Coaches seem to have stepped up the gears in the past years. I’m seeing more of them take a stronger approach to brand, design and marketing. They’re not just setting up shop, their pushing the boat out to make sure that their seen as a unique operator amongst the crowd.

I started creating logos and then went onto complete corporate idenities from web to print but today we’re performing more and more work for coaches with fully interactive websites accompanied with sub-brands, e-shops and more printed material. The new innovative approach is definitely a step in the right direction but is the motive behind the progression the right resolution. Life coaches know they need a brand presence to step out from the crowd but which route should you take?

Problems of a life coach business.

Coaches always make the statement that each of their clients have very different problems. I’ve learnt that so is every life coach. They each have methods for solving problems and its particular compared to the next coach. The average Joe see life coaching as quite generic but each coach has their own twist, style, methods and resources.

This in fact is a unique selling point and possibly the making of your brand. Every life coach sells the same service but its you that makes your company individual. You’re selling yourself as apart of the service and you have to make sure that you portray some of that character in your brand.

When branding a lifecoach business add a little bit of you inside as well.

Your Target Audience:
Most life coaches I come across deal with this problem in a huge way and it takes some time to figure out the answer. The problem is that they’re trying to attract two audiences under one roof, the corporate clientelle and the public.

The first thing to do is split up the groups into three or four because there’s a hidden couple of groups which emerge from the other two. Its not a corporate customer and its not a member of the public, its the self employed or small business owner. They want to focus their career or personal life but their circumstances don’t quite fit into either of the two. This group sits in between making the whole situation a blur. How should you target these groups?

- Should you have 2-3 brands to target each audience?
- One business with 2-3 sub-brands?
- Or a general appeal to all?

Having 2-3 brands is the best idea allowing you to create separate offerings without confusing the groups and not boring the other two audiences. The public don’t want to know about training courses and communication for profit they want to know how it will affect them personally. The corporate clients don’t want to hear about being happy but profitable.

But what about the middle group of professional individuals? They want to know how to do it all but not on a corporate scale, a personal one.
Having separate brands to target each audience provides a specialist and driven strategy allowing you to market the business effectively, drawing a line between the two with no confusion. This is however the costly option requiring most work from you (managing 2-3 brands, 2-3 firms, and 2-3 services).

The second option of having one brand with two sub-brands is the most approachable strategy for you rather then the client. It’s like the above solution except cheaper and manageable allowing your business to develop in your own time, however it must be done strictly keeping a clear indication of what services are offered to the different audiences. It’s 2-3 brands under a motherbrand, an allround solution which is effective but not as clear as the first one.

The third option is the cheapest but not the best as it confuses the audience. It can work but it must be clear and concise. Once you’ve done that it falls under option 2.

Whatever strategy you take, create a clear message to each audience and keep each service individual. Consider your mother-brand and services then break them down into sub-brands.

Design:
Targeting businesses with services is easier then marketing to the public. Businesses want something in-particular, a sense of professionalism, with clear benefits, results and a relation to their business. The public however are attracted by personal attachment and visual results which is hard to do when you don’t know the person or have a product.

The strategy to solve these problems is sub-grouping for your target audience because as large a variety the public are, they still fall into groups and effective design can target that particular group.

Effectively your packaging each solution and directing it at a particular audience, marketing the benefits and results of your sub-brand even though its still available to a wider audience.

Marketing:
With the above design strategy, marketing becomes simpler. Before you had the problem of attracting 2-3 audiences with one piece of communication, neither swinging here or there but with 2-3 brands focusing on 2-3 audiences you can create 2-3 documents, 1 focusing on each for a stronger and specified message to the recipient.

This leads to 2-3 forms of delivery. The previous distribution was sent to both audiences via the same strategy but can now be separated and delivered specifically to reach each target.

The fact is life coaching is not a tradesman, public body or product which offers visual solutions to a problem but it targets the same general public as a service provider.

