Welcome to the ULTIMATE course on creating, launching and marketing a successful brand. In this course, we cover all the important topics that take you from having an idea for a business, to taking that idea and creating a brand around it and to making that brand a reality.
The process of launching a brand can be very daunting. You have an idea, you know the needs of the target market, you have a passion, and want to share that passion with the world.
But where do you start? What are the steps you need to take to take your idea from a seed and turn it into a real brand with real products and real customers?
This course has been created to address all these issues and more. This hands on course will help you understand how a successful brand is built, managed and experienced.
You will learn practical elements of brand building including: tone of voice, the experience of ‘brand space’ and the importance of graphic elements (labels, packaging etc). You will also learn how the visions and values of the brand resonate with the consumer and the importance of key ‘touch points’ during the consumer experience.
But more importantly you will learn how to take your ideas for a business and turn them into real products or services. You will learn, for example, how to sketch and design your apparel, how to create a tech pack, pattern making and grading, how to source materials, how to find manufacturers, how to brand your clothing line and more.
You will also learn how to create your online store and market it online, how to reach your target customers, how to generate sales through social media marketing and more.
By the end of the course, you will have taken an idea, created, built and launched a robust brand.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
Let us start off by establishing your intentions for this course. Why have you chosen this course and what you expect from it and what you hope to achieve at the end of the course.
If you are hoping for a quick hack to having a successful brand with out any hard work then this course is not for you. In fact, that kind of expectation would be a fallacy since no brand can be built without hard work, blood, sweat and tears. Forgot about all the articles you may have read or Youtube videos you may have watched about easy ways to achieve success in business. Those are all scams.
Be prepared to dedicate the next 6 months to year of your life to your new venture – 100% of your time. If you are thinking you can do this as a part time activity and spend 1-2 hours a day and hope to launch your brand then I have some bad news for you. It is not going to work. If you have to work to pay the bills while you try and get your new venture off the ground, then I am afraid you would be in for disappointment. Yes, you probably heard of success stories of people who worked on their dream in their part time and then ended up with a super success brand. Those are rare and most of the time, the stories do not tell the entire truth. They are romantic versions of the truth.
BBA COURSE OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE
Let us talk about the outline of the course which is made up of 6 main modules – 4 main modules. Each module is broken down into sections and each section has lessons. Each lesson comes with a main video where I teach you the core content. These videos have been designed to be not too long since I do not want to overwhelm you with too many details or concepts. They last in duration from as little as 3 minutes to as much as 20 minutes or more.
My intention with this course is to cut through the fluff and the jargon that you usually come across in articles and videos on branding and teach you clear strategies that when implemented will ensure you create, launch, build and market a successful brand.
In some lessons you will find worksheets to download and complete. These worksheets are the exact same ones we use for our clients and will give structure to the strategies and help you easily put into action what you have learnt.
You would also find cheat sheets in some lessons that you will find handy to cross difficult bridges in your quest to build the ultimate brand. In the product development modules, you can download lists of manufacturers and their contact details along with email templates for reaching out to manufacturers.
Finally do not forget to join the private Facebook group dedicated to members of this course where you can ask questions, participate in discussions and get help with building your brand. I will be available in this group to personally answer any questions you may have.
MODULE #1: GETTING STARTED
In this module we set the stage for creating the brand and is made up of 5 video lessons. I start the module by analyzing how to decide which clothing products to sell and which business model to choose. I then explain what elements make a successful clothing brand. You also learn how to differentiate your brand and how to develop a business plan for your clothing line.
MODULE #2: CREATING THE BRAND
This is a major and critical module. It is made up of 3 main sections and 16 video lessons and 3 assessments. This module is all about creating the soul and body of your brand. We start with the all import topic of Competitive Positioning Strategy. Most brand fail in their first year because of lack of proper brand positioning strategy.
In the first section, we look at how to analyze your market segment and knowing your competitors. Then we look at knowing yourself or rather your brand and then create a robust positioning strategy. The section ends with an assessment to make you have grasped all the core principles and are able to apply it to your brand.
