Will Chidlow Creative brand assessment
Overview
Will Chidlow Creative is a small business based in Brighton. Will helps brands develop their visual identity with compelling photography and video content. A former senior designer and brand manager, Will knows how to craft captivating material to help businesses market themselves.
Will needed a fresh pair of eyes to assess his own brand identity. This is something I can relate to. It can be difficult to see the wood for the trees when it comes to your own business, and asking a fellow professional for advice is often an invaluable, rewarding exercise.
Brand evaluation
With little time available, I set about evaluating Will’s business pitch. He requested a review of his homepage, landing pages and LinkedIn profile. The task was to “tighten” the brand proposition, suggest new copy, highlight where his website could work harder, and recommend ways to make his branding more effective.
My first task was to work through Will’s marketing materials to identify what makes him unique. For instance, what were the benefits of working with him, and how could these be articulated in a way that would connect with his target customer? I looked for differentiation between Will and his competitors.
The main focus was to turn followers into customers.
I provided Will with a list of where I thought his branding worked well. Beneath this was a list of areas that could be developed, and I recommended he take a different direction to promote his identity.
Will has a great YouTube channel, but his website is where paying clients will land. I suggested he keep people on-site as much as possible, and Will took this advice and created a blog to share his opinions. He also acknowledged my recommendation of creating an 'About' landing page.
All about Will
‘About’ pages provide a space for brands to tell their story, showcase their values, and build a connection with their audience.
People often want to know the face behind a brand, the mission, and what sets it apart. It adds a human touch, fostering trust and loyalty. It can influence purchasing decisions, which is an angle Will wanted to explore.
Keep people on-site
Will's old YouTube link took visitors off-site to his YouTube channel. His channel is amazing, but he acknowledged the importance of having a proper landing page.
His new page is an advert to join a community, where Will encourages visitors to share inspiration and knowledge. These are great messages to keep on-site, to appeal to business leaders looking to build communities of their own.
Solve business problems
I suggested to Will that his homepage should sell his skills upfront. At the same time, his skills should resonate with clients who need to solve typical business problems.
Will produced an excellent homepage that's more effective as a mechanism to sell his brand. He could go further by working these themes across all his business materials and channels. Using my brand strategy document as a springboard, he now outlines potential business friction and offers solutions to how he can fix them with captivating visual content.
As of writing, his website is a work in progress, as every freelance professional's brand should be. Always evolving. Always relevant.
Testimonial
"Big shoutout to Shaun, who undertook an incredibly quick and lean look over my materials. He prepared a strategy document and short snippets of content to help me build from. It completely removed blank page syndrome and gave me a clear, actionable to-do list to get my brand to where it needs to be."
Will Chidlow
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