Instead of focusing on what you’re great at (the reason you started your business to begin with), you’re stuck in an endless sea of answering emails, invoicing, working on client projects, and diligently avoiding spoilers for that new Netflix series that, at this rate, you’ll probably never get around to watching.
Your friends and family have told you on more than one occasion that you need to take a break. But you’re like, “What is this elusive ‘break’ you’re referring to? Those don’t exist in my house.”
Finally, you decide it’s time to reach out and grab a lifeline, so you hire your first team member (or your first few contractors) to help you out.
Phew, right?!
Not quite yet…
Like anything else in business, onboarding and delegating to new team members takes strategy and finesse. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself scrambling with thoughts like these…
- HOLY CRAP, how does having extra help result in being busier than ever?!
- So-and-so is so talented, but I’m just not utilizing him/her enough.
- Delegating is hard! It’d be quicker if I just do it myself…
- UGH. Why does it take so long to train someone? There’s no way I can hire more!
- How do I help them better understand my brand so I can cut down on editing time?!
Breathe.
What you need is a brand SourceBook. It’s your single source for upholding your brand standards, and is soooo much more than your visuals.
It’s the key to seamlessly hiring additional team members that actually *get* your brand. They understand your values, your personality, and what makes you and your brand unique.
It’s basically the best possible onboarding tool you could hope to have, addressing all areas of your brand.
Check it out…
Ok, back to the brand SourceBook!
Personality
Regardless of the role you’re hiring for, every single team member needs to understand your brand culture and overall identity. After all, they’re another face of your company, even if they’re in the background (or the backend of your website).
To make your life (and work) easier, you need people who sound and create like you WITHOUT you running behind them, editing everything after the fact. They need to know who you are and who you are NOT, and have a rock-solid idea of what it is that you want to gain from their work.
- Do you want a hands-on experience?
- Do you want your clients to find answers for themselves BEFORE reaching out to you?
- Do you want to show up flawless to your audience, or do you believe in putting your imperfections on display to learn from them?
There are SO many different aspects of your brand identity that your employees need to understand. Your SourceBook will hold their hand through the getting-to-know-you stage so that you don’t have to.
Your SourceBook’s got you covered.
Personality
Idea Enemies
What You’re NOT
Your Unique Strengths
(Pin for later!)
Written Content
Not a copywriter yourself? Welp, then this is one of the most valuable areas to hire a pro. Think about it: copy affects nearly every aspect of your business – your website and branding, your emails, your social presence and ads. From a marketing standpoint, this is generally where the sale comes from, so it’s important to make a great pitch!
Finding the right copywriter for your business isn’t the easiest task in the world; I won’t lie. You need to find someone who really understands your brand and voice, and who can create killer content without requiring too many edits. But trust me, when you find the right writer(s), you’ll be able to consistently put out content that really resonates with your audience, and it’s SO worth it.
Again, the SourceBook’s got your back.
Tone of Voice
What to Avoid
Content Themes
Words to Use
Design
It may seem like a given, but there’s a lot more to design than meets the eye (ha!). Design gives life to the vibe of your brand, it complements your personality, and like the Big Lebowski’s rug, it just really ties the room together, man.
That being said, there are a whole lot of pretty objects out there that aren’t “on brand” for you. If you aren’t a professional designer, it can be easy to get sucked into what’s trending instead of sticking to your guns about what represents YOU and your brand.
A professional designer will help you keep consistency in your branding with decisions like:
- Specific hex codes for your brand colors and where they should be used.
- The style and composition of your images.
- Coloring and saturation levels.
- …and a bunch of other tiny details that all come together to give your brand that beautiful wow-factor.
Luckily, your SourceBook makes it easy for designers to understand your look, covering:
Colors, Fonts, and Patterns
Logo Variations
Image Dos and Don’ts
Client Relations
Wouldn’t it be nice to have less emails to respond to? Wait. Understatement of the year. Let me try that again…
Wouldn’t it be LIFE-CHANGINGLY GLORIOUS to have less emails to respond to? Ahhhh, it feels like I’m on vacation, just thinking about it.
Passing the client correspondence torch is a big deal and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Whoever is in charge of fielding emails and calls is representing your brand and, oftentimes, closing the sale. You need to have a lot of trust in this person, and they need to know what they’re talking about so they can handle ALL THE THINGS on time and on-brand.
Here are some things to consider when hiring for this oh-so-important role:
- What brand standards do you have set?
- Is there a certain period of time that they should be responding to calls/emails in?
- What information do they need to gather from leads and clients?
- When can clients set up a call with you personally?
- Is there an online community in place where they should be accepting and answering questions?
Your SourceBook explains some of your biggest selling points and customer-care habits.
How You’re Different
Point of View
Tone of Voice
Essentially, the SourceBook exists to make everyone’s lives easier – yours and your employees’. With a single source, you eliminate uncertainty around your branding, simplify decision-making, and SIGNIFICANTLY cut down on time spent training and editing. Who knew it was so easy to get everyone on the same page?
