The Perfect Project.
The brief was simple enough… develop a brand and marketing strategy inline with the goal of making Monocle Optometry a mecca for discerning clients of all ages. Doctors Carla and Sam Schneider from Monocle Optometry came to Monday Media several months before opening their North Fremantle practice. This eight month long project turned out to be a master-class in quality identity branding.
Ten steps to marketing success...
We never actually sat down and wrote down the numbers, but for the sake of this blog, we undertook these ten steps… mostly in this order, but some were concurrently. The point is, it’s a process, and each step effects the next. Branding is both a holistic and methodical process. Respect it!
1. Plan it out Can’t have too much planning! Don’t start actually doing anything until you have a plan. The marvellous thing about lack of planning is that failure comes as a complete and utter surprise (Peter Green). Don’t be that small business owner! 2. Market research It’s super important and you are best placed to do this - but don’t make assumptions about your market, the competition, yourself, and most of all, your potential customers without hard facts to back them up. Understanding all the marketing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within your industry will give you a massive advantage. 3. Find a marketer Please, do your research here - we’re not all the same! 90% of digital marketers, web designers, social media 'experts' and ‘coaches’ have NEVER managed, set-up, won, or failed at small business. Pick one that gets small business and has a long track record of success, backed-up with an extensive portfolio and real testimonials… like us at Monday Media :-) 4. Have a realistic budget This is a tough one we know. But remember, nobody knows who you are yet! You need to invest in getting your name out there. What does that look like? It’s hard to say exactly but from experience, you need to look at investing 30% of your overall start-up budget on marketing if the total figure is under $10k, 20% if under $100k and 15% if under $200k. If that sounds like an unacceptable reality pill to swallow, then brace yourself for the heartache of failing in the first 12 months. Marketing is an investment. Don’t expect a return if you don’t… you know, invest :-/
5. Establish your core identity and point of difference Do this with your digital marketing agency. Drink lot’s a coffee and do a lot of talking. It’s really important both of you understand what it is that makes your new business start-up different from the rest. What’s your story? Gary Vee said “no matter what you do, your job is to tell your story”. We live by that at Monday Media and it guides all of our marketing decisions for our clients.
6. Style guide (your marketing agency will do this)
Inside a professional style guide will be your core identity, your logo, logo variations, colour pallet, typeface(s) and a whole load of other visual ‘rules’ that will ensure your brand is always looking professional across the digital and print landscapes.
7. Signage
If you’re planning on opening a bricks and mortar business, you can’t spend enough time planning this out and having realistic budget. It’s as important as your website. Get your marketing agency to mock-up signage options and don’t settle for anything other than perfection. Generally, you only get one shot at this.
8. Print media
Business cards, letter heads, appointment cards… these are all still important - even in 2020! Don’t leave this step too late in the process.
9. Social media
This is such a massive undertaking that most folks will just freak out at the thought of it. We can’t say this enough. Have a content plan, develop a schedule, and think video first! Unless you are actually a social media guru - get help with this.
10. Website
Planning is again key to success here. Think about the design and the functionality way before you choose your website designer. Look at the competition and find the best of the best. SEO is key and can’t be an after thought. On-page SEO needs to be baked into the build from day one by a professional. Don’t go with a $300 WordPress template hashed together by a novice. WordPress is old, slow and not 100% secure - it’s 2020 guys. Time to move on. We have.
Ok, so that’s a lot of steps, but it’s the steps Monocle Optometry took with us. We both did the hard yards and it paid off. When you walk into their practice, it’s like no other optometry you have ever seen - it’s amazing! Their website is first class, their branding is unique, on-trend, and perfect for their story. They have a story! Not many small businesses in Perth actually have one (well they do, they just haven’t found a marketing agency who has told it to the world yet)!
Let’s wrap this up.
As we write this Monocle Optometry is, like many businesses, adapting to the Covid-19 environment. When all this madness is over, get yourself to North Freo and check them out. It really is a master-class in how to set-up, brand, and market a small business!