The Ultimate Brand Formula with Melissa Packham

What do you think of when you hear the word “branding”?  You probably think about logos and colours but branding is so much more than your organisations visual identity. 

In todays show I talk to Melissa Packham from A Brand Is Not A Logo. Mel takes us beyond the logo to the 5 core foundations your business needs to stand out from the pack.

She also shares the 3 elements to any good strategy that will help you make better business decisions, set goals and knock them out of the park!

WANT TO CONNECT WITH MELISSA? Website: https://abrandisnotalogo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abrandisnotalogo/

WANT TO CONNECT WITH ME? Website: www.thedigitalapprenticeship.com.au Instagram: www.instagram.com/thedigitalapprenticeship

WANT MORE? Download my free ebook, The Digital Marketing Cheat Sheet for tradies here http://www.thedigitalapprenticeship.com.au/ebook

SHOW NOTES (including a blog post of this episode and all links and resources) can be found here https://www.thedigitalapprenticeship.com.au/14

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Transcript

Stephanie Trinder:

Hi, Mel! For the listeners who don't already know who you are, could you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your business?

Melissa Packham:

Hey! Yeah, sure. So, I'm Melissa Packham. I'm a brand and marketing strategist, and my business is A Brand is Not a Logo because I help people figure out all the stuff that isn't their visual identity, and all of that stuff comes before the design happens. So, things like getting clarity about their brand personality, and who they are, and what they stand for, their unique benefits, and then how to go to market to leverage all of that. So, that's my business. I've been in marketing for just over 16 years now. And my background is in marketing for big consumer brands like Campbell's, and Arnott's, and Ice Break, and OAK. So, food and beverages is my background but now I help all sorts of businesses figure out their strategy.

Stephanie Trinder:

I love that. It's the foundation before the communication of your business too. So, before you start diving into your digital marketing strategy and sharing your brand's message on your digital marketing platforms, like your social media pages, your website, it's really important to have that brand message to begin with-

Melissa Packham:

Yeah, absolutely.

Stephanie Trinder:

... and, yeah, to have that solid foundation so when I work with clients, even though I'm a digital marketer, it's always this foundation work where we start.

Melissa Packham:

Yeah. I start right at that beginning. So, typically, people come to me after they've been established in business for a couple of years because they're finding that things like the execution of their message and their marketing efforts aren't really working, or they don't really feel like they know what they stand for anymore or what their brand personality is. So, usually you need a couple of years under your belt before you kind of get to that point because it's not utopia and we're all so excited to start our businesses and start building our brands. So, yeah, that's where I start. It's about getting all those foundations right. So, yeah, we sing from the same song sheet, Steph, because I know that you talk about this stuff a lot with your audience. It's so great to hear because everyone wants to jump in, and create the website, and build the Instagram following, and build the logo, and it kind of doesn't happen without those foundations in place. So, that's what I help businesses figure out.

Stephanie Trinder:

I love that. And if you're listening to this and you're doing all of the things, you're following all of the tactics, and you're doing the best practice for each of the social media channels and you're just not getting anywhere, chances are you need to think about the things that we're going to be talking about in today's episode so you can utilize those channels to their capacity. Mel, for the listeners who do feel a little bit stuck or who wants to take a closer look at their brand foundations, what do you suggest they do?

Melissa Packham:

Well, so I break down strategy into three components and that's not just me. That's based on big strategy theory and it kind of works for any strategy that you're doing. It kind of makes sense when you break it down but it's three components for a good strategy. First of all, you have to understand what is going on around you so that you understand the levers that you need to pull in order to have an impact. The second part is you have to create a framework or I call it the brand framework. So, you have to create the parameters, be very clear about what your brand stands for, and then what your message is. And then the third component is you have to make a plan because a strategy isn't a plan and a plan isn't a strategy. It needs to be part of that. So, it's actually setting those objectives, being very clear about what it is that you're going to do and putting it out there, and then thinking like a scientist and experimenting and seeing what's working, and revise and optimize from there. So, it's those three components.

