Developing your brand or look can be both intimidating and confusing. Working closely and thoughtfully with your agency, however, will ease the process, and produce an effective and delightful outcome.

In addition to eye-ball-to-eye-ball soul searching discussions between you and your agency, it’s a good idea to also bring samples of fonts. colours and graphic styles that you like into the mix. Rip pages out of magazines, identify websites and take pictures.

Show these images to your agency rep, and honestly explain why you like them. Then allow your rep to respond.

The point here is not which one of you will “win” this discussion. but rather – ultimately – the identification of what makes your target market tick.

So, for example, when it comes to graphic design – although what you like should be considered, what design will make your customers stop and take a second look – is of primary importance.

When it comes to ad copy or text – the words which will make them tune in – is what it’s all about.

And If you’re a big fan of cowboy classics, but your customers aren’t – then don’t buy the western station.

Finally, no matter what you think of social media, if your customers and your competition are on social media – that’s where you should be as well.

It may seem as if after considering how your customers will respond to graphics, text, music genres, media platforms, and whatever else – that you are left sitting at the board room table with a pile of magazine pages on your lap.

Wrong.

It is the magic of your knowledge of your business, that pile of pages, and your agency’s marketing skills that in combination will produce your brand and look.

Figuring this out can be likened to a bit of Sherlock Holmes in which watching and listening to everything that’s on the board room table is the key.