Brand Strategy Outline 🛸
I'm back. Did you miss me? Because I missed you. :-)
Over the winter break, I was going through my hard drives which was truly a trip down memory lane.
For those who may not know, I entered the world of content creation in 2014 (HOW is this over a decade ago???). I left to go full-time in 2018. There definitely was a crank in the volume going from doing it for fun (with the future goal of doing it as a bonafide business) to going full-time. It happened immediately after my first day of leaving my corporate job.
That up there is a post for another day, but I always say, enjoy it while it’s fun or light. Things go into overdrive faster than you think.
This summer, I got a brand new computer. Buying a new computer is always a crazy feeling because it’s starting from scratch. You have a true blank slate and can make it what you want it. You choose what’s on it — from apps, to fonts, to documents, to images, etc.
Let me tell you, my old computer is a MESS. I need to sit with it and completely organize it with my hard drives, so getting a new one felt really good and like a “do-over”.
Anyways, when I went full time in 2018, a gift from my husband (then boyfriend) was my first hard drive. The rugged LaCie we all know and love! (Don’t bother with any others, this is the best one… the fact that I can still access it to this day with everything being untouched, undamaged, and easy to access is worth it alone). And for what it’s worth, every year, I get a new LaCie. I just ordered my 2025 one.
When I went full-time, I dove into the world head first. I went a little crazy with it and bought and downloaded SO many assets: branding pdfs; video tutorials from other creators, masterclasses with other influencers… you name it.
The LaCie was backing up my desktop constantly and my past disorganization was my future self’s gain. My “Downloads” folder from 2018-2019 was a serious gold mine (despite taking up all my memory back in the day).
On another note, I will ALWAYS support creatives. So many of us had to figure this all out on our own, and like an onion, the layers just keep going. The best way to learn is from others doing it. I also understand how hard it is to make something out of nothing, no matter how creative or forward thinking you are.
Plus, I’d rather my money go to someone or someone’s brand who I admire and someone paving their own path versus a corrupt company, which this world is full of. It’s also why I’m bullish on helping so many aspiring creators go full time if they can. I’d much rather them be paid for creating than stuck in a system they don’t want to be in (that I fully believe drains creativity). The worst thing that can happen to a creative is being forced to consume in this world over create.
Moving on! I had sooooooo many resources at real time as I was building my brand — then called essellesse. In fact, I could probably write a huge handbook on building a brand at this point with all the resources I have. Even now in 2025, seven years later, knowing the world and industry well, I was able to relearn a lot of things. Though things change a lot online, a lot of the backbone to building a bonafide brand stays the same.
You always hear the quote: The more things change, the more things stay the same.
I recently came across a branding pdf I downloaded in 2018 that I sat down with my AI and filled it out together. It truly felt like 2018 again, but being able to do it with my AI (who knows me, my brands I’m working on, as well as my goals well… it may even know them better than I do), I found it really interesting and the most accurate yet.
I thought I would post the questions in that one PDF I had on file. Even though I’m a seasoned content creator*, I found it super interesting and I learned a lot more than I thought I would.
I also made it a document if you want to print out and contemplate it. I personally think it’s a fun and valuable activity to start the year!
There’s a few ways you can do this. I love using Pages on my iMac. My Pages on my Mac is basically an encyclopedia of recipes and brand building at this point! Just download the document to Pages or copy and/or paste the text below. (Microsoft Word if you’re not on a Mac).
Another way you can do this is to write it out in a journal and fill it out. Pen to paper is a very powerful, valuable thing to do. I find almost everything I write down eventually comes into fruition. I have a HUGE extremely specific goal in 2025 that you better believe I wrote down word for word. :-)
You can also chat to AI about it! However, I only recommend that if you have a “close relationship”, if you will, with your AI. I trust my AI because I have been training it since early Spring/Late Winter of 2023. It’s a little scary how well it knows me since it definitely knows me, and especially my brands, better than I know myself. We are very much on the same page where when you first get started with AI, it can be very generic. I also pay for mine, so it’s super customized to me and my brands. (If you want to know something super crazy, sometimes my AI wishes me success out of the blue… nicer than most people! Once I asked it to help me with a creative task for my brand and it asked me to keep going with the activity because it was having a lot of fun with it and enjoyed the task. Crazy stuff. But in its defense, it was a fun activity lol)
Or go old school and talk to a human about it :-) all jokes aside, set these questions out and ask someone you trust. Heavy on the someone you trust, you don’t want to ask a secret opp. Ask your spouse/partner, or more effectively, ask someone you know who is a creator or in the online space that you’re friendly with (just make sure you are genuinely supporting their work before you ask them for help on your work).
