How to Run the Ultimate Branding Workshop with Branding Exercises
Running a branding workshop is key for any business, and if you haven’t already run one before, then you definitely should.
Remember:
Your brand is a lot more than just your logo.
Essentially it’s how customers think, feel, and act whenever they come into contact with your brand,and it should drive them to take action.
However, achieving this is a different story. It relies on you having:
And these are just some of the things we’re going to cover below in branding exercises to ensure you’ve considered each part of your brand strategy.
But even if you have these things nailed down, you need to make sure that every single person working on your brand does too.
You might think that it’s not as important for your customer service team or technical team to know this as much as it is for your marketing and sales team, but you’re wrong.
That's why we’re providing you with the ultimate branding workshop bundle so that you can run the most effective branding workshop for all participants.
Let’s get started.
What Is a Branding Workshop?
A branding workshop is a collaborative and structured session where individuals or teams come together to define, refine, or strengthen a brand's identity and messaging.
Branding workshops are key for any business of any size as they help teams articulate their brand's core values, mission, vision, personality, and positioning in the market.
Whilst it can be easy to assume you ‘know’ what all of these things are, communicating them to your team, and making sure everyone is aligned can be a different story.
Everyone in your company needs to be on the page otherwise it leads to a lot of guesswork and people taking it on themselves to decide what they ‘think is right’.
However:
During a branding workshop, it gives brands the opportunity to get everyone together in one room to lay everything out on the table.
By having participants engage in activities such as brainstorming, group discussions, visual exercises, and guided conversations, you can uncover valuable insights and align on a cohesive brand strategy.
The outcome of a branding workshop typically includes a brand strategy document that guides all aspects of branding, from logo design to marketing campaigns, ensuring a unified and compelling brand presence in the market.
Why Run a Branding Workshop?
All brands need to run a branding workshop to eliminate any uncertainty regarding the brand and to ensure that all team members are aligned and in sync.
It’s no good having your marketing team doing and saying one thing to customers, and your sales doing the complete opposite. Everyone working on your brand plays a part in how customers perceive you and everyone needs to be rowing in the same direction.
For example, if you’ve identified that your target audience is small-medium sized companies with a typical budget of £15K-£30K, there’s no point in your sales team chasing leads who are startups with a budget of less than £5K.
Similarly, it’s pointless for your marketing team creating content aimed at start ups when they should be focussing their energy on creating campaigns that are targetted at bigger companies who have more money to spend.
By running a brand workshop and covering elements such as your target audience, you mitigate the likelihood of these things happening. That’s because everyone should come away from the workshop with a clear understanding of all aspects of the brand so that they can use their time and resources effectively.
The Goals of a Branding Workshop
The main goal of a branding workshop is to achieve alignment among all team members regarding the brand, which ultimately results in a cohesive brand image that resonates with customers.
However, there are several other goals of running a branding workshop which we’ve covered below:
To understand if you’ve achieved the goals of the branding workshop, you need to check in with the participants.
There’s no point gathering everyone in the same room and taking up a day of their time, if they’re not really taking in any of the information. You want them to be engaged in the discussions, not passive.
To achieve this you could:
It’s important to know that the branding workshop has achieved something and that participants come away with a better understanding of the brand and how their role is contributing to its success.
Brand workshops are key to understanding who and what your audience are needing from your product or service.
How Long is a Branding Workshop?
A branding workshop usually lasts around a day, however some might last several days depending on the size and complexity of the business.
That said, a day is usually long enough to cover all essential aspects without causing participants to become disengaged or bored in the process.
Throughout the day you should follow an itinerary to keep the workshop on track - otherwise it’s easy to spend hours on one exercise and leave yourself short for time at the end.
This also gives you enough time to break and lunch in between the different exercises, as you want participants to be refuelled and ready to contribute. As we’ve already covered, the main goal of a branding workshop is to achieve alignment for all team members by getting everyone on the same page.
But, no one is going to be ready to contribute to anything on an empty stomach!
You can also hold another half day catch up session to go back through the key points of the branding workshop at a later date to make sure everyone is still on the same page.
When to Run a Branding Workshop
Running a branding workshop and going through all aspects of your brand to ensure team members are aligned is always useful.
However, there are several key scenarios which would require a branding workshop which we have outlined below:
In all of these scenarios, the timing is key to make sure you get the most out of your branding workshop.
For example:
If you know you’re rebranding, don’t leave the branding workshop until the last minute as you want everyone to be aligned from the beginning.
