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This intensive workbook details the steps many beauty entrepreneurs rush through or skip -- the steps required to take to prime yourself for maximum success potential. By diligently working through this book, you’ll prime yourself for success by unearthing your one-of-a-kind greatness and applying your unique offerings to your brand identity.

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Does the thought of investing thousands of dollars for a copywriter make you hesitate -- even a little? If your answer is YES, I know why. It’s NOT because you can’t afford it. (You’re starting your own business -- you can afford to hire creative professionals.) Hiring a professional copywriter is scary because somewhere in the back of your mind, you know your brand isn’t ready to launch into success. You’re worried that you’ll spend a good chunk of your savings and it will be a complete waste if your brand fails. You think to yourself: “I’m not a writer, but I can just do it myself… I know my brand the best, right?” “Maybe I can find an ‘affordable’ copywriter instead and hope for the best.” (Think about it this way: if you were super-confident you’d succeed, you’d hire a professional copywriter in a heartbeat.) Every year, hundreds of beauty and health entrepreneurs come to me seeking my writing services.

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When I’m approached, one of three things happen: #1. I love what they’re doing with their brand and I jump on board (because they’re clearly prepared). #2. The entrepreneur runs for the hills when they learn professional copywriting (the kind that gets you profits) is a lot more expensive than they’re “ready” for. #3. I turn down the entrepreneur because they clearly haven’t done the homework on branding to prime their brand for success. Let’s talk about #3. Of all the new beauty brands I’ve consulted with, I’ve been able to predict with 98% accuracy which one stands a chance in the ultra-competitive beauty and health market. This is why I’ve only worked with companies like Kopari Beauty (Google them, they’re all over the place now!) when approached by a brand-new entrepreneur. When the founder of Briogeo first approached me, I knew with near certainty they’d succeed (they’re now the fastest-growing hair brand at Sephora). I can tell if someone has truly thought about their brand and where it will stand in the market and how they will tell their story to get customers excited.

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But most entrepreneurs don’t do this. Not nearly enough. And if they do, it’s hasty. It’s not clear what makes their brand worth checking out. They aren’t offering anything different or better than their competitors. They think saying “our products are more effective” or “our products are healthier” is enough. (It’s not.) Their design screams “Amateur!!!” Their design does not match their brand personality at all. Many people simply rush (or skip) the process of truly thinking through key foundational pieces because they’d rather quickly create product, slap on a label and call themselves a beauty entrepreneur. (I totally understand this impatience, but this impatience costs you -- BIG TIME.) And even if entrepreneurs go through a branding process, it’s too vague and not tailored at all to the beauty market. I don’t work with these entrepreneurs because I don’t want to charge them when I know they don’t stand a chance. I don’t want to play a part in wasting their time or money. Instead, I tell them to seriously work on their branding and come back when it’s truly ready to succeed and go viral.

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(Those who do so properly are 100% confident their brand will make a footprint and have absolutely no hesitation working with a copywriter to make their brand soar!) So this leads to the question… Want to be the next GlamGlow, Urban Decay or beautyblender? Yes, I thought so! Beauty entrepreneurs can ENVISION what they want their products to DO, how they want their products to LOOK and, of course, how life would be if their brand was wildly successful, but oftentimes skip the most vital part of the process to ensure success: figuring out the part of their branding that will make them stand out in the beauty world. In this workbook, you will make sure your brand is primed for success by figuring out how to tailor your branding to this ultra-competitive industry. Who will be teaching you? Me, Sarah Ban. You’ll be getting agency advice you can’t afford with a beauty and health marketing expert. I’ve worked with both start-up entrepreneurs and global brands, such as Kevyn Aucoin Beauty, Cover FX, IMAGE Skincare, Dose of Colors, Dr. Pimple Popper, Conscious Coconut, Kopari Beauty, C.O. Bigelow,

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Seaweed Bath Co. and Odacité Luxury Skincare. (Note: all these brands? Succeeding!) I’ll also be referring you to other expert’s sites, articles and resources -- just like I would if we were on a one-on-one consultation. (Why waste time recreating the amazing resources already out there?)

Who’s this workbook for? Beauty entrepreneurs, start-ups or small businesses ready to get it right this time. This workbook is perfect if you’re an entrepreneur starting a brand-new beauty brand, whether you’re idea is still in conception, in the pre-product development phase or already launched -- but still need help navigating the complex and competitive world of beauty to maximize success. (Pssst! I will be referring to beauty throughout, but this workbook works just as well for health and wellness brands.)

WHAT TO EXPECT *** IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ ***

This is the workbook to complete before you invest in professional copywriting, graphic design, web development or other expensive services from agencies. This workbook does NOT cover visual branding. We talk about looking at your brand from the inside out to determine its identity, which will guide all your content and copy.

