Marketing Discovery 

The branding process helps businesses discover who they are authentically, understand what they stand for and how to communicate that consistently. 

Our process will ultimately uncover key components that build your brand’s foundation and drive a cohesive message and image. It includes developing the company’s mission, differentiators, values, voice, tone, messaging and graphic identity.

To get us started on our marketing journey, you are being asked to take a step back in your busy day and thoughtfully share your feedback and vision. There are four sections to this discovery document that provides a basic framework for your brand development. You will see a series of questions that are a blend of: sliding scale questions from 1-5 with 1 being least interested and 5 being most interested, multiple choice – of which you can choose as many as apply – and open-ended. 

Section 1 - Your Clients
Section 2 - Your Business 
Section 3 - You - the Advisor/Business Owner
Section 4 - Your Competition 

Let’s get started!

Section 1:  Learning about your clients. As you answer these questions, think about your ideal client – the one who you would like more of.  

Section 2. Now let’s talk about your company.

Naming Your Business

Naming your company can seem like a daunting challenge, but basically all company names can be categorized into the following seven types described below.  The first step is deciding which one of these types your business  identifies with more. This helps guide the remainder of the naming process. 

Seven Naming Categories: 

1. Acronym Company Names (IBM, BMW, IKEA, CVS, GEICO)
A common type of brand name are acronyms, for good reason, especially in business-to-business settings or in rebranding projects that might previously have been using long or confusing names.

2. Geographical Company Names  (Southern Capital, Arizona Tea, New York Life)  
Another type of brand name that you can use is a geographic brand name. If your business is connected to a specific geographical place and it shares strong ties to that birthplace, then a geographical brand name might be the right one for you.

3. Descriptive Company Names (Advanced Investments, Paypal, Whole Foods)
The clue is in the name. Descriptive names describe the product or service, literally. Descriptive names can be useful for positioning a brand very clearly, and for B2B brands where purchasers want to know exactly what the brand is selling. They can be very useful and leave less room for misinterpretation and like most names gives a larger organization a clear objective.

4. Evocative Company Names (Apple, Nike)
Compared to descriptive brand names, evocative names are more unique and, if you plan on gaining considerable brand awareness, can give you plenty of upside. They give the viewer and listener an information gap that they themselves need to fill.

5. Invented Company Names (Verizon, Kodak, Google)
If you find yourself in a situation where you really want to stand out from the crowd, an invented brand name might be the right way for you to go. Sometimes novelty makes the message stick and positions your brand better than what another type of brand name would.

6. Lexical Company Names (Tiktok, lululemon, Zoom)
Lexical brand names use playful wording to form company names. These types of brand names can combine sounds and meaning, and can be used in a number of different ways. You can mix different words up and spell words the wrong way.

7. Founder Company Names (Morgan Stanley, Ben & Jerry, Johnson & Johnson, Boeing) 
In some instances it makes sense to create founder-based brand names. It could be due to a familial connection, previous well-known experience that a founding member or members have, or, just simply, that you want to.

Section 3. Now let’s talk about you - the advisor and the business owner.

Section 4. Let’s talk about your competition: Take a minute to think about someone you would consider as competition. Who is it? What do they do? What are their values?