Stephanie Trinder:

Crossing your fingers and hoping for the best isn't a strategy either.

Melissa Packham:

That's right. The spaghetti at the wall thing doesn't work and it just drives you crazy. Right? So, having all of this stuff in place isn't about being rigid and not being able to flex and move where you need to where things change. It's actually just about having an approach and knowing what steps you'll take when you need to take them. So, a lot of people get scared by the word strategy because they think, "Ah, I'm going to be locked into this and I won't be able to change." But, actually, it makes decision-making so much easier so that you are able to adapt to your environment when you need to.

Melissa Packham:

And I think 2020 is such a good example of a year that went well out of everyone's expectations and has made us all have to adjust and kind of rethink things. And I think it's giving us all an appreciation that we don't really know what's coming but we can certainly prepare ourselves for whatever may eventuate because we can look at the past, and we can look at what's happening now, and see trends, and understand what behaviors might happen as a result of that, and what economic factors are going to play a role and potentially impact our businesses, and the way our clients and customers buy from us. So, yeah.

Stephanie Trinder:

For sure. Can you give us an example, Mel, of how a strategy can help when things go astray, like COVID, for example?

Melissa Packham:

Yeah, yeah. If only we all had the COVID strategy in place. But I think if you're a business owner who has their finger on the pulse as to what's going on in the world, I mean, no one could have predicted global pandemic, economic shutdown. I think that's pretty extreme. But certainly, we can prepare for things like recessions because they've happened before. And we know the conditions for recessions because governments make policy changes and consumer confidence and business confidence fluctuates, and all that kind of thing. So, you can kind of have all of these situations, not mapped out to the nth degree and certainly not planned for global pandemics but you can plan for different occasions and kind of go, "If this happens, then this is what I will do." I think it's like risk mitigation. Right? So, just as you would prepare a safety plan, what the risks are, outlining what your plan of action is if certain risks come into play, what do you need to do to avoid injury, it's the same idea. It's just protecting your business instead of your people. So, it's just kind of looking at it that way.

Stephanie Trinder:

I think it's never a bad idea to have a backup plan, obviously, but having a flexible strategy can also be as simple as making sure you're regularly checking in and reviewing your strategy so that you can identify threats before they happened and also seize opportunities as they arise. So, by reviewing that what you're doing is actually working or not, you will then have the opportunity to change and improve and pivot as you need to, and that will keep you flexible and make your strategy flexible. Mel, I have taken you off on a tangent, but what I would really love to hear more about is your three-step process. So, can you talk us through that in more detail?

Melissa Packham:

Yeah, absolutely. So, in phase one, so when you're understanding the environment that is around you, it's all about getting context. So, you think about all the things that are external to your business. So, things like the economy, and political environment, and what social trends and consumer trends and market trends are happening. There's hints everywhere. So, it doesn't matter what business you're in, there are clues in each of those kinds of external areas that will definitely play a role in having an impact on your business.

Melissa Packham:

So, you sort of think about that broader external environment and you do a SWOT analysis. And so that's a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis. And it's an old school strategic tool that's been used for billions of years. People argue that it's a bit of a dated tool but, actually, I really love it because it's so simple and anyone can write down what their own strengths and weaknesses are as a business, as a brand, and then having knowledge about what's happening outside your business, you can understand what opportunities might present themselves, and similarly, what threats might present themselves that will have an impact. So, putting it on paper in a really simple format can just help you get really clear about, well, if this situation occurs, then I'm going to make these decisions about my brand and where to take my business, or how to optimize my offering and service so that we can play on.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yeah. And with the SWOT analysis, it is one of those tried and tested methods. What other layers that people would look at when looking at their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats because, obviously, there are so many elements to operating a business, what are the main layers of business would people look at when making those judgments or making that analysis?