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Prior to approaching any of these professionals, YOU need to have a clear picture of what YOUR brand is so you can efficiently direct people on how to make your vision come to life -- and then succeed and potentially become a household name. This workbook is useful even if you’ve already filled out branding worksheets (including things like target audience, mission/vision and voice). Think of this workbook as me, looking through your branding docs, and honing in on what will make you succeed in the beauty market. This is *not* an audio or video. It’s an intensive workbook. The workbook cuts through the noise and details only the most important elements you should carefully consider to create success for your brand. This workbook gets to the point. No fluff, no fillers. I don’t buy into the “longer the content, the better” idea. You’re an entrepreneur and your time is valuable. Your time is money. I created this workbook so you can avoid being a full-time student. I built it so you can receive the most actionable tips (the ones I’d give my one-on-one clients) -- then have the time to go actually take action and make magic happen. There are some essential decisions you need to make before you even approach an agency. I get to the most important aspects of setting your beauty brand up for success. Think of this workbook as an in-depth consultation.

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I’m not here to reinvent the wheel. I will direct you to various resources from other experts if they’re already offering something I find useful to you. This is not an overnight success pill. Your input, and many other factors, contribute to your output.

Lessons 1. Getting Started: Why Figuring All This Out Matters

• Why you need to take a step back and think about your brand -- even if nobody else seems to care about it.

• What is a brand anyway? • Why should you take the time to figure out your brand

identity? • Building your focus group

2. Your Brand’s Mission and Vision + Brand Promise, Purpose and Values

• How do you break down your brand’s mission and vision? • What’s the difference between your brand purpose, promise

and values? • Why is it important to determine all these elements? • How do you incorporate these elements into your copy and

content? 3. Brand Voice, Essence & Personality

• What’s the difference between your brand essence and personality?

• Is your voice coming from the brand or the founder?

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• How do you determine your brand’s unique voice? • How do you make your customers feel the way you want them

to feel when they experience your brand? 4. Your Unique Value Proposition (The Thing That’ll Make You Go Viral)

• What exactly about your brand will make people pay attention?

• How do you stack up against competitors (the ones who have more marketing dollars and followers)?

• How do you stand out against competitors even though your offerings might be super similar?

• What aspects of your product offerings should you highlight to intrigue customers?

• What is the unique Positioning Statement you can splash all over your communications?

5. Your Superfan Avatar

• Who is your biggest beauty superfan? Why does this matter? • What are your superfan’s pain points, beliefs and attitudes? • What are your superfan’s fears and what makes her resist

buying? • What influences your superfan into buying products like yours? • What makes your superfan ultimately buy from you? • Is your superfan informed, afflicted or oblivious?

BY PURCHASING THIS WORKBOOK YOU ARE AGREEING NOT TO DUPLICATE OR SHARE THIS CONTENT.

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1 Getting Started: Why Figuring This All Out

Matters

• Why you need to take a step back and think about your brand -- even if nobody else seems to care about it.

• What is a brand anyway? • Why should you take the time to figure out your brand

identity? • Building your focus group

Welcome! You’re a busy, busy beauty boss and you got no time to waste. So let’s get started. First, let me remind you what you’ll get out of this workbook. By the end of this workbook, you will know how to set yourself up for success by differentiating yourself, so beauty customers—who are already staunchly loyal to existing brands and are inundated with a flock of new ones—instinctively understand why you’re worth paying attention to and spending their precious dollars on. Second, congratulations are in order! Not only are you a taking the plunge into becoming a successful beauty brand owner, but you’re

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also taking the time to do it right! Now THAT’S what separates the uber-successful from everyone else. Before we get into the nitty gritty, I want to quickly explain why this workbook is important, vital, necessary, foundational if you’re at all interested in your brand becoming a household name. As a beauty copywriter, I consult with a whole lot of entrepreneurs who create new skin care, cosmetics, hair care and personal care products as well as health products like beauty supplements and wellness programs. A lot of the time, they’ve downloaded worksheets to create various marketing or brand briefs of sorts. They got their target persona down. They got their mission down. To my shock, some people don’t even do that! They’ve already created a logo and a website because they can’t wait to get their products out into the world, become a #beautyboss and make money and communities of raving fans. Plus, creating your visuals and products and formulas is the fun part, right? Big mistake. Even when beauty entrepreneurs come with a brand brief in hand, 99% of the time, I cannot tell what makes them special, or more importantly, why any customer would choose them instead of, say, the thousands of competitors out there already kicking butt.

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When I read these brand briefs (along with their logo, website, packaging and Instagram feeds), I can’t tell how they’re disrupting the market. When I ask these well-meaning entrepreneurs what makes them distinctive and disruptive, the most common answers are: “I created this skincare collection because I had skin problems and had trouble finding something that would work for me, so I made it myself.” “We’re not only natural/organic but our products actually work!” “I really put a lot of thought into my formulations and chose only the best ingredients.” “I’m an esthetician, and my skincare line is based on years of dealing with real people’s skin issues.” “Our makeup products are highly pigmented and they’re made of only minerals so they’re safe, too.” “We’re all about transparency and high quality.” I can easily think of upwards of 10, 20 or 30 brands who already fulfill each of these roles. Natural and organic and effective? Ever heard of Tata Harper, Vintner’s Daughter or May Lindstrom? Put a lot of effort into sourcing the best ingredients? Ever heard of Drunk Elephant or Odacité?

