I recently had the opportunity to work with Ally Piper, owner of Marketing in Bloom , a marketing company with a unique approach: educating business owners on holistic, do-it-yourself, modern (and fun!) marketing techniques.
Ally explains, “Marketing in Bloom shows small business owners and managers how to plant the seeds of effective marketing plans to grow highly profitable businesses. We provide big picture marketing for small business. But Marketing in Bloom is not a typical marketing company. We empower small business owners with the knowledge to make the right marketing choices. From DIY resources to one-on-one coaching and Done for You marketing services, we help small businesses grow.”
The Challenge:
“I work in the marketing field,” says Ally, “but I always second-guess my own branding and marketing materials. I can never get them perfect enough. When launching our new business, I had numerous questions about how to create a brand that connected with our target market.”
Ally’s parents own a plant nursery, so she’s always loved being surrounded by the fresh and vibrant colors and scents of flowers. While her business name bloomed almost naturally, she just couldn’t get her logo right, even though she knew what look she wanted: a fun and feminine approach, extending her existing metaphors of planting idea seeds and helping other companies grow and flourish.
Ally was particularly frustrated by the absence of brand components, because as a marketing professional, she understands just how important a great logo is to creating a successful enterprise. As business owners, we tend to dive into our business headfirst – and there’s nothing wrong with that – but it often takes time to recognize how beneficial an outside perspective can be.
The Solution:
Ally was ready to ask for help. When we began working together, although having one company under her belt, Ally was just starting up this new venture and had zero brand identity. Plus, she had already hired a graphic designer, but was disappointed with their interpretation of her new business.
While listening carefully to Ally’s story detailing her business inspirations and aspirations, I first noticed that she wanted her business to appeal predominantly to women. So we began by picking out a few shades of feminine purples. Then, we brought the purple to life by adding vibrant and fresh hues of orange and yellow.
To illustrate her floral metaphors (without getting too, well, flowery), I created a simple design of a flower just shy of full bloom that doubles as a neat sprinkling of five long seeds and one round seed.
Ally also wanted her brand to radiate her fabulous idea that marketing can be fun and effective. So we chose to mix a fun, playful font with a more tidy and professional font to tie this idea right into the brand.
Ally says, “Nora was able to listen carefully and translate my vision for my company into a fun and sophisticated brand. She presented only one design…and immediately upon seeing it I knew that a.) I had my logo and b.) Nora really understood my needs. With Nora as my guide we have been able to create materials that connect and inspire our target market.”
The Result:
Take Ally’s word for it: “Don’t try to do everything yourself! Even though I’m capable of creating a brand, Nora’s years of experience working with high-profile brands took our project to an entirely new level. From the first glimpse of my new logo, I felt like seeing it helped me fully understand what I have been creating. Nora’s expertise and ability to really listen to our needs, translated our vision into a powerful brand I was excited to promote. Working with Nora, we have created marketing materials that both utilize our brand and position us as the experts in our field.”
A great big thank you goes out to Ally at Marketing in Bloom for connecting with Spot-On Branding and allowing us to showcase your fantastic brand identity on our very own The Branding Spot blog!
Are you a business owner looking to take a step back and improve your own company or product branding? Contact Spot-On Branding today!