In the second section, we create your brand strategy which includes determining the basics for foundations of your brand. Then we create your Brand Architecture by evaluating the benefits your brand provides. We then define the personality of your brand and your Brand Promise which is very critical to your brand success. We finally write the Brand Story and a Brand Strategy summary followed by an assessment to complete this section.
In the third section, we create the brand visual language which includes developing your brand visual requirements, your brand primary logo design and secondary brand marks, your brand identity system including color palette, typography and social media branding.
MODULE #3: PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
A beautiful module with information that you would not find elsewhere and probably worth the entire course fees that you had paid! Jokes said, this module is made of 5 different sections and 15 videos and 1 assessment.
In section 1, we look at how to sketch and design your apparel designs. We learn about the art of sketching on paper and the converting the sketches into digital designs.
In section 2, you learn the importance of a Tech Pack which is a blueprint for your apparel product, providing a manufacturer with all the details and technical specifications and how to create one. We explore the design of your product, fabrics, measurements, materials & accessories that come together into the Tech Pack. You will find an example tech pack that can inspire you to get started on your own. Also attached is a Manufacturer’s Checklist that you can download.
We then explore some other aspects of a tech pack which include Trim, Stitching, Artwork, Label & Tag Information. You can also download a sample spec list and sample stitch chart guide.
We also learn about the importance of packaging instructions that need to be included in the tech pack that would help manufacturers create packaging. You can download a blank spec sheet you can use for your brand.
Finally in this section, I share with you some Pattern Makers and Technical Designers that have been carefully researched and vetted to get you started.
In section 3, we look at the art of pattern making, grading the patterns and how these play an important role in the design of clothing and apparel. It is made up of 2 video lessons. We start with Pattern making which is the core of fashion design and we cover topics such as the right tools for pattern making, studying pattern garments, investing in pattern making books and enrolling in pattern making classes. We also look at Drafting, Draping and Flat paper pattern making.
In the second video lesson, we look at Pattern grading which is the process of turning base size or sample size patterns into additional sizes using a size specification sheet or grading increments. This can be done online or in pattern grading books. When producing a clothing line, you will need a grading system to target a specific target market.
There is a bonus resource lesson in this section which includes a list of pattern makers that you may want to evaluate and see if they may be of assistance to you.
In section 4, you will learn how to find manufacturers, communicate with them, vetting them, and working with multiple manufacturers. We call this sourcing. I also provide a list of awesome resources which includes lists of manufacturers and factories in the USA, China, Europe and more.
We also look at how to approach factories along with sample email templates and tips on how to communicate effectively. One lesson is dedicated to helping you vett factories and manufacturers and what to look out for.
In section 5, we look into the final step of the production process and we look at sampling, full-scale production and pricing your clothes and includes 3 video lessons and 1 assessment.
In the first lesson of this section, we explore sampling and understanding how to get some samples made so you can truly experience what your potential product will be like.
In the second lesson, we look at the final step of the manufacturing process which is really just the first step to building your own clothing brand so now it’s time to work with your manufacturer and produce your garments. At this stage it’s important to stay five steps ahead of everything: make sure deadlines are adhered to, be available to answer any questions your manufacturer may encounter at this point and be diligent with quality control.
In the third lesson, we explore the tough topic of budgeting out product development and production costs which is something you need to determine prior to contacting factories in order to be able to understand all aspects of production such as what fabric you’ll be able to use and whether producing overseas or in your home country is your best option.
We end this section with an assessment to make sure you grasp all the various facets of the production process and are ready to implement the basic principles.
MODULE #4: BRANDING YOUR CLOTHING & PACKAGING
This is another important module that will take your brand to the next level. The branding of your clothing line has everything to do with how you’ll be perceived by customers. In this module, we learn how to brand your clothing and packaging to appeal to your target market. It has 2 sections and 6 video lessons with an assessment to end the module.