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Highly pigmented and mineral makeup? Ever heard of Bare Escentuals or RMS Beauty? You get the picture! And these guys already have the marketing dollars (and press love) to get their message across—faster and more efficiently than the fledgling entrepreneur. As a start-up, you’re competing against big brands who’ve already established themselves and enjoy loyal customers and profits. This is why you have to find a smart, clever and authentic way to differentiate. And it all starts with solid brand-building process. WHAT IS A BRAND? There are many ways to describe what a brand is. Sometimes it’s best to explain things in multiple ways to get your point across, so here are a few definitions: According the American Marketing Association, a brand is the "name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller's goods or service as distinct from those of other sellers." According to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, “Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room." According to Hubspot, your brand includes “what your brand says, what its values are, how you communicate its concepts, and which

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emotions you want your customers to feel when they interact with your business.” Ultimately, your brand is what your CUSTOMER thinks of your business. Let me repeat: it’s what your CUSTOMER thinks of you—not what YOU think of you. So let me ask you: Does your brand appropriately convey what you want your customer to think of you? (Do you even know what it is you want them to think?) Does your customer know for what aspect or benefit they should choose you over another business? Does your customer feel incredibly compelled to keep in touch with you or buy your product simply by looking at it? Do your customers instantly know why they should choose you over all those brands at Ulta, Sephora, The Detox Market or Whole Foods, over all those brands splashed on the pages of Allure, Glamour and Marie Claire? If you don’t have a confident answer to these questions, you will soon! Let’s move on...

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BUILDING YOUR FOCUS GROUP While you’re working through this workbook, start thinking about where you can find candidates for your focus group, which will comprise at least 10 people who most closely fit your Superfan Avatar profile (Lesson 5). Once you complete this workbook, you’ll want to take the various messages you come up with—such as mission, vision, brand purpose, promise, values, positioning statement and more—and share it with them. The focus-group candidates will provide feedback and initial impressions, which is key. You don’t need to survey your focus group all at the same time. In fact, hopping on the phone or video chat with each individual is the most ideal scenario—that way the person feels more comfortable sharing their thoughts (without the influence of other people). Some places to find focus-group participants include: • Facebook groups • Forums • Personal social networks • Networking events

Start sleuthing them out now so you have a group to survey as soon as you’re done!

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2 Your Brand’s Mission and Vision + Brand Promise,

Purpose and Values

• Why is it important to determine all these elements? • How do you break down your brand’s mission and vision? • What’s the difference between your brand purpose, promise

and values? • How do you incorporate these elements into your copy and

content? Now let’s get straight to it. In this lesson, we’re going to dig into your brand’s mission and vision as well as brand promise, purpose, and values. For simplicity, here’s how we’re going to break it down: Behind-the-scenes statements (for you and your team): • Mission • Vision

Front-and-center statements (for everyone, including customers, to see): • Brand Promise • Brand Purpose

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• Brand Values Before you get confused, yes, you can absolutely share your mission and vision with the public, but for this workbook we’re going to approach these two as statements that help drive your content behind the scenes. You might think your mission and vision are quite obvious. After all, you know in your heart why you started the company and you can imagine clearly where you want it to go. But you need to look at it through a slightly different lens if you’re diving into the competitive beauty world. Although your mission and vision might not exactly be displayed smack dab in the center of your homepage, it’s important to get these principles right the first time so your brand story is built around it. Diligently building these statements will set the stage for all your copy and content to revolve around. Remember, you want people to talk about your brand a certain way. When they talk to their friends about your brand, they’re also sharing your mission, vision and values without even knowing it. This message is what spreads, so it’s imperative you figure out what it is now. This is why it’s vital that your mission and vision don’t blend in with everyone else’s. We don’t want something broad or vague or overdone or overused. Nobody wants to share something everyone already knows.

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Let’s start with your mission and vision statements. MISSION STATEMENT Your mission statement is WHAT you’re doing and HOW you’re doing it. Your website and all communications need to have context that builds the story around this mission statement. “Our mission is to provide customers with the safest yet most effective skin care available” has been said before and, on its own, potential customers won’t be compelled by it. Neither is: “Our products are just as effective as their conventional counterparts but ours are pure, natural and organic.” (This would’ve worked back in 2000, but not so much anymore.) Your mission statement doesn’t have to be serious or even overly specific. Focus on it being memorable, inspiration, authentic and of course, differentiating. Start by asking yourself these questions: Who are you serving? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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What are the specific needs of this customer that you’re solving? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How does your company address these needs? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Why do customers buy from you and not your competition? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Now put these all together. For example, I worked with a skincare brand that provide products that were so gentle you could share them with your children. Plus, they had all sorts of crazy newfangled technologies in their formulas. Their mission statement was:

