Why Branding Is Rather Like A Victoria Sponge!

Much like creating a perfect Victoria Sponge you need the right layers in your brand to create something truly scrumptious!

Layer 1 – Dream It:

First of all you start with your sponge. This is the base of your cake, the foundations, so it needs to be firm and able to hold what is to come on top.

But no one likes a stodgy sponge so you need to keep it light and springy so it’s a delight to devour!

This is where the journey starts. Your dreams, your visions, your ideas of what will be. Creating an awesome brand, business and life starts with a little acorn and from it can grow a million possibilities. This is the part where we discover what you dream and put in place the beginnings of how to make that dream a reality.

There are no limits… dream big… why would you do anything but aim high?

Once you have a vision and you have the foundations in place to move forward to the next stage of growth, you can get busy creating! With the right mindset and tools you can create a truly awesome business that will give you the life you dream of.

Layer 2 – Create It:

This next layer of our cake has got to be the butter cream layer… or you might prefer to be a little more decadent and opt for rich, thick double cream!

Again, you need to get the balance right – too much and it’ll be sickly, too little and it’s just not going to cut it. So it’s about working out what is best for the size of cake you have and then making sure that you have the whole surface covered. That way, wherever you slice, you’ll get a generous helping and this is also going to be a big part of what holds the cake together.

This creative layer comes in the form of beginning to develop your brand identity and setting processes in action to bring that identity into being with promotional materials both on and offline.

This is where you can start getting creative with how you are going to catch your Perfect Client’s attention.

It’s the time to get inside their heads and recognise what they’re looking for and what problems you’re solving for them.

To get busy with designing logos, business cards, brochures, websites etc.

This where you begin to see things taking shape…

Layer 3 – Promote It:

This next layer is the jam… mmm… It’s got me salivating just thinking of all these lovely layers coming together!

So the jam is the sweet, tasty layer that adds the extra ‘zing’ to your cake and really gives some fab flavours.

As with the cream layer, you don’t want to go jam crazy and just start pouring the stuff on top… if you do that you’ll end up with a big goopy, sticky mess!

However, if you apply just the right amount of jam, and again, make sure that you spread it evenly across the whole surface you’re going to hit the sweet spot!

You also need to consider that there are a whole heap of different jam flavours and each one will give your cake a certain something.

You’re the one that needs to decide which one you’re going to choose based on what your cake eaters (i.e. your Perfect Clients) will enjoy the most! Get that right and you’ll have a cracking cake on your hands!

In other words, this is where your marketing kicks in and you’ll know that there are a ton of ways you can promote your business BUT there will be a few key areas that will work best for you and your Perfect Clients.

Every business is different so it’s all about finding what works for YOU and YOUR business and then creating a strategy that will give you fantastic results and use your time, energy and finances most efficiently.

When you get the marketing mix right and you’re promoting yourself in the right way and in the right areas then sweet spot here you come!

Now, I’m sure you’d agree that the cake at this stage would taste pretty darn good!?

Yes?

I think so too! BUT There is still another layer to go on top of this that will just finish it off – the top layer of sponge!

Layer 4 – Live It:

This top sponge layer finishes the cake off, giving more structure and stability - both really important for the perfect cake.

Without either of these things you end up with a cake that may taste great, but is not fit for purpose.

We create businesses to enable us to do things we're passionate about AND be able to curate and live the life of our dreams. When you piece all the elements together; the dream, the drive, the right products and services delivered to the right people, and you have structure and support in place, you are setting yourself up for all the good things. All the success you hope for and deserve.

Of course, let's not forget the finishing touch; a dusting of icing sugar or even some scrummy toppings like strawberries… perhaps some champagne to wash it down.

You could call these additional embellishments life’s little extras. Your bucket list. The experiences that are not essential to your happiness but just add a little stardust to it all. The extra treats that take you to a whole new taste sensation!