Marketing and Branding process can be intimidating to many business owners, especially if it is outside of their comfort zone. Some of us are more comfortable with the visual more creative side of life while others are numerically oriented! I thought I would give you a glimpse at how the entire process works from start to finish.
Windsor Property Management LLC, Lafayette, CA.
I meet with the potential new client to discuss their needs. In some cases, such as with Windsor Management, that discussion was held over the phone. Sometimes the client knows exactly what they want and sometimes they want to rely on my expertise to guide them. After the initial meeting, I spend a significant amount of time developing a proposal which outlines what I believe the client needs in terms of marketing and branding. I information and pricing for a multitude of marketing tools including: Website Design, Social Media Development, Email Marketing, Logo Design, Print Collateral, Signage and more. My prices are presented in an a la carte format that a client might pick and choose what fits their budget. This is the proposal that I presented to Windsor Managment LLC.
The cornerstone of a brand begins with a logo. There are four basic characteristics that define a logo – it should be unique and memorable, adaptable across all mediums, appropriate for the business and timeless. I will submit at least 4 logo designs for you to select from. We will then walk through the creative process until we settle on a final design. I will provide you with raw files as well as various compressed formats, sizes and templates for stationary and email templates.
The logo will be the cornerstone of the corporate branding. As part of the logo design process, I will also select a primary color palette that Windsor Management should work with going forward. These colors will be used in any marketing materials that you create. I will select Pantone colors that and can easily be translated into CMYK, RGB and the web so that they will look the same across varied platforms.
This is the logo that Elizabeth settled on.
She was especially excited about her new favicon which she promptly applied as screen savers to the office computers, coffee mugs and so on!
Style Guide:
A style guide is a document that describes, defines and presents examples of what a brand looks like in various visual media such as print and internet. To be effective it must clearly define the rules around your online presence in all channels such as websites, online ads, blogs, social media channels, stationary, letterhead, email communications (including email signatures) and more. The style guide is often a work in progress that expands with the business.
Windsor Property Management LLC Style Guide
Website
WordPress was originally developed as an open source blogging tool and publishing platform. It is powered by PHP and a MySQL database and offers a content management system (CMS) for users that is particularly attractive. WordPress is free, but priceless! Your new website will have the capability to include all the bells and whistles needed for an interactive user experience and then some. Here are some of the features that will be included:
• The navigation menu with sub-menu dropdown.
• Interactive media capability – photo, videos, PPT presentations etc.
• Mobile responsive adjusting the layout on different browsers for enhanced visibility and navigation.
• Social Media icon links and feeds.
• Blogging capability.
• GOOGLE analytics will be installed for tracking, you will receive a weekly analytics report.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Basic techniques would be used so that Windsor Management will come to the top of pages in organic searches.
• Best of all, you will be able to handle simpler content changes on your own.
While I am not unopposed to working with other themes, I am most comfortable with WordPress themes that are built on the Genesis framework as they have proven to be reliable, sustainable and support friendly. I envision a theme where the home page scrolls vertically using what is called a “Parallax” effect – one of the newest trends on the web. Essentially, this is when content is layered and scrolls at varied speeds, creating a perspective of depth. We can use images of properties and/or the California natural environment for visual impact.