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“Our mission is to provide busy mothers with technology-forward skin care they can trust by providing formulas that are visibly impactful for them and their children. For families that bond stronger, feel safer and look fresher.” Here’s the mission statement for NARS cosmetics: “At the heart of NARS Cosmetics is François Nars’ mission to empower women to experiment and have fun with makeup by teaching them how to enhance their natural beauty and individual characteristics. The philosophy is iconoclastic: François believes there are no rules when it comes to beauty. “NARS has the ability to be many things to many people: a stylish accessory, a guilty pleasure, or a makeup wardrobe staple, but it’s a certain allure imparted by François Nars that makes NARS a state of mind and a lifestyle brand for the future.” Now answer these questions and write yours: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ VISION STATEMENT Your vision statement describes your goals. It’s where you see your brand in the future.

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When you plan for the future, there’s a lot you can think about. Profits, of course, is one. Landing on shelves of certain retail stores is another. But for branding purposes, I want to focus in on something many people ignore: how your brand will make a footprint in the beauty industry. Think about brands like Glossier, Sunday Riley and Vintner’s Daughter. You might know what they sell, what ingredients they use and other features of each brand, but you can also feel them. Glossier brought accessibility, belonging, youthfulness and coolness to the market. Sunday Riley brought functionality, practicality and sophistication. Vintner’s Daughter brought ultra-minimalism and painstaking diligence to luxury natural skin care. These three brands brought something that completely shifted how beauty is consumed and perceived. Picture your business one year, five years and ten years down the line. How will your brand make a mark in the industry? If your brand is household name, what will customers feel when your brand is mentioned? Ask yourself these questions: What are your top 3-5 top strengths?

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What earth-shaking ideas do you have that have yet to be implemented? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Is there a different way you can start doing something? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you had all the resources in the world, where could your business shine that it isn’t already? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For inspiration on crafting your vision statement, I recommend you read Emily Weiss’s introduction of Glossier to the world. Now write yours! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BRAND PROMISE Simply put, this is what you guarantee to your customers. It’s what they expect of you. Remember you can’t guarantee everything. Be realistic—and creative, bold, credible, simple and clear. You can promise a lot of things, I know. But what’s the promise that will get someone’s attention and keep it? What is the most intriguing? Ask yourself these questions: How will your brand change your customers' lives?

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What can you offer your customers that will bring them relief, satisfaction or joy? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What are your common denominators that always make experiencing your products consistently positive? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Odacité’s promise is simple, but effective: “Made in California with French savoir faire, Odacité marries the best of two worlds: result-driven French skincare and the green California revolution. Efficacy plus purity.”

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Your brand promise can be specific or more general. Consider H&M’s promise: H&M: “More fashion choices that are good for people, the planet and your wallet.” Brainstorm any and all promises and write them all down. Since this is a brain dump, write down all your idea—even if they don’t seem like your best choice. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ After you write down this list, take a step back and wait a few days. Then come back and narrow it down to the ones that you feel are

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truly memorable. Survey people in your focus group to see which one stands out. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BRAND PURPOSE Many times, entrepreneurs weave their purpose into their mission statement. If that’s what you do, that’s fine. But the brand purpose is important enough that it warrants its own separate focus as you strategize. The figure out your brand purpose, the question is quite simple, yet difficult to answer: Aside from making money, why do you exist? The answer isn’t simply in what you do or how you do it (remember that’s the mission statement). It’s a question of how your brand makes meaning in the industry or even the world. This might sound a bit hokey, but it’s a guiding star that will influence all your copy and content later on. Here’s a helpful quote to help you decide: David Packard (of Hewlett-Packard) once explained, “Whereas you might achieve a goal or complete a strategy, you cannot fulfill a purpose; it’s like a guiding star on the horizon—forever pursued but never reached. Yet although purpose itself does not change, it does inspire change.”

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This is Starbucks’ very popular brand purpose: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” Now write down why you exist. What do you want to change in the world? In the industry? For people everywhere? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BRAND VALUES Your values are pretty straightforward. Answer these questions: What does your business stand for? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What are the values you will not compromise on? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is your point of view on certain industry topics and areas of contention? For example, if you’re a natural skincare company, what is your take on essential oils? What is your take on using trace amounts of phenoxyethanol in your formulas? What is your stance on preservatives? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What are the standards you’ve set that you want to be known for? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ APPLY IT! Now that you’ve figured out your statements, combine them into one document and make sure they’re saved and ready to share for anyone who comes in to help build your brand, whether that’s a copywriter, visual branding strategist, graphic designer or blogger.

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3 Brand Voice, Essence &

Personality

• What’s the difference between your brand essence and personality?

