It’s time we get super tactical. You and me? We’re gonna get into the weeds of a photo shoot I had last week (ewww, photo shoots, I KNOW!).

I’m in the middle of preparing for a new project (debuting in February 2024!), and decided that it needed visual branding to uplevel the offer.

All of this sounds good until, like, you realize EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO CREATING VISUAL BRAND IDENTITY.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of what we’re doing to prepare for the launch, but I wanted to share where we’re at—in this exact moment—for the outward-facing marketing.

1. Hire a Designer – We love investing in a GoLive website template (affiliate link), then work with their design team to customize it (totally optional, but we have distinct sales page formatting requests, so we opted for the done-for-you option).

2. Create a Branding Pinterest Board – We limit our selection to 20-25 images (colors, typography, shapes, vibes) so we give the design team a very clear idea of what we envision. We also add notes, clarifying what, specifically, we like about each pin.

3. Create a Posing Pinterest Board – I’ve spent a third of my life behind camera, so when it comes time to pose in front of it, I feel awkward and like my arms and feet are stuck in concrete. I create a board of 30-40 poses, and simply repeat the poses in every new outfit.

4. Book a Photo Venue (or do it at home/in public) – I asked my friend, Lindye Galloway, if I could use her home for the shoot, and simply bribed her with the promise of tacos and margaritas. Win-win.

5. Book a Photographer – Lucky for me, my husband was behind the camera, so here—again—bribery worked well. More tacos!

6. Create the Foundation Copy for Sales Page – When I start any business, I write all sales copy in the beginning. I’m trying to find Product Market Fit, so I lead the way with ideation, vision and Desire/Solution messaging. As my businesses have grown, I’ve expanded into working with copywriters, but I still write the Foundation Copy, where I include lots of details about our Ideal Client, pressure points, aspirations, and key details to include on the sales page. This is a non-negotiable for me.

7. Organize all Content and Send to Design Team – The easier you make it for the design team, the quicker you get a first draft, and higher likelihood that the design is spot on.

We’ve completed all seven steps, so we’re looking forward to seeing the first draft of the website in early January.

This process has taken about two months (mostly because we’re doing a lot of projects right now), but we’ve done it as quick as one month.

Very excited to unveil this new labor of love because I know it’ll radically change how you grow your business in 2024.

To building your visual brand,

j*