Branding is a practical matter...especially for startups and young companies. Your company’s logo, messages, images, taglines...they all have a specific purpose. They aren’t created just to look and sound good. They are meant to pique the interest of anyone that encounters them, and encourage them to take that next step: buy your product, learn more, read more, contact you, give you their email, tell their friends, and more. So...is your branding getting the job done?

1. WORKSHOP

2. INTRODUCTION
ROBERT WALLACE
Executive Vice President, Marketing
Tallwave LLC
Marketer, entrepreneur and problem
solver.
Helps early stage tech startups take
their products to market and stake a
claim to a winning position in the
marketplace.
In a previous life:
● Affinnova
● Internet Venture Works
● Airwalk
robert.wallace@tallwave.com
WWW.TALLWAVE.COM/MARKETING INFO@TALLWAVE.COM

3. Agenda
• Why branding is practical to a startup
• How to be practical in developing
your branding and marketing
• Tools to be practical in implementing
your branding and marketing

4. Why the oranges?
An orange…is an orange…is an orange. Unless, of course, that orange happens
to be a Sunkist, a name eighty percent of consumers know and trust.”
– Russel L. Hanlin, CEO, Sunkist Growers

5. Your brand is your most important asset.
• Links your product/service to your customers and tells them what
you promise and what you stand for.
• More important than ever - technology shifts power from businesses
to individuals.
• Winning brands clearly identify, communicate and deliver on their
unique point of differentiation and brand promise.
• Revenue hinges on whether your customers recognize that you
stand for something.
• Investment hinges on whether investors think you can win the
hearts and minds of a differentiated position in the marketplace.

6. Identify, leverage and profit from what makes your
company unique.
Company X is the leading type of company that
provides unique benefit to target customers.
Unlike competitors, company does unique
differentiator(s).
Customers:
What do you do?
Investors:
What do you do, what
market are you in?
Customers:
Why should I care?
Why should I switch?
Investors:
How are you going to win?
Customers:
What’s in it for me?
Investor:
What problem are you
solving?
Customers:
Is this product for me?
Investors:
Who are your customers?
Customers:
This need is already being met.
Is there a better alternative for me?
Investors:
Who else does this?
What do customers do currently for
this need?

7. Slow down to move faster
CORE BRAND MESSAGING ELEMENTS
Brand Story / Core
Brand Elements
What’s the DNA of your company? Why does it exist? Why should
someone (customers, investors, employees) care about your
mission?
Positioning Statement What you do, where you play, why you’re unique, what makes you
different
Tagline A creative articulation of your Positioning Statement.
Value Proposition What value do you provide, to what target customers.
Benefits What specific pains/problems does your product/service solve?
Reasons to Believe Why should someone believe you can provide the benefit you
claim?
What does your product/service do in order to solve those
pains/problems. (aka Features)
Proof What proof do you have that your Reasons to Believe delivered the
benefits you claim?

8. Slow down to move faster
Brand Story Positioning Statement Tagline Value Prop Benefits RTB Proof

9. Limited Time & Limited Resources
GET FEEDBACK.

10. Tools & Methods
Tools and methods to figure out what’s working and what isn’t
TOOLS YOU CAN USE

11. Tools You Can Use
Landing Pages
● Unbounce
● Launchrock
● Lander
Surveys & Feedback
● Survey Monkey
● Google Forms
● Wufoo
● Clue App
A/B Testing
● A/B Tasty
● Optimizely

12. Tools You Can Use
Content Monitoring & Idea Generation
● Feedly
● Mention
Social Sharing
● HootSuite
● SproutSocial
● Tweepi
Naming & URL Research
● Namium
● Namechk
● InstantDomainSearch
Email / Lifecycle / Inbound
● Mailchimp
● Hubspot
Launching / PR
● Startuplister
● Pressroom.io
● Pr.co

13. SO...IS YOUR BRANDING
GETTING THE JOB DONE?

14. AN INTENSIVE 2-WEEK BRANDING + MESSAGING SPRINT
Articulate a compelling story around your unique value
Stake claim to a differentiated position in the market
Reduce confusion with your target stakeholders
Package your company for sales and fundraising
TALLWAVE.COM/MARKETING INFO@TALLWAVE.COM

15. QUESTIONS?
WWW.TALLWAVE.COM/MARKETING
ROBERT.WALLACE@TALLWAVE.COM