• Is your voice coming from the brand or the founder? • How do you determine your brand’s unique voice? • How do you make your customers feel the way you want them

to feel when they experience your brand? Now that you’ve locked down what your brand stands for and why it exists, let’s turn to another critical component—one that your fans will instantly feel anytime they see, read or hear you—your brand’s essence, voice and personality. These are similar, but not the same. Let’s start with essence. BRAND ESSENCE Some people call is brand essence, others call it “brand attributes.” Either way, this describes the intangible emotions and feelings your customers experience when they interact with your brand. It’s your brand’s “heart and soul.”

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You probably already feel in your bones what your brand’s essence is, but think about it more strategically by focusing on your target customer (a.k.a. Superfan Avatar, which you can learn about in Lesson 5). Remember your brand isn’t about what you want and like, it’s about what your CUSTOMERS want and like. What speaks to them? Start by answering the below questions. I’ll start by asking broader questions then get to the more specific: How do you want your brand to come off to your customers? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How does your brand make customers feel when they see you? How about when they hear or read you? List their emotional reactions. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How do your customers feel after they’ve used your product? How about while they’re using the product?

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BRAND PERSONALITY Your brand essence is what your customers feel when they experience your brand. Your brand personality is how your brand communicates with them. Have you ever been able to get the essence of a person without even speaking to them? Most likely. You can tell by their movements, clothing, facial expressions and other things about them. But you’ll never precisely know their personality and character unless you speak to them and develop a relationship with them. The same concept applies here. Describe your brand as a person. Who are her likes? What are her dislikes? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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What kinds of things does she often say? In other words, what are your brand’s “mantras”? Ex: “We’re all about having fun and being quirky, but we love smart and capable people.” What are 5 words to describe your brand? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Once you have a list from the above, split them up: What are the professional words that describe your brand and what are the emotional words? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BRAND VOICE Your brand personality is how you communicate with your customers. Your brand voice is how you sound. Before getting into that specifically, there’s one thing a lot of entrepreneurs don’t consider when they begin developing their copy and content and that is, is your brand represented by your founder

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(or another spokesperson) or the brand? In other words, who exactly is talking to the customer? The former would mean that the majority of your written communications would come directly from your founder, using “I.” The latter means the brand itself is talking to the customer, usually using “we.” Don’t worry, a lot of times, people opt for a mix of the two. Hawaii-based natural skincare brand Mahalo, for instance, typically sends out e-newsletters from the founder, but most of their website comes from the brand. While the website is packed with information the customer wants (such as information about their ingredients), the e-newsletters give you the feeling that you’re supporting a small family business and that the founder is truly passionate about her elixirs. For many eponymous beauty brands, or if the founder is famous, they’ll have their copy and content come directly from the founder (although that’s not necessarily always the case). To make this decision, simply ask yourself: What are the potential benefits of having certain communications come from the founder directly? Consider these: • Home page:

_________________________________________ • About page:

_________________________________________ • Product pages:

_________________________________________

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• Newsletter: _________________________________________

• Blog: _________________________________________

• Social media: _________________________________________

• Advertisements: _________________________________________

• Videos: _________________________________________

Now we’ll move onto the actual voice. Answer these questions: What are the words and phrases we love to use? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What are the words and phrases we don’t love (and are banned from all our copy)? What are the alternate brand-appropriate ways to say this? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is your “language”? For example, are you academic/scientific? Sophisticated? Playful? Do you have dry humor? Are you serious? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Who do you want your customers to feel like is talking to them when they read or hear your communications? For example, “Our customers will feel like they’re talking to their smart older sister who’s a credentialed expert on the subject.” _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ APPLY IT! After figuring all this out, create a document that outlines the responses to your questions about voice, attributes and personality so everyone and anyone that works for your brand will know how to

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communicate on your behalf. You want all your content and copy to be consistent, so this is key!

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4 Your Unique Value

Proposition (The Thing That’ll Make You Go Viral)

• What exactly about your brand will make people pay

attention? • How do you stack up against competitors (the ones who have

more marketing dollars and followers)? • How do you stand out against competitors even though your

offerings might be super similar? • What aspects of your product offerings should you highlight to

intrigue customers? • What is the unique Positioning Statement you can splash all

over your communications? For many new beauty brands, this is the biggest struggle. But it’s totally worth it. It’s grave to skip this step, or to do it in haste. By going through this long process, you’ll be much better equipped to tailor all your content and copy to create powerful touch points that make you stand out above the brimming pot of options customers have to choose from.

