Like any plant, a brand needs time to grow. It needs time to become and to burrow into the hearts and minds of other people. I ask my clients, and myself, to commit to their brand guidelines and social media strategies for one year, at least. The goal here is to see what happens; a year is a measurable quantity of four seasons.

Over the seasons four a business owner or artist may experience a few things: an increased following, more business, and a sense of ease when they think about their brand. The third variable is the most important. Before undertaking my brandscaping process, clients often feel totally overwhelmed by the idea of putting their business/themselves out there in the digital realm.

I seek to assuage that client’s fears and anxieties. The way I do this is by helping each person articulate what they actually want their brand to be, coming from the deepest part of their heart and soul. What story plays in your mind over and over about your work? What colors are you attracted to? What styles of content bring you actual joy to make and to experience? I work with clients to bridge the gaps between three realms: their inner worlds, the digital world, and the three dimensional place where we live and breathe.

I ask clients to commit to their brand guidelines for an entire year. I don’t ask a client to do something that I have not gone out and tried myself. I am brandscaping’s foremost guinea pig. As a musician, artist, writer, performer, and folklorist, I have a lot of skills to sling. My brand guidelines and marketing plan help me to stay on track.

In the digital realm, I am sure of my appraoch. I have a set of guidelines I follow that tell me exactly who I am talking to (my ideal client), how I talk to them (my tone), what I talk to them about (my values), and all the colors and styles of image I use to convey those messages. Digitally, I am good to go.

Three-dimensionally, I exude my brand-guidelines through my mode of speech, my manner of dress, the activities I partake it, and the physical products I sell on the road. Heck, even the cranberry colored 2005 Prius I drive is within my brand guidelines’ color scheme. I am about six months into my commitment to the brand guidelines I crafted for myself.

People love consistency. The same font, colors, messaging and feeling pervades all I craft and put out there. My business is therefore more welcoming to new customers, clients, collaborators and followers. I want to create the home they are happy to return to again and again. By committing to brand guidelines, I give others the gift of a comfortable realm to return to, again and again.

I recommend you do the same! Please get in touch and we can work together to create your brand guidelines and year-long marketing plan.

Photos from The Library of Congress and Better Homes and Gardens Home Landscaping : plants, projects, and ideas for your yard (1996, via archive.org)