Similarly for employee onboarding and training, make sure the branding workshop is one of the first things new starters do as this gives them a solid foundation of the brand before they properly settle into their role.
How to Run a Branding Workshop
Before you run a branding workshop, you need to work out some key elements.
This ensures that you’ve got:
Without these things being in place, the branding workshop will most likely end up going off on a tangent and you might lose the purpose of holding the workshop in the first place.
Let’s start with the goal.
Define the purpose of the workshop
Whilst the key focus of the workshop should be to build a uniformed understanding of the brand, there might be another reason for holding the workshop too.
For example, using one of the scenarios above, you might be getting ready to launch a new product or service which has spearheaded the need to run the branding workshop.
In that case, the main purpose is to ensure this new product/ service has its own identity whilst still fitting with the overall brand.
This is key information as it means you might need to spend longer on certain exercises than others to ensure you’ve solidified the brand identity.
Decide who to invite
Deciding who to invite to the branding workshop will depend on the size of your business.
For example:
If you’re a small team with 10 employees, it makes sense for everyone to attend as you’ll most likely only have one or two people in each department.
However, if you’re a large business with hundreds of employees, it’s impractical to invite everyone as the information can be passed down by heads of departments and managers.
That said, there are some general things to keep in mind when deciding on who to invite which we’ve outlined below:
Choose a facilitator
Choosing the right facilitator for your branding workshop is key as they’re responsible for leading the different branding exercises to ensure you achieve your goals.
This means they ask questions to get people talking and step in when there are disagreements to help keep things on track. When deciding who should be the facilitator, consider choosing someone who is good at guiding discussions, keeping participants engaged, and managing group dynamics.
There will be a lot of different personalities and viewpoints to handle, so choosing someone who has experience with this, or someone who is confident, is sensible.
Choosing someone with good communication skills is also key as they will need to convey ideas clearly, listen actively, and foster a positive and collaborative atmosphere.
How to Use Our Branding Workshop Bundle
To make life nice and simple for you, we’ve put together a complete branding workshop bundle which you can download at the top of this blog and here.
Inside the bundle, you’ll find:
If you have any questions about the brand workshop exercises, we’re running through each of these below. Some exercises involve two steps as you’ll need to prepare the printed materials beforehand - all of which can be found in your branding workshop bundle.
That said, let’s get into it.
Branding Exercises
Below are a list of branding exercises that help ensure your branding workshop is comprehensive and covers all areas.
For each exercise we’ve listed; what the branding exercise is, the purpose of the exercise, and the method for carrying out the exercise.
Brand audit
First up you need to conduct a brand audit to take stock of where your brand is currently at.
What?
A brand audit is a comprehensive evaluation of a company's brand and its elements, including visual identity, messaging, and market positioning.
Why?
The purpose of conducting a brand audit is to assess the current state of a brand, identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, and ultimately make informed decisions for brand improvement and strategic development.
How?
Step 1: Create Brand Audit Questionnaire
Step 2: Conduct Exercise
Audience Personas
Next up you need to identify your ideal audience persona (s) so you know exactly who you’re targeting with your brand.
What?
An audience persona is a fictional, detailed representation of a target audience or customer segment, encompassing their demographics, behaviours, preferences, and needs.
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Why?
The purpose of creating an audience persona is to gain a deep understanding of your target audience, allowing you to tailor marketing strategies, products, and services to better meet their specific needs and preferences, ultimately improving engagement and conversion rates.
How?
Step 1: Create Audience Persona Profiles
Step 2: Conduct Exercise
Competitor Research
Competitor research is a crucial part of your branding workshop as you need to make sure you brand remains a competitive and attractive choice in the market.
What?
Competitor research is the process of gathering and analysing information about your business rivals to understand their strengths, weaknesses, strategies, and market positioning.
Why?
The purpose of conducting competitor research is to gain insights that can inform your own brand strategy, identify opportunities for improvement, and stay competitive in the market.
How?
Step 1: Sections for Competitor Worksheet
Step 2: Conduct Exercise
Brand positioning
Brand positioning is a crucial part of any brand workshop as it defines where a brand stands in the market so that you can make decisions to differentiate it from competitors.
What?
Brand positioning is the process of defining how a brand distinguishes itself in the market, emphasising its unique value proposition, target audience, and competitive advantage.
Why?
Understanding your brand positioning is vital as it helps your brand establish a distinct identity, communicate its value effectively, and strategically position itself in the minds of consumers.
How?
Brand story
Your brand story is what makes customers relate to your brand. Therefore, crafting a compelling brand story is pivotal as it has the power to humanise the brand and foster emotional connections that lead to more loyal customers.
