Conferences are back; startups are participating and spending big bucks to gain recognition and try to snag their next customer and investor.
But recently, we found ourselves in trouble at a conference helping a beloved customer. Picture this: a curious visitor approaches our booth and asks, “So, what does your company do? What’s the master plan?” What followed were as many answers as there were people on the ground.
The CEO gave one answer, the VP BD gave another, the engineer yet another – and so on. That day at the booth, we had a cacophony of opinions that ruined some crucial first impressions (which is a real shame when you consider how much the company invested in the event).
Things can go wrong unless the team on the ground synchronizes their messaging and direction (which are synchronized with their collateral and website).
That’s why every startup needs a brand frame. It’s easy to create, doesn’t need to cost a lot, and is vital for your startup.
What is a Brand Frame?
It’s a document that contains the following:
- Your target customers according to geography, company type, size, and other distinguishing attributes, as well as your buying personas within the company (including both your champion and those signing the check) and their challenges (very important!)
- One-liner and paragraph (i.e., the elevator pitch), unique selling proposition, vision and mission statements, positioning, messaging, and values – all geared towards solving the abovementioned challenges.
- It’s advisable to add the road plan and any other Go-to-Market elements you created in order to make this a complete DNA doc for your company, so when a new employee reads it, they know exactly what the company does, the problem it solves, for who, and how to go about it.
Is this for startups?
Yes. A brand frame is even more important for startups than big companies because losing a customer or investor hurts that much more.
Is it simple to create?
Yes. Anyone can generate a brand frame. Start by following the simple instructions we laid out in this post series).
When Should I create a brand frame?
When you hire your second employee. This way, both of you are aligned in presenting the company to the world and are sure to speak the same language (entrepreneurs often think their new hire got the jive, but they’re wrong. Writing a brand frame is the only way to ensure everyone relays the same message).
The brand frame is your building block for all marketing tools and materials – from social media to websites to use cases – guiding the marketing professionals working alongside you, saving them from ambiguity and you from the need to explain it over and over again.
Do you need to change the brand frame?
Yes. Your brand frame is your DNA. If your offering, market segment, business focus, etc., change – so should your brand frame. This way, everything and everyone at the company is aligned with your new direction. In fact, the more often you change course, the more important a brand frame is to your company, helping everyone keep up with new developments.
Changing your brand frame often is a good reason to go it alone or take a consultant – like us – to help you tweak it instead of paying expensive agencies big bucks for a one-time deal and not touching it afterward.
Note that a brand frame should be separate from a branding project (that expensive endeavor to develop your visual language and build your website and marketing templates). The best case scenario is to have your brand frame ready before going into a branding project. The outcome will be much better.
So start building your brand frame today. Get your CEO, VP BD, CTO, and CMO together and bump heads. If you need some free pointers, don’t hesitate to contact us.