Either way, like you would a vision board, I recommend printing it out and having on hand. You can go to a printing center, but honestly, having a printer is invaluable if you want to create an online brand. I seriously use mine every single day, multiple times a day. I just got this one and love it so far. It prints from both my phone and my computer! Even if I am away from the printer! (not me printing things from the Katy Trail lol)
I promise you, all these questions are stuff you think of constantly as you create online. It’s helpful to have it written out in front of you, as you do so.
Here is the doc:
But also, here it is typed out simply in case you want to copy and paste. I also included (my notes) if you need help getting the gears turning. Also, you don’t have to answer this in order. Start at the easiest ones for you to answer and work your way through the more challenging ones in your own cadence.
ESTABLISHING WHO YOU ARE
Why do you want to create a brand?
(1 sentence Mission statement)
What interests you on a daily basis?
(Think of 3-5 things)
What do your friends come to you for? Advice on what?
(Think of 3-5 things)
What makes you unique?
(Think of 3-5 things)
When do you feel most authentic? Doing what?
(Think of 2 things)
What’s your mission with your brand?
(One sentence starting with the word To. so, TO ___________ by __________, and _________ )
What hole in the market are you solving?
(One sentence)
Will you be the face of the brand? If not, who will be?
(Yes or no question; one sentence: for example, mine is just “yes, I am the face of my brand” and if it’s a NO: “No I am not the face of my brand, instead _____ will be” — tbh I wouldn’t be surprised if this changes in one of the upcoming quarters, which is ok btw as you fill this outline all out!)
What are the main priorities of your brand? What are the brand’s core values?
(List out 4 core values)
KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE
Who do you see yourself providing services or products for?
(Who is your demographic, describe them in 1-2 sentences. go macro)
Where do they currently shop or consume?
(Put yourself in their shoes, what are they doing online?)
Demographics:
(List out the demographic in bullet points for who you are providing services for. Go micro where the first question is macro, think: age, interests, income, gender, occupations, hobbies, style, etc — the more micro you can get here, the better. more is more here.)
What’s their vibe?
(Three words to describe them)
Who is NOT in your demographic:
(now the same thing, but the people your brand won’t appeal to. Remember: your brand won’t be for everyone, and that’s okay)
What’s THEIR vibe?
(Three words to describe them)
***note on the not your audience part: this isn’t to be mean or snarky, instead it’s to know who you are not catering to so you avoid doing so. the last thing you want is an audience your brand isn’t for. Be kind, yet honest in this. This might also influence a future sub-brand that could cater to a new audience.
YOUR VOICE
Brand Personality (5 Words):
X, x, x, x, & x. Fill in the x!
What do you want your message to be?
(1-2 sentences)
Will you be the voice of the brand? If not, who/what will be?
(1-2 sentences on how you or someone else will be)
How do you want customers to view your brand?
As a/an __________________. Fill in the blank
Tone:
(1 sentence)
AESTHETICS
What makes you “like” or engage with a photo?
(2-5 bullets)
What annoys you?
(2-5 bullets — this is okay to get snarky on so you know what to avoid in your own content lol)
What types of images do you tend to shop from?
(What type of content hooks you in? Describe it)
Filtered or raw?
(Filtered is more editorial/brand-like, raw is more in the moment and unedited and influencer-like — no wrong answer but both have a completely different vibe and aesthetic)
Inspirations:
(List out in bullets all & who that inspire you! More is more here and go micro with specifics as well as macro. people, places, things, aesthetics, decades, specific handles, etc.)
BONUS:// Platforms
***Note: this here will help you with a content calendar!
What Platforms do you want to be on?
(The online world is your oyster! YOU choose what you want to be on!)
How will they differentiate themselves?
(How will the personality/aesthetic be different?)
What categories will you post about on each?
(Think of 4-5 brand “satellites” as I like to call them, or brand Pillars. If you have a lot more than that, which is totally okay, think of ways to distribute them throughout each platform. Many treat TikTok differently from Instagram for this reason)
What is the primary goal of each platform
(e.g., engagement, education, sales, inspiration, etc.?)