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We’re going to start by considering your top competition so you can bear them in mind throughout this process. COMPETITION First thing’s first: do not copy your competition. I don’t mean to sound like your high-school English teacher warning you about plagiarism, but this happens a lot with entrepreneurs who are motivated by the success of another brand. I can’t tell you how many people come to me requesting to be just like another brand. Using competition as inspiration is great, but straight-up attempting to be just like them is not. Your customers will notice! Moving on... Many entrepreneurs come to me with lists of brands they like. That’s not necessarily what we’re looking for here. We’re looking for brands that customers will most likely buy from instead of you. This means you want to consider brands that are not only selling similar products, but are also selling in similar retail stores and to similar target consumers. Now think about the beauty landscape. Who do you consider your top competition? Why? Try to find three that are the most relevant to you. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Now we’ll perform a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats: Strengths: Characteristics of the brand that give it an advantage over others. Weaknesses: Characteristics that place the brand at a disadvantage relative to others. Opportunities: Elements that the brand could exploit to its advantage. Threats: Elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the brand. Now fill in the SWOT sheet to the best of your ability. STRENGTHS (+) YOUR

COMPANY COMPETITOR -A-

COMPETITOR -B-

COMPETITOR – C-

SUPERIOR QUALITIES

BEST REVENUE SOURCES

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CORE COMPETENCIES

OVERALL ADVANTAGES

WEAKNESSES (–)

INCOMPETENCIES

SOURCES OF REVENUE LOSS

RESOURCE DEFICITS

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

EXTERNAL FACTORS

OPPORTUNITIES (+) OUR COMPANY

COMPETITOR -A-

COMPETITOR -B-

COMPETITOR -C-

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TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

EVOLVING CUSTOMER NEEDS

MARKET VOIDS

FAVORABLE TRENDS

THREATS (–)

OBSTACLES

ECONOMIC CLIMATE

MARKET SHIFTS

AREAS OF VULNERABILITY

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PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION Now let’s get granular. We want to obsessively dig into your products—including formula and packaging—and figure out what aspect of them will make your brand pop. Answer as many of these questions as possible (the only ones you should skip if it’s redundant to a previous question). The point of this exercise is to unearth as many differentiating factors as possible. First, let’s explore the physical product itself: What are your products’ features and benefits? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Which benefit is most important to the customer? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How will your product speak for itself?

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What technologies does your product compete against? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What are the applications of your product? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What problems does your product solve in the marketplace? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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How does your product work? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How reliable is your product? How long will it last? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How efficient is your product? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How economical? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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How much does it cost? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Is it easy to use? Easy to maintain? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Who has tried your product and what do they say about it? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What materials, sizes and models is it available in? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Now onto bigger-picture questions: What is problem your ideal customer needs solving? Ex: “Our products serve people who…” _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What about your products keeps customers coming back for more? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How is your product similar to other competing brands? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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How will you communicate this? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How is the product different from the competition’s? (Which features are exclusive, which are better?) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If the product isn’t different, what attributes can be stressed that haven’t been stressed by the competition? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What do people NOT know already? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If your brand disappeared tomorrow, what would the market be missing? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How are you different? What hasn’t been done before that you’re doing? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Why do your customers trust you? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How does your product make customers’ lives easier?

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How does your product fit into a customer’s lifestyle? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ APPLY IT! Now that you know a lot more about your competition, where you stand relative to them, and how your brand is one of a kind, let’s put together a positioning statement. Fill in the below. I provided an example in italics. WHAT: The only organic Australian skincare brand HOW: that features high concentrations of dermatologist-approved ingredients proven to work by clinical studies WHO: for women with ultra-sensitive, aging skin WHERE:

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in Australia and the U.S. WHY: who want the most visibly effective anti-aging regimen WHEN: at a time when there are more options than ever, including ingredients that are too harsh and damaging for sensitive skin or too gentle to create tangible results. If you’re thinking the above positioning statements sounds a bit boring or stiff, that’s where your brand voice and personality come in handy. Try writing the boring version first if it helps, then change it up so it matches your brand voice better (or eventually hire an copywriting expert to do it). Now it’s your turn: WHAT: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ HOW: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHO: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHERE:

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHY: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHEN: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This positioning statement should be the basis of your communications. It’s what will get your customers to consider, engage and eventually buy. Blast it on your website, your social media and all your content and copy!

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5 Your Superfan Avatar

• Who is your biggest beauty superfan? Why does this matter? • What are your superfan’s pain points, beliefs and attitudes? • What are your superfan’s fears and what makes her resist

buying? • What influences your superfan into buying products like yours? • What makes your superfan ultimately buy from you? • Is your superfan informed, afflicted or oblivious?

If you’re remotely considering a new beauty brand, you’ve most likely started crafting your avatar (also known as ideal customer profile or target audience). In fact, chances are you’ve already created one! That’s excellent! Either way, I’ve provided my own worksheet so you can fill in any other details you might’ve missed the first time around. As a bonus, I’ve included examples from a successful indie skincare brand I’ve worked with to keep your mind beauty-oriented. For those of you who are new to this, let me briefly explain what I’m talking about here. You absolutely cannot build a brand without digging deep into your superfan avatar’s mind. I’m preaching to the choir at this point, but your customer is the hero of your story -- not you. After all, they are the ones with the pain point you’re solving and they are the ones who will determine your brand’s success or failure. So you need to know where they’re

