent in all caps and I could feel the shouting confusion of what is this new thing I need to know about now!!

Because new things pop up to slay you at every corner when you’re building your brand online.

So I want to make this simple and nip any ‘brand goals — must fall into that hole right now’ feels and clear things up a little.

The goal of your brand is simple:

What you want to be known for?

• Are you building a personal brand or a business brand?
• What does your ‘perfect’ business look like?
• What products & services are you selling?
• How do you want people to feel about your business?
• Where do you want to be seen and how?

It’s that vision you have for your business in 3, 5, 30 years…

It’s that picture-perfect business you have when you let your mind fall into the future… ok, so nothing is perfect but let’s play the perfect game here, in a perfect world what would your business look like?

Say it with me here…

My perfect business exists to help [describe your perfect customers]

Achieve [the big thing you help people with]

By [how you deliver these results]

And this is important to me because [why this really matters to you]

It’s the 3 Vs…

The VISION — what’s your big vision, your values, where do you see you business now, 3 years, 30 years?!

The VISIBLE / your VISUALs — how do you want to be seen

The VISCERAL — how you want people to feel — that deep gut feeling you want to bubble up inside your tribe of perfect customers

These 3 things will help you make all the decisions in your brand. Your strategy comes out of knowing these 3 things but it all starts with your VISION.

If your VISION is a digital product-based business accessible to start-ups then your VISUALS need to be designed to communicate this & the VISCERAL feeling you create through your brand will be to inspire start-ups to take action with you.
If your VISION is a physical store based business created for the affluent buyer of luxury yet quirky soaps!, then your VISUALS need to be designed to communicate this vision to your perfect customers & the VISCERAL feeling will be one designed to inspire those perfect customers to take action with you.

Your business vision dictates every decision you make in your brand.

Confused about what the vision for your business is? I can bet your brand visuals are confusing your customers!

Download the 90-day brand planner I’ve created for you, answer a few simple Qs designed to get clarity on how you are showing up in your brand

…and keep your eyes out for a special brand planning party I’m hosting soon that’ll help you get clarity on your 3 Vs ready to launch your own brand of unforgettable on the world.

Originally published at https://bydeesign.co.uk on September 3, 2019.