Presentation on branding and how to connect your brand to your business / marketing plan. Delivered to Women's Enterprise Centre, Peer Mentoring Group. January 19, 2010.

1. HARNESS THE POWER OF YOUR BRAND
Presented to WEC: Peer Mentoring Group
Tuesday January 19, 2010
A BRAND is “the intangible sum of a product's attributes: its name, packaging, and price, its
history, its reputation, and the way it's advertised.”
David Ogilvie
A BRAND is a name used to identify and distinguish a specific product, service or business.
Birkin, Michael (1994). "Assessing Brand Value," in Brand Power.
BRANDING is the entire process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product
(good or service) in the consumers' mind, through advertising campaigns with a consistent
theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that
attracts and retains loyal customers.
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/branding.html
SO WHAT?
Branding your business helps your target audience understand the value that your business
provides and how your product / service is different from your competition.
AN AUTHENTIC BRAND IS DEVELOPED FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
Mission
Vision
Brand Essence
Brand Positioning
Key Messages
Adapted from:
“Brand Messaging Higherarchy”
Neutron LLC
 2010, Betsy Linnell Marketing Management

2. DEFINE YOUR BRAND
PROCESS OVERVIEW:
1. Brand Review
a. Your brand today. What does it stand for? How do your customers perceive
your brand?
b. Product / Services Overview. An honest look at your offering.
c. Competitive Analysis. Who is your competition? What are their strengths and
weaknesses? What are their brand characteristics? (What do they stand for?
/ what sets them apart?) Who are their customers? Who are they targeting?
d. Your target audience. Who are your customers (right now and in the future)?
What motivates them to use your product / service? What are their needs /
wants. What do we know about them?
e. SWOT Analysis. What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats for your product / services.
2. Brand Development Exercise
PURPOSE – Carve out a segment of the market that you can own and set yourself
apart from your competition.
Your Brand Character:
Describe your brand as if it were a person. What are its characteristics,
distinguishing qualities?
Brand Essence
A bare-bones description of what your brand’s core purpose.
Our <INSERT PRODUCT OFFERING> is the only <INSERT PRODUCT OR
SERVICE CATEGORY> that <INSERT BENEFIT>.
Our _________________________________________________________
Is the only____________________________________________________
That_________________________________________________________
 2010, Betsy Linnell Marketing Management

3. Brand Positioning / Unique Selling Proposition:
A statement that describes what you do and how you are unique / different from your
competition.
Your Brand Voice:
Describe the tone and feel of your communication style.
Key Messages:
The critical messages that serve to back up / support your brand. Benefits to target
customers.
 2010, Betsy Linnell Marketing Management

4. PUTTING YOUR BRAND INTO ACTION
Your brand is a valuable marketing tool. It represents all that you stand for, what you do and
what your customers (current and future) think and feel about you. TREAT IT WITH CARE!
Your strategically developed brand becomes the foundation for much of your marketing
efforts. It is your touchstone and should be referenced and reflected in all that you do and
say. Bit by bit overtime, by consistently representing your brand, it will become stronger and
stronger along with your ownership of your company position in the marketplace.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Use of your logo
Consistent use of colour associated with your brand
Font selection
Consistent templates for everything from forms to advertising
Your website / signage / vehicles
The way your business interacts with customers – service promise
The tone and voice of the way you and your staff communicate
Inform your staff of your brand strategy and their part of delivering on your brand experience.
BRANDING AND THE MARKETING PLAN PROCESS
Brand strategy is an integral component of your Marketing Plan. Information collected in
your planning process helps to inform your brand development. You then use your brand
strategically to achieve your business / marketing objectives.
MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2. SITUATION ANALYSIS
2.1. Market Analysis
2.1.1. Market Segments
2.2. Consumer Analysis
2.3. Competitive Analysis
2.3.1. Competition
2.3.2. Technology
2.3.3. Supplier
2.3.4. Economic Climate
2.3.5. Industry Factors
2.4. Products and Services Review
2.5. Past / Current Marketing Initiatives and Results
2.6. SWOT
 2010, Betsy Linnell Marketing Management

5. 2.7. Key Insights and Opportunities
2.8. Strategic Priorities
3. MARKETING STRATEGY
3.1. Mission, Vision, Core Values
3.2. Marketing Objectives
3.3. Financial Objectives
3.4. Target Markets
3.5. Brand Positioning / Key Messages
3.6. Key Strategies
3.6.1. Product
3.6.2. Price
3.6.3. Promotion
3.6.4. Distribution
3.7. Marketing Research
4. MARKETING ACTION PLAN
4.1. Action Plan (Tactics)
4.2. Financials
4.2.1. Sales Forecast
4.2.2. Expense Forecast
5. APPENDIX
5.1. Competitive Research
5.2. Tactical Plan Detail
5.3. Sales Forecast
5.4. Expense Forecast
Betsy Linnell Marketing Management provides flexible, cost-effective marketing solutions
for businesses looking to increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts without the
overhead associated with an in-house marketing department.
www.betsylinnellmarketing.com | 604.894.1177
 2010, Betsy Linnell Marketing Management