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coming from—everything from how old they are and their innermost beliefs to their shopping habits and what keeps them up at night. That way, you know exactly how to speak to them. And you’re going to get very specific by honing in on one single person, whether this person is imaginary or not. As they say, “if you’re talking to everyone you’re talking to no one.” You need to create this profile for one person because this person represents the customer that will become your biggest fan—the person who buys you from like clockwork, engages with you on social media and raves about your products to all their friends. Note: you can have multiple superfan avatars. But if you’re brand spankin’ new, start with one for the sake of simplicity and to maintain focus. Make sense? Let’s get started: (All my examples are in italics.) DEMOGRAPHICS OF IDEAL CUSTOMER First, name your ideal customer. Ideal Customer’s Name: Bethany · Age: 33 · Gender: Female · Marital Status: Married · Children: None, but eventually wants one or two · Personal Income: $100,000

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· Household Income: $180,000 · Education: Bachelor’s degree · Geographic Area: Los Angeles · Occupation: Director of marketing for jewelry brand WANTS, NEEDS & BEHAVIOR Main skincare problem and need: She’s starting to worry about wrinkles, but her skin is super-sensitive. She’s had terrible reactions to skincare products in the past, which has made her skin all the more sensitive. She’s seen her mother and grandmother developed sagging skin and deep wrinkles with age and she wants to do her best to avoid the same fate. Expectations of the type of product you sell: She expects the product to show results right away as well as over the long term. She expects the formulas to contain science-based ingredients--without unnecessary fillers. She expects the product to be super-gentle on her skin but she needs to feel like the formula is working just as powerfully as retinol or a doctor-approved brand. Spending ability and what products she would buy: She is willing to spend $100+ on a product that produces results, notably serums and eye creams. Products that enhance her experience by pleasant scents and textures and even beautiful packaging She is willing to pay more for natural formulas, but doesn’t believe her skincare products need to be 100% natural or organic as long as there aren’t any ingredients that have been proven to cause health issues per scientific studies. She will invest in other products but probably less than $100+, including moisturizers and body products. Even less for cleansers, toners, exfoliators and masks.

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What would keep her from purchasing?: A product that doesn’t look pretty and sophisticated If she was concerned about the effectiveness and science behind the formula FOMO: if she thinks there are better anti-aging products out there, especially those that were dermatologist formulated or clinically backed by scientific studies Purchasing motivation: Remove problem or increase pleasure? Remove a problem · Remove symptoms of sensitivity · Remove symptoms of aging PERSONALITY Bethany is very intelligent and also intuitive. She can spot false advertising or exaggerations quickly and conducts her own research to maximize her chances of choosing skincare products that are effective and gentle for her. She’s loyal -- until she isn’t. Bethany enjoys the comfort of routine so if something is working for her, she’ll stick with it for a while. However, if she spots another product that might provide more benefits she’ll look into it. Bethany is independent and does not follow trends. She does not care about following celebrity red-carpet looks nor the latest technologies in skin care. All she cares about is what works for her super-sensitive skin. She like to look good and considers it a form of self-expression and self-care. She spends money on staple items she thinks elevates her appearance, including clothing and home decor items. She believes higher-priced items generally deliver better results.

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Bethany wants to be perceived as a beautiful, put-together, cosmopolitan and smart woman. She is, at the same time, approachable and a great conversationalist. LIFESTYLE Bethany spends her work days focused on her busy job, but she is always appears polished and elegant. At nights, she either picks up takeout, has food delivered from Sakara or goes out to a mid-scale or upscale restaurant catch up with one of her friends. During weekends, Bethany takes time to relax. She makes sure she spends lots of time to herself, particularly on Sundays when she takes a bath and drinks a glass of expensive wine. Bethany is somewhat of a socialite on weekends. She regularly attends parties, art gallery openings and bar festivities. She has a close circle of five friends, but has a much wider network of acquaintances. BELIEFS & ATTITUDES ABOUT BEAUTY Bethany believes that she deserves nice things for all her hard work. She believes that taking care of your skin makes you look more attractive. Bethany rarely goes out with friends without some level of makeup. She always goes to work with a full face of makeup.

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She believes physical appearance does affect how successful you are, in both professional and social realms. GOALS (AS IT PERTAINS TO YOUR PRODUCT CATEGORY) Her skincare goals are to have balanced, strong, healthy, radiantly youthful skin. She wants people to compliment her on her skin and ask her for advice. LOGIC VS. EMOTIONS: HOW DOES SHE SHOP? She buys more from logic · She researches ingredients and product lines · She does not automatically trust claims on products; is generally aware of how marketing/psychology works · She samples products · She is informed and methodical but may impulse purchase when feeling stressed or experiences a moment of low-confidence, like when something goes awry at work. PAIN / PLEASURE POINT, EMOTIONAL STATES What keeps her up at night in relation to your product? · Not aging gracefully. She accepts and even embraces the fact that she will look older, but she doesn’t want to look like her mother/grandmother, whose skin look sun-damaged and saggy. What is she worried or frustrated about?