Melissa Packham:

Yeah. So, I look at it like using the marketing mix. So, figure out what are your strengths, and weaknesses, opportunities, threats from a service level, your product or service. Look at it from your promotion level, how your marketing efforts. Think about it from your pricing perspective, and then place, as in where you operate and how you deliver your product or service. So, it might sound really basic but, actually, it's very helpful to break it down into those kinds of components so that you've got all those elements of your business covered and you kind of are ticking the boxes in everything. It kind of then also gives you an appreciation for how all of these things are connected and they all work together. So, yeah, that's how I recommend clients do that step is that to take it that next level and think about it from those additional layers.

Stephanie Trinder:

I think overlaying the SWOT analysis with your marketing mix can be an extremely useful exercise, and I encourage anyone listening to do it for themselves and for their business. So, if you would like access to Melissa's workbook on the SWOT analysis process, I will link to that in today's show notes. And you can grab that from thedigitalapprenticeship.com.au/14.

Melissa Packham:

Yeah, absolutely. So, when you get to the end of that, it's not just something that you file in the corner of your hard drive or throw away. It's certainly something to kind of get a picture of so where you're at now in terms of your situation and gives you context for, well, this is not an ideal current situation, this is where I want to be, so what are the steps that I would need to take in order to get to that ideal position. So, if you need to grow your audience or you need to grow your revenue or whatever it is, that you can understand, basically, the levers that you need to pull in order to make that those changes happen and help you get to where you want to be.

Melissa Packham:

So, I guess the end result of having done this exercise is to understand your critical success factors or what those key things are that you need to do to make meaningful change in your business. So, and working with what you've got as well because you can turn weaknesses into strengths by doing more training, or skilling up in certain areas, or outsourcing certain things in your business. Just having weaknesses doesn't make it weak. It means you've got opportunity to strengthen. So, yeah.

Stephanie Trinder:

It presents the opportunity to change, and that in itself is a good point. Your SWOT analysis is something that you should keep around and perform... Would you say every six months, Mel, or every 12 months?

Melissa Packham:

I mean, every six months would be the dream. Right? But, yeah, at a minimum every 12 months, for sure. It's a core component of business planning so it will help you make decisions as well. Where do you need to invest? Where do you need to simplify? Where do you need to optimize? This forms the basis of your goals and objectives for the year ahead, or the next six months, or the next quarter, or how often you're doing it. So, it does help you kind of understand are you achieving the things that you set out to achieve. Are you making improvements where you want to and, if not, what could be done in order to get you there?

Stephanie Trinder:

It really is such a powerful and practical exercise. So, I do encourage you guys listening to do a SWOT analysis for yourself and access that through today's show notes if you did want to give it a go. Mel, once we have done the analysis, what is next in your three-step process?

Melissa Packham:

So, this is about creating your brand framework. So, if you think about this as crafting the story that you want to be telling so this is where you do things like defining your brand foundations. And there's five core foundations that are the sort of base level that every brand needs to have. And that's clarity about your brand purpose, what it is that you're here to do, what your values are as a brand, what your beliefs are as a brand, your personality, and how it is that you are going to show up to your audience and go to market, and then your tone of voice, which is how you then execute that. And I know Jess covered some awesome tips on that back in her episode, a few episodes ago.

Melissa Packham:

So, it's very much about being very clear about what it is your brand is, sounds like, and how it connects with your audience because this is the key for not only differentiating yourself in what is likely to be... It's highly competitive in every market now. There's nothing innovative about what many of us are doing anymore. So, brand personality is the key to creating a real, meaningful connection with the people that you're seeking to reach.

Stephanie Trinder:

All you have to do is open up Instagram, and look at your competitors and look at other businesses in your industry to see that they all start to look the same, or at least a majority of them look the same. They're sharing the same content. They're using the same language. And it's the businesses who have a good understanding of their business's personality, their values who stand out amongst the crowd. For example, you'll start to notice businesses who have strong values like community, or fun, or leadership, or family. These values are reflected through the content that they share, and it's what starts to set them apart from the rest of their industry and their competitors.