The strategy of brand, design and marketing for life coaches is an important one which can solve problems and create its own personal niche in the b2b and b2c sector.

Flyers are a quick and easy way to communicate a message and here’s the best way to design them.

1.)Is it a flyer or a brochure?
First thing to do is figure out whether your sending a mini brochure or a flyer.

Tri-fold brochures are usually more detailed in content and a little more costly. There only really effective when they’ve been requested or searched out. You don’t really want to waste hand them out randomly because such detailed info will be chucked in the bin if not requested. They can be okay for mail drops but not ideal for simply handing out to every stranger on the street.

If its a brochure your designing then read this one instead.

Flyer’s are usually a doublesided A5 card or smaller. These can be used to hand out randomly to the public because they shouldn’t be too detailed. Some big points of sales with vital info is all that’s needed. The first thing they see or read should be enough to make them read more. Write it as if your making a quick statement about whatever it is your announcing.

Look at it this way:
Is your material waiting for the customer – A mini brochure
Is your material looking for the customer – A flyer

2.) The front!
Flyers are usually handed out pretty randomly whether its by a mail drop, by hand or just left somewhere to pick up. Either way a very important factor is the front design. It has to stand out! Your flyer maybe competing with several other flyers for attention.

If its left in a shop you have to visually persuade someone to pick it up amongst all the other flyers there. If its sent in a maildrop it has to stand out in the pile to be looked at. Just because its given by hand it doesn’t mean the recipient is actually going to read it.

The front Pt2 – Content Vs graphics
Do you flood your front with content to make it an informative flyer or make it a graphically enticing flyer (like a postcard).

Make it a stunning postcard! As mentioned its a quick message which has to compete against other flyers. Its a statement which should actively search out the customer. A good image is good enough to make them pick it up and turn over to read. A long paragraph of text is just boring and a waste of time!

3.) The back! Content
Write your content first. This will determine how big your flyer needs to be and what budget you’ll need depending on how big it turns out.

Every half page of text should equal to 1 page of a flyer.

Eg For an single side A5 flyer write A6 page of text

Why?
If you write an A5 sheet of text to go on a A5 size flyer then you may as well just print off an A4 document on word because your not going to fit anything else on there.
Again make it a quick set of statements, easy to read and to the point.

Leave enough room for more images and straplines as they’ll be digested by the recipient.

Put down vital info, hooks to reel them in as well as the call to action.

Do you need an example?
An industry which has thrived upon flyer design is nightclubs. Although they may have no relevance whatsoever to your business, there is something to be learnt form their flyer designs.

They make them visually appealing, with short vital info to make a sale. They rarely use more then two sentences for one paragraph.

They make the statements :

What the event called? – The brand
Who will be there? – Hook 1
Whats the special offer? – Hook 2
Where it will be held? – Make the sale later
How to buy? – Make the sale now

No detailed fancy copy, just the basics and that’s ideally how a flyer should be designed and used. If you want to use more text then rethink how and who to hand the flyers to or create a tri-fold brochure instead.

Examples of great flyer designs:

Subliminal marketing is a technique which uses graphic design elements to communicate a message subconsciously. It uses deep connotations and stereotypes that exist in society to tap into the audiences mind and ultimately reinforce a sale.

Subliminal marketing is a common technique appearing in almost every piece of marketing we see and you’ve probably utilised it yourself (without knowing.)

- When you visit a business based website and see groups of people dressed in suits, smiling, that’s subliminal marketing.

- When you buy a magazine with a pretty airbrushed woman on the cover, that’s subliminal marketing.

- When you see a tv advert for a new car driving through countless empty roads, that’s subliminal marketing.

It comes in every form of media from print to web, packaging, logos and magazines to movies. You could say that it’s graphic design at its best.