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· She goes back and forth on when to have children. She enjoys her current life, but fears that she won’t be able to maintain her physical appearance if she has kids. · She is unsure how much more time she has to achieve her dreams, like traveling to other parts of the world. · Since there are so many skincare choices available now, she is always wondering if there’s something better than what she’s currently using. What has failed her? · Expensive beauty products that did not work · Bad skin care advice from friends, family, sales people, estheticians What is her voice? How is she talking about herself and her life? · Generally positive and grateful · Some insecurity and emotional pain about losing youth, beauty, realization of her own mortality. · Open and honest about skincare concerns, treatments (e.g. lasers, Botox, peels) WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR SUPERFAN Where do they research their skincare? · Well + Good · Online beauty publications, such as Byrdie, Charlotte’s Book and Violet Grey (with writers who are journalists) · Peer reviews, such as reviews on Sephora.com · Spas and salons, estheticians, derms (during visits) Who and where do they NOT consult for advice? · Blogs that belong to regular people/enthusiasts

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· Generic news sites like NYT, LA Times, Huffington Post, Washington Post Normative Group influence · She wants to meet the beauty expectations of people in her reference groups · She will consider purchasing products that she believes will aid her in that Informational reference group influence · She does take into account the opinions and experiences of people in her reference groups when making skincare decisions, but ultimately she will rely on her own judgment, experience and knowledge Social media presence and intention · Instagram: Bethany is most active on IG, where she follows many skincare brands to stay on top of new launches · Pinterest: She browses just once a week, primarily for new fashion and home decor ideas Where they shop online · Sephora · Nordstrom Where they retail shop · Sephora, Barneys, Space NK, Fred Segal, department stores, small independent luxury retailers · Spas, derms, wellness centers, medical wellness spas

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HOW/WHERE DOES SHE WANT TO PURCHASE PRODUCT? · She will shop online to research and explore products, and purchase online as well them to save time and effort · However, she will go to a brick-and-mortar store when she has a moment to spend time on her own. If she finds something she likes there, she will buy it right away instead of searching online for a cheaper price. · She is busy and efficient. She wants an easy, direct, simple, attractive online experience. Customers: 3 levels of knowledge · Tier 1: Knows about ingredients, product features/specs (e.g. She is aware that active ingredients need to be packaged properly; knows what “oxidation” is) · Tier 2: Knows what they want (such as something that makes them look younger), but don’t know what’s best · Tier 3: Don’t care (e.g. uses what’s given to them or low priced/accessible items at the drugstore) Bethany belongs in Tier 1. Customers: 3 types of brand relationships · Type 1: Buys all their products from one trusted brand · Type 2: Always looking for latest/newest products · Type 3: Sticks to a few brands; somewhat open Bethany is Type 3. ARE YOUR TARGET CUSTOMERS INFORMED, AFFLICTED, OR OBLIVIOUS?

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· Informed: Already knows about “skincare for sensitive skin” and the problem it solves; just trying to figure out which product is right for them · Afflicted: May not be aware of “skincare for sensitive skin,” but they have a pressing problem and they want to solve it right now · Oblivious: have a problem but they don't see it as a problem—they think it’s just “life" Bethany is informed. APPLY IT! Now that you know all about your superfan, let’s practice talking to her. Pretend she’s asking you the following questions and respond as if you’re speaking directly to her: Superfan: How will your product help me? How will it make me look better? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Superfan: What’s so special about your product? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Superfan: Hmmm, I’m intrigued. But I’ve seen a lot of good results with (insert another competitive product here). How is yours better? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Superfan: Why does it cost this much? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Superfan: How long will it take for me to see results? How long do these results last? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Superfan: Do you understand what I’m going through? Do you have any experiences you can share? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion Remember that focus group I mentioned in Lesson 1? Now that you’ve solidified the various elements of your brand and have developed a stronger identity, it’s time to reach out to people and get their thoughts about them. This is a great way to tweak, reconsider or retool your messaging so it truly speaks to your future superfans. Don’t wait until you feel like you’ve perfected it all – that’s impossible! Start right away and get feedback. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to engage professionals to help bring your beauty brand into reality and launch into success. Congrats and good luck!

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Resources Additional Recommended Reading https://www.interbrand.com/views/a-simplified-philosophy-for-beauty-brands/ https://lombardo.agency/launching-a-new-beauty-product/ https://freethebirds.com/thoughts/post/the-seven-deadly-sins-of-beauty-branding/ https://freethebirds.com/thoughts/post/the-language-of-beauty-the-three-essential-pillars-of-beauty-branding/ https://www.retentionscience.com/blog/how-the-honest-co-and-lush-turned-mission-statements-into-brand-movements/ https://www.synthesio.com/blog/beauty-marketing-strategies-glossier/ https://www.criteo.com/insights/beauty-content-marketing-strategies/ Your Beauty Team: My personal referrals for beauty-industry graphic design, PR, digital marketing/social media professionals. Log in: http://sarahban.com/index.php/beauty-team/ Password: scratchtosuccess