Melissa Packham:

That's right. That's right. I think you've said it perfectly when you talked about understanding the real benefit that you're offering people, and that sort of gives you a clue as to how you can build your brand in order to deliver to those benefits. So, you said in your awesome freebie, which I downloaded and recommend everyone download, is people aren't looking for a hot water system. They're looking for an awesome hot shower in the middle of cold winter. So, that's the real benefit. People aren't looking for a fence to be built. They're looking for security to keep their fur babies inside. They're not looking for a light to be fitted. They're looking for a mood to be created for hosting dinner parties. Those are the real reasons that people are looking for products and services from others.

Melissa Packham:

So, yeah, when you can kind of go deep and understand that, then you can kind of figure out, well, if that's what I'm delivering, then how can I deliver that in order to stand out. And you're absolutely right. It's so boring and saturated in so many markets but it doesn't have to be because we're all people connecting with people. So, I think if we show a little bit more personality and it doesn't have to be fun, fun all the time. There's tailored ways that you can build a brand that resonates with people and connects with people on an emotional level, as opposed to those functional benefits, which we've all been trained to create our businesses around. So, yeah, yeah. I'm an advocate for throwing that out the window and just sort of focusing more on the emotion.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yeah. I love that. And I think you made a good point there too. You don't have to have the same values or the same personality as another brand. In fact, the less like someone else you are the better. If you're not about having fun and if you don't think you're funny, I don't think I'm funny so humor isn't a huge part of what I do. But that's not to say that someone else could have humor as one of their values. But it's not mine, and that's okay because I need to stay true to myself and, eventually, that's what will differentiate me from other people. So, don't just take on board values that you think people want to see or that works for other people. Be true to yourself and find values that are aligned with you and your business's purpose.

Melissa Packham:

Yeah, absolutely. I think about another example in this space about how a brand has used brand personality to really stand out in an industry that otherwise doesn't have a lot of personality, and that's progressive insurance. So, predominantly in the United States, this brand but they did have a bit of a spiel out in Australia a few years back but effectively insurance. Right? It's so dry. It's boring. People don't like thinking about it. People don't like making changes to their insurance because it's too hard and annoying. And they recognized that. So, instead of being another brand that was talking about safety and security and all the shoulds that people should be doing when it comes to insurance, they recognized that it was boring and annoying, and are now out there saying, "It's okay. We get it. Here's how we make it fun."

Melissa Packham:

And they use humor to communicate, and that's built into their personality and tone of voice. They kind of flip an otherwise boring dry category on its head and connect with their audience because they meet them where they're at, and kind of empathize with them, and know that it's not the most fun thing to do. But they help them do that by making it fun or making it more palatable, certainly.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yeah, that's cool.

Melissa Packham:

I always go back to that example because when you think about I don't think I can have personality in my brand or my business or my category, well, yes, you can.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yeah, of course you can. And whatever values or personality traits your brand adopts, it's not just a point of difference that it gives to you but it also gives you an element of being human too, which is something I discussed in last week's episode. So, if you haven't already listened to that, I recommend that you do. But it's this idea of creating a brand that connects with people on a human level. Your brand is reflecting values and beliefs that the consumer sees in themself, and it creates this connection between you that goes beyond the services that you offer.

Melissa Packham:

Yeah, absolutely 100% agree. It's all about that human connection. And I think even more so now is so important to be at least empathizing with your audience on a human level, if not actually being out there and being a little bit more vulnerable than you otherwise would be. And that's not to say you have to share all your stories. It's about having a relevant story that connects with people because that's what people are looking for.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yeah. And talking to them like humans. I love seeing captions where I feel like I'm being talked to, or I feel like it's a real human behind the brand, and they're using language that connects with me, and they're talking about the benefits in a way that I can understand and connect to and relate to.

