The purpose of branding is to communicate the right message through your business’s visuals and other intangible brand components (like tone and terminology).

If you communicate that message well, you’ll increase the likelihood of attracting the right kind of clients and customers. That message is often summed up best by a mission statement.

A mission statement is a one-sentence summary of your business that tells others what you do, who you help, and how you help them.

It helps to put it in this format: "[Business name] does ________ to help ______ do _______."

For example: “Elle & Company provides resources to help creatives turn their passion into a successful, profitable business.”

Do you have to stay inside this framework? Of course not! But remember that making it as specific and actionable as possible will help you as you strive to communicate this message through your brand.

Take some time to brainstorm and when you're ready, let me know what you've come up with.

This is my favorite part of the “groundwork” process. Now that you’ve written your mission statement and outlined your ideal client/customer profile, choose 10 adjectives that best describe your brand.

They should fit in well with your mission statement and appeal to your ideal audience (which is why I had you tackle those action steps first).

I often find it helpful to brainstorm a bunch of relevant words on one page and then go back through and circle the big contenders. A thesaurus can be very helpful for this step, too.

These 10 words will come in handy as you build your inspiration board and make other brand decisions in the weeks to come.

Please take 15-20 minutes to brainstorm your 10 keywords. I find it helpful to let the words flow and pare it down to the most relevant. Once you're done, come back here and input them!

Now, I want you to take this exercise one step further by considering the following questions:

• How does your brand feel?
• What does your brand sound like?
• How does your brand taste?
• What does your brand smell like?

I had a Charleston-based wedding photographer answer these questions, and I loved her answers:

• Her brand felt like the warm sun kissing her skin
• Her brand sounded like the ocean waves softly crashing on the shore
• Her brand tasted like sea salt caramel
• And her brand smelled like the salty ocean air

Do you see how those descriptions made her brand feel much more like an experience?

I know that this exercise seems a little crazy, but I want you to get out of your comfort zone and give it a try. Your brand will be much more well-rounded as a result.