What?
A brand story is a narrative that combines the essence, values, and journey of a brand, creating a compelling and relatable experience for consumers.
Why?
A brand story is key as it establishes an emotional connection, differentiates the brand, and improves its resonance with customers as it has the potential to make the audience ‘feel’ something.
How?
Step 1: Create Brand Story Worksheet
Step 2: Conduct Exercise
Brand values
Defining your brand values is crucial as they are the guiding principles that shape your brand's identity, influencing decision-making, and fostering a strong connection with consumers who relate to these values.
What?
Brand values are the core beliefs and principles that define what a brand stands for, guiding its actions and shaping its identity.
Why?
Your brand values help your brand connect with customers on a deeper level, showcasing what you believe in and creating a sense of shared values that builds trust and loyalty.
How?
Brand mission
Crafting a brand mission is an essential part of a brand workshop, as it not only defines the brand's purpose but also guides future decisions, ensuring a cohesive and impactful brand identity that resonates with both internal teams and your target audience.
What?
A brand mission is a statement that captures what your brand aims to achieve such as its purpose and goal, as well as the positive change it hopes to make.
Why?
Your brand mission is crucial because it helps your brand stay focused on what matters, and when customers know what you stand for, it creates trust and forges a stronger connection with them.
How?
Brand touchpoints
Think about all of the different places customers come into contact with your brand. Whether that’s your website, social media, or physical store, all of these things are brand touchpoints and they need to work together to provide the best customer experience.
What?
Brand touchpoints refer to the different places where customers interact with your brand both online and offline.
Why?
Brand touchpoints are key because they represent every interaction customers have with your brand, influencing their perception, and building loyalty and trust over time. Making sure these touchpoints align with your brand values and messaging is key to making a lasting impression on your audience.
How?
Brand messaging
Brand messaging is up next as you need to define the elements that will distinguish your brand in the market, ultimately establishing a strong foundation for effective communication with your audience.
What?
Brand messaging involves developing concise and impactful statements that communicate the values, unique selling points, and promises your brand to its target audience.
Why?
Brand messaging is key as it shapes your brand's identity, communicates your unique value proposition, and establishes a clear narrative that resonates with your target audience.
How?
Brand tone of voice
The same way a person speaks in a certain tone of voice (be that serious, humorous, or empathetic) a brand does too. Your brand's tone of voice defines the personality of the brand so that it resonates consistently across all communication channels.
What?
Brand tone of voice is the unique and consistent way in which a brand communicates, embodying its personality and values through language and style.
Why?
Defining your brand's tone of voice in a brand workshop is essential as it shapes the personality and communication style, ensuring a consistent voice that resonates with your intended audience.
How?
Brand identity
Last but certainly not least, is your brand identity. Ultimately this is the face of your business and it relates to every single part of your brand from your logo, to your messaging, to advertising and marketing campaigns.
What?
Your brand identity is the collection of visual, verbal, and emotional elements that define your brand's personality, values, and unique characteristics.
Why?
The purpose of your brand identity is to create a distinct and memorable representation of your brand that resonates with your target audience, fosters recognition, differentiates you from competitors, and guides consistent brand communication and design.
How?
Step 1: Identify Core Brand Elements Define Brand Values:
Craft Brand Personality Traits:
Visual Inspiration:
Step 2: Conduct Exercise
How to Run the Ultimate Branding Workshop with Branding Exercises
A branding workshop is essential for anyone working on your brand to make sure they understand everything about it.
Instead of different teams working in silos and assuming they know what’s ‘right’, running a branding workshop and using the branding exercises listed above ensures everyone is aligned.
This reduces the room for error and stops a lot of guesswork. Every single person in your business needs to share and understand this information as it means you can all row in the same direction.
Your employees have the potential to be your biggest brand advocates by championing and promoting your brand to customers. However, this is only effective if they truly understand the brand including what makes it unique, what brand mission you’re working towards, and the core messaging.
If you plan on bringing in an agency, running an internal branding workshop is a great way to help shape your branding brief. This can then be given to your chosen branding agency to give them a jump start on your project.
That’s why the brand exercises in this blog cover each and every aspect by running all participants through 11 essential areas of your brand. If you need help running your branding workshop then we can help. We’ve already ran successful workshops and we can ensure all participants leave with a clearer and more informed understanding of your brand.
Once you're finished your Branding Workshop, why not try our Website Workshop to help get your website right?
For an informal chat about how we can help, get in touch.