It has an old successful history and used on a daily basis with good intentions. We don’t actually take the time to look and study every advert (like the ones above) because there so monotonous and obvious that they’ve become apart of our daily lives but subliminal marketing also has another subliminal level, one where the strategy quietly delves into a taboo subject and questions can be raised.

Subliminal marketing its also:

- A way of targeting someone you wouldn’t normally advertise to.

- A way of surpassing obvious immoral associations whilst your are actually making those associations with the brand

You may not notice the controversial implications made because they were far too subtle or they weren’t targeted at you but more often then not, they are there. In these cases it can create conspiracy theories, controversy and intrigue. The clever design and strategy can be a form of subliminal marketing itself, making viewers seek out the advert and actually ask themselves “Is the subliminal element actually there?”

Maybe the human mind works too hard, maybe it was a just a coincidence, or maybe not.
Judge for yourself with the advert below.

Example:

Captain Morgan Rum – Print Advert in the 1990’s

First Glance:

This is an advert I found pretty much at random (American music magazine) because it looked like it had room for discussion and it does have much more impact in reality, printed on a glossy A4 sheet. At first glance it seems like a great photo of your typical bar scene with great graphical design. It was placed in magazine with over 100 pages and at least 50 of them were adverts so the idea is that the reader will casually skip from page to page taking a quick glance at the advert before moving on. All the elements suggest that Captain Morgan means “Good Times”.

On a subliminal level -

Is it just me or is the whole advert just a little sinister!
If your were to specifically take out Captain Morgan and his hat, the advert would have a different (happier and casual) feel but the branded elements themselves bring in an eerie approach.

Captain Morgan – Clearly drawn and positioned to look devious:

- Smothered in Red
- Devilish goatee, moustache and eyebrows.
- Peering downwards from the top
- Hiding behind the page
- Ripping down the page
- Devilish grin
- Voyeuristic
- Entering the real world and temptingly holding the bottle in an almost pouring gesture
- Looks like Hook
- Wearing a pirate bandanna (criminal)

Red hat

- Placed on the lady not the men (Targeting ladies, or is it?)
- Not drawn in, its real but not in the original photo, it has been superficially placed there afterwards (no shadow round the
back of her head, no affect of the hat on the ladies hair)
- She wore the hat on her own accord (its her hand on top of the hat)
- Her hand has been composited in (superficially) like the hat itself

The scene

- 2 guys, one girl (usually and typically it would be even numbers)
- The photo has been saturated (not to black and white but almost)
- The only vivid colours are those of the brand

Although at first glance it’s a relaxed setting with smiles all around, on closer inspection, the girl seems to have a tensed smile whilst looking down at the drink maybe suggesting some hesitation and falsity.

The common image of a curtain with bricks in the scenery is a popular setting for nightclub/bar’s giving that retro/stylish, modern bar scene, yet the perspective of the brick wall is wrong. It has been superficially placed in and gives the idea of an outside alley with the shadowy background immerging into the curtain.

Lastly an out of focus glass appears at the bottom suggesting that you, the viewer is also there watching everything; (even Captain Morgan) which no one else sees.

Text – The Captain was here.

Written in red with a calligraphy relaxed style, it appears friendly and fun but also connotes the type of font you would use to create horror. Like wise the phrase in conjunction with the elements brings something a little creepier to the ad. “The Captain was here”, almost like its out of a horror movie. Short, simple but highly interpretable in several ways.

Conclusion
This could all mean nothing except that Captain Morgan is the bringer of good times but upon inspection you cannot deny the alternative messages and mood that’s been created.

Almost like Captain Morgan is the devil with an ulterior sinister motive, creating temptations with his two helpers.

It also asks the question who is the advert actually targeted at?

THE END

There is a long list of subliminal marketing materials which cause intrigue whether it be good or bad. Walt Disney has been famed for it (in a negative light), Apple done it and my favourite modern example is the Territorial Army adverts which is smothered with subliminal messages.

Next time you see an advert, packaging, a magazine or even a movie, look for the subliminal messages.

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