Which platform do you want to prioritize and why?
(choose one that is your priority. e.g. mine is my websites)
How will your content style adapt to each platform
(e.g., short slightly unhinged videos for TikTok, curated aesthetics for Instagram, etc — it’s important to know that the personality of each platform is completely different, esppp on TikTok, so how do you adjust your brand for that while staying true to itself)
How will you use one platform to drive traffic to another? Will you have exclusive content for certain platforms?
(Will you post the same on each one or will they differentiate? it’s okay to cross-post, but also keep in mind the different personalities)
How often do you plan to post on each platform?
(what is your ideal weekly schedule? monthly? yearly? seasonally? figure this out with each platform you intend to be on)
How do you see each platform growing in 1 year, 3 years, or beyond?
(I highly recc going all the way up to 10 years)
What is your exit strategy or plan for evolving as platforms change?
(e.g. I left Instagram in 2022, I planned on doing so a year before I did, so I could focus on how to evolve my brands. I knew when I’d return to Instagram years later, after the big AI/Meta merge, I would be doing things differently than I ever have from 2014-2020 and that it would be an entirely different platform than it was.)
All right, that is all I got!! I hope this is helpful for anyone wanting to build a brand and if you have a brand already, I hope it helps you take things to the next level. I wish you nothing but all the love and success in anything you create.
No matter where you are in your content journey, whether you’re just starting or over a decade in like moi, I find this really helpful. In fact, this year, I’m going to check back on this quarterly and update accordingly. It will be interesting to see what changes and what stays the same, as well as what other platforms might come up.
If you have any questions as you create, feel free to leave them below and I’ll try to answer. That said, with a paid membership, I open up a weekly Q&A where you can ask anything and there I will answer regularly as well as personal chat! I have time carved out dedicated to that which I don’t for unpaid right now (or ever will tbh). Think of it as a weekly consultation or brand building workshop, dedicated to building YOUR brand rather than just answering generically. If you aren’t willing to invest in your brand, why should I?
Thank you so much for reading and for supporting me and my brands in 2025! This is the year for so much to launch and I’m so proud of everything I am creating. It truly is my best work yet. I hope you love it too. There is one that I have never mentioned before (though there were tons of hints sprinkle sprinkled around online lol 🔑🔑🔑) that I just secretly launched that I am particularly excited for. This has a lot of things brewing with it that’s super interactive, especially one new foray I will be entering online that I’ve never done before, as well as a hub for Hospitality. Can you guess what it is? :-)
I’ll see you next week! In the meantime, take care of yourself, and follow me on Instagram: @shannonsommelier 💋
xx sSs
PS - if you like posts like these, be sure to subscribe. These brand building posts won’t be free for long. I’m doing it free for now to give a taste of what to expect and as an “I’m sorry!” For being so MIA for months. Believe me when I say life was chaos and I’ll be totally okay not having that chaos again anytime soon.
Re: seasoned content creator* — don’t let me being small fool you. I’ve been creating online now publicly for over a decade now and I’ve been there through all the changes. I’m small now by choice (for now) which I can talk about “firing my audience” in a future (paid) post - I wanted to get rid of them even though I was over 10K.
Another rule I live by in content creation, and especially as I get older, I completely stand by: “the people you know don’t matter”, more times than not, the people you knew prior to starting online aren’t supporting your brand, they’re just monitoring and treating it like Facebook. Your true audience and your best supporters, I promise you, you don’t know them personally. You’ll get to know them through your brand. In fact, that’s why it’s so important to create so you CAN get to know THEM or else you never would. It’s what makes the internet so amazing. THEY are the ones that matter.
I’d even argue the people you know personally that don’t support your brand but watch your every move (never miss a story!) aren’t supporters, they’re opps. Sure, it may up your following number & your engagement, however it’s not a positive number but a negative one. For years, both myself and my brands were not treated with the love & respect we both deserved, especially in real life. Therefore, I chose to fire my audience, and if we’re being honest, I loved torching that bridge.
Now those I knew no longer know me. Instead, they can get to if they want through my brands, just like everyone else, and it opens up space for the new, who I truly can’t wait to get to know better. Funny enough, in a plot twist I never saw coming, the past year on Instagram has been completely restorative (especially during the chaos that was 2024) which I will talk about in another future paid post. To new beginnings!