Melissa Packham:

Yeah. And no jargon and tech talk because it's like I'm not in that world. I'm not thinking about your brand or category all the time. I don't understand what you're saying. So, this is about understanding where your audience is at. And, again, that comes back to understanding your audience and being really clear about what it is that they want from you in terms of your product or service because that's just critical. That all comes down to serving your people.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yeah. Because the people that you serve, if you're a tradie and you're serving B2B, for example, so you're a business-to-business company, maybe tech talk is your thing but you don't know that unless you understand who your customer is. Mel, where does that fit into the equation?

Melissa Packham:

That's definitely, it kind of bridges the gap between the first phase, so understanding the context so your people and what their actual needs and motivations are, and then a little bit crossing over into part two in then understanding the benefits that they're looking for and what you're uniquely adding to their life, how it is that you are providing services that is different to anyone else, what's your special sauce, basically. And that links back to the benefits that your audience is looking for. It's all connected. Your values lead to your beliefs, lead to your brand personality, lead to the way that you are communicating and marketing with your people. That's why it's so important to get this kind of stuff figured out because the strategy part or the foundational part stays pretty static. Your values and beliefs aren't going to change year to year but they might evolve.

Melissa Packham:

They're unlikely to completely be overhauled unless something's gone really wrong but that stuff doesn't necessarily change. It does act as your compass for how to operate and how to differentiate. But the marketing plan, the way that you tell your story, so if part two was like crafting that story, then part three is how do you tell that story. What is the plan to go to market, to get in front of the people that you want to get in front of? So, that's why it's so important to get that stuff through because that's the thread, the commonality, and the bit that keeps you on task as to where you want to go.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yeah. And I think it also makes the marketing that much easier because you're not scratching your head thinking, "Oh, what the hell do I do? Where do I go? Where do I meet my people? What do I post and talk about?" Once you have the brand formulation, the brand story, it makes the communicating of that story that much easier.

Melissa Packham:

So much easier. That's the other benefit of having this kind of thing in place and having thought through and understand what's going on around you is because it provides a decision-making tool for you to move forward with your business. So, yeah, it does. It just makes it so much easier and all lines up. That's the other thing. It's not the spaghetti at the wall approach or the spray and pray. It's, actually, we know exactly what we're doing in order to move these objectives, and we're going to test that objective, and if it doesn't work, we'll try a different approach. But it's not about rebranding or creating a new logo because that's not what connects with people.

Stephanie Trinder:

Do you have a couple of pointers for the listeners to focus on when creating their own marketing strategy?

Melissa Packham:

Yeah. So, I think number one is having clear objectives in place and use the smart formula for this. I caught myself out recently on this. I was looking back at my own goals and realized how incredibly vague they were. So, that's just a slap on the wrist for me. But it's making sure they're really specific, making sure that they're measurable so that there's actually a metric you can track to see if you're performing. They have to be actionable. They have to be realistic. So, gaining a hundred thousand followers on Instagram overnight is probably not realistic. Just give yourself realistic targets and make them time specific. So, having a clear date that you want to have that thing achieved by. That makes sure that you're accountable to your own objectives and making sure that they're linked back to your overarching business plan.

Melissa Packham:

So, it has to all be connected, otherwise there's no point. There's no point putting energy into Facebook ads and, certainly, money into Facebook ads if your audience is not on Facebook and, in fact, that's not a relevant way to grow your business in the way that you've set out to. So, yeah, it's just making sure it all lines up. But, yeah, certainly, objectives first, and then making sure that you're using the clear... Understanding your people, having those profiles guide you in terms of how you're going to go to market.