In the first section, we look at 2 different types of options when it comes to branding your packaging: the actual elements that you use for the packaging itself, and the additional extras you can include with the package.
In the second section, we look at beyond the packaging of your clothing items and explore how you can also add additional branding to your clothing items to ensure they’re as high-quality as possible and are presented in the best way possible.
We end this section with an assessment to make sure you grasp all the various facets of the branding your clothing and packaging and are ready to implement the basic principles.
MODULE #5: CREATING YOUR ONLINE STORE / ONLINE SALES FUNNEL
In this module, you learn how to design, create, setup, launch your online clothing store, start selling online and accepting payments. It is made of 11 video lessons and 1 assessment.
In section 1, we learn how your website is potentially the most powerful sales & marketing tool and how it can play an enormous role in your sales process and can help to reinforce our brand, generate leads & acquire customers.
Then we learn how to design the best website design for your store, choose the right shopping platform, set up the order system in the right way to streamline orders, explore different payment gateway systems and choose the right one to accept card payments in your online store, and finally set up the shipping features for your store.
We end this section with an assessment to make sure you grasp all the various facets of building an awesome online store and are ready to implement the basic principles.
In section 2, we get busy with creating products on your online store. You learn how to write the best descriptions and optimize the products for increased Google rankings and for sales conversion.
Then we learn about how putting effort into product photos will pay for themselves many times over and how to take the best product photos. I will recommend some equipment and tools that will help take professional photos of your products. We also explore pricing and coupons that you can integrate into your website to improve sales.
In section 3, you will learn how to launch your online store in the right way. You will learn about getting the right hosting, setting up your emails and then finally launching your store live online.
MODULE #6: MARKETING YOUR ONLINE STORE / ONLINE SALES FUNNEL
In this final mega module, you will learn how to market your brand to bring in sales and revenue including distribution channels, creating a marketing plan and more, social media strategy and more. This module will make you a professional marketer and will help you get ahead of your competitors and achieve success.
This module is made up of 6 sections and 30 video lessons. It is a huge module.
In section 1, we evaluate various distribution channels for your brand and how to choose the most appropriate ones. This includes lessons on how to determine sales channels, nail down business goals, selecting channel type and how to project channel revenue.
In section 2, you will learn how a marketing plan is a detailed roadmap that outlines all your marketing strategies, tactics, activities, costs & projected results over a period. The plan keeps your team focused on specific goals. You will set down the objectives and goals of your marketing plan and then finally write down a detailed plan for execution.
In section 3, you learn how marketing campaigns can reinforce our positioning & brand, communicate a message, generate demand & create customers. You will also learn how creative & tactics must be tied to strategy & business goals.
In several videos we looks at the basics of each type of marketing channel and the pros and cons of each. In subsequent sections we will explore the major marketing channels in details and build some strategies for them.
In section 4, you will learn how to use Social media to build brand awareness, interact directly with customers, launch promotions, distribute news, generate leads, monitor competitors, and build links.
You will learn how to identify social media goals, learn some social media campaign ideas, write down a plan and learn which tools can help you execute the plans.
In section 5, you learn how to use Email marketing to nurture leads, build brand awareness, facilitate sales, service customers, and build customer loyalty. This includes creating an email marketing plan and a newsletter campaign.
In section 6, you learn how to use Search engine marketing for attracting visitors to our website. You learn how to optimize your site pages for the search engines and how to rank high for our target keywords. There are lessons on keyword research, search engine directories, inbound link generation and online advertising options.
You will also learn one of the most effective marketing strategies – content strategy.
CONCLUSION: COURSE WRAP UP
We wrap up the course and take stock of what we have learnt and a list of resources to help you on your brand building journey. We look back at what we have learnt in this course and discuss how to implement what you have learnt and how to become an expert brand builder.
The final lesson is a resource chapter with a list of resources and further reading to help you become an expert brand builder and help you on your journey of building a million dollar brand!
I hope you enjoy the course and make sure to pay attention and learn everything that is presented. Enjoy the course!
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