Melissa Packham:

So, which channels that you use, what are the core messages, at what stage of the buyer journey is important to talk about different things. So, taking them on a journey from being aware that they have a problem or a need through to they're assessing their options as part of the consideration phase and that's when they're in research mode, right through to making a decision and choosing a partner to go with, and then, finally, having that advocacy. So, having them spread the word for you, getting those testimonials, having them refer people and talking about how good the experience was. So, understanding the different messages through those phases is a key point. And then that kind of hints to you what channels you need to be using, what content formats you need to use, and then how to measure it, how you will measure success along the way.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yeah, and I will just say that setting those smart goals can be challenging for most people. So, if you're listening to this and you're feeling a little bit overwhelmed, my advice to you would be just to do your best and to have something written down because having something to work towards is better than having nothing. And if it's appropriate for where you're at in your business and you can afford to, then reach out to someone who does this for a living like Mel or myself. That's what we're here for. We're here to guide businesses to achieving their goals through their marketing. So, that's always an option too.

Melissa Packham:

Yeah. And a lot of people get great success without having done all of this in the exact order, and doing all the things, and ticking all the boxes. But, I guess the point is this is an opportunity to step into the CEO kind of shoes in your business, and think about your business from a different top-line lens in order that you can trickle all that insight and information down to a really practical, tangible level that then you can test and experiment with different things and make decisions quickly about what's working and what's not working, and where your return on investment is coming from.

Melissa Packham:

I think the decision-making framework that this gives you is the ability to pull the plug on things when things aren't working and not be emotionally attached to it. A lot of small businesses I work with just, they everything into one specific tactic and, in fact, if it doesn't work, then it's all over. But, actually, think about the learnings that you've gotten from it and the benefit that it leads you to another decision but thinking about it from a more strategic perspective. Those are the decisions that you can make then and not be so attached to the end result if it doesn't work. Be experimental.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yes. I love that. And I thank you so much for providing so much value on today's show. But, before you go, I did just want to ask one last question, and that is if you could teach tradies one thing about marketing, what would that be?

Melissa Packham:

I think the thing to remember is that, while marketing and branding is absolutely a discipline, I've built my whole career on it, of course it is, it is something that we are all attuned to because we are all consumers and we are all being exposed to marketing messages every day. So, there's an element of intuition when it comes to brand and marketing that I think can be... It's hard to quantify so it's easily dismissed. But trust your gut when it comes to making decisions around brand and marketing because it's probably right, or at least, it's worth pursuing and testing and seeing if it's right. So, yeah, I would say trust that intuition because it's inbuilt in us as humans living in the 21st century, and it links back to this being a human exercise. Marketing is all about humans connecting with other humans, giving them messages.

Melissa Packham:

If we're breaking it down into its simplest form, it's about sharing of information between people. So, it doesn't have to be technical. And I think it's easy to get caught up because there's so many gurus out there telling us that the way, the one way, the one golden silver bullet... Golden silver bullet, that's a pretty amazing bullet, the one way that it can be and the one formula, and it's just not the case. So, anything that I tell clients and the way I work with people is this is a framework that I work within based on my experience and my knowledge but it has to work for you. You know your audience best. You know your business best. You know your market best. So, it's just about trusting that gut as well, and having that as a layer in your decision-making.

Stephanie Trinder:

Yeah, that rings true to me because a lot of what I have learned has been through experience and just feeling into my gut instinct and what feels right as both a consumer and a marketer. So, I love that answer. And I have just loved having you on the show today. Your experience shines through with everything that you have shared today, and I've been a fan of yours for such a long time. So, today really has been just so wonderful.

For the listeners, if they would like to find you, where can they do that?

Melissa Packham:

Ah thank you. Yeah. So, I have a website, www.abrandisnotalogo.com, and I'm also hanging out a fair bit on Instagram because that's just where I love to be. So, abrandisnotalogo is my handle there.

Stephanie Trinder:

Awesome. Thank you so much again, Mel, for jumping on the show and sharing with us your brand formula, your three-step process. It's been a pleasure.

Melissa Packham:

Oh, thank you, Steph. It was an absolute pleasure to be here. I'm so pumped up. I could talk about this stuff all day.