1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:18,760 Hello and welcome to the Smart Beauty podcast. I'm your host, Viola Levy, beauty journalist 2 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:23,960 and founder of copy-led branding agency, Smart Beauty Creative. We're here to create your 3 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:34,880 brand voice and craft the story behind it. This episode is part two of our series on the 4 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:40,400 Smart Beauty method. In the last episode, if you managed to catch it, we spoke about 5 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:46,920 how we're different from the traditional agency model, how our process is a bit more 6 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:53,120 efficient and more streamlined. So please do go back and listen to that episode if you 7 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:58,760 haven't already. So today I'm going to be talking a bit more about how we work and why 8 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:05,640 we're different and our immersive workshop method, which I feel is a lot more exciting 9 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:11,640 and productive and benefits the client better. So to briefly touch on the last episode, I 10 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:16,760 spoke about how the retainer model creates a very drawn out way of working, where there's 11 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:23,520 time lags where you're constantly chasing each other for updates. So the client is being 12 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:28,040 nagged by the creative, the client has a lot on their plate, and it's just one extra thing 13 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:32,640 on their list that they have to manage, which isn't ideal because as you know, running a 14 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:38,520 business, everything can change and lots of unexpected things can crop up and suddenly 15 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:45,400 your attention is diverted elsewhere. So the way we work is with a workshop model. It starts 16 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:50,640 with a 90 minute zoom session where we discuss what your main issues are, how you want your 17 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:57,920 brand to be represented, what your values are, your key content pillars and other copy styles 18 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:04,440 and brands that you admire. And after that, we send a 10 page document summarizing our 19 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:09,600 discussion together with our recommendations. And then we move on to one of our packages. 20 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:15,160 So the 90 minute session can actually be booked separately. And the cost of that is then redeemed 21 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:21,240 against one of our packages, or you can book it together. So after that, we'll arrange 22 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:26,440 either a one or two day immersive workshop and spread out over the course of a week. 23 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:33,280 So that's either on zoom or in person depending on your location. And within those days that 24 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:38,120 you've booked with us, we can be flexible as what you'd like the outcome to be. But 25 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:44,400 our general recommendation is to go through your tone of voice, your brand story, founder 26 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:50,640 biography, things like your brand mission, your tagline template copy for product descriptions, 27 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:55,440 blog posts and social media posts. Now you won't be creating that with us, you won't 28 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:59,560 be doing the work with us, we'll have done all of that work already. What we'll basically 29 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:05,120 be doing is talking you through what we've created. And you will be giving us feedback 30 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:10,040 in real time, crafting it and honing it in real time in order to get to the place where 31 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:15,600 it needs to be. So you're at the heart of the creative process, which is much more immersive 32 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:20,440 and fun for the client. And it's better for us as creatives, because then we can communicate 33 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:26,120 the reasoning behind our creative decisions. And both sides will have much more clarity. 34 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:32,000 And I think with the immersive format, it's just far more productive, you can focus all 35 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:37,360 of your attention onto this one project, and then you're done. And then you cross it off 36 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:42,440 your list. It's not one extra thing that you have to then deal with. I think it's a bit 37 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:48,840 of a common misconception that in order to create a piece of work that everyone is happy 38 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:54,360 with, the project needs to go on for as long as possible. And you need as much time as 39 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:59,960 possible, because what ends up happening is that life gets in the way, other business 40 00:03:59,960 --> 00:04:07,000 matters get in the way. And you're just not as fired up and enthusiastic about the project 41 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,720 as you were at the beginning, there's a diminishing rate of returns. It's better to strike while 42 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:18,980 the iron's hot and get all of the creative work done while you're still focused and fresh 43 00:04:18,980 --> 00:04:25,080 and enthusiastic, as opposed to trying to fit it in with budget meetings, everything else 44 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:32,440 that running a business entails, you can just take one or two days of your time and really 45 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:37,840 get everything that you need in those two days. Now, obviously, we weren't the first 46 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:43,280 to pioneer this workshop model. Agencies are waking up to the fact that this is a much 47 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:51,040 better way of working. It allows better communication between the client and creative. So by the 48 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:57,960 end of those sessions, you should emerge excited about your brand copy and have everything 49 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:04,720 you need to get going. Now, we also offer what we call root touch up services, where 50 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:10,560 we have check ins. Rather than a retainer model, you can book check ins sporadically, 51 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:14,840 which is a morning workshop where we go through everything and make sure that the copy is 52 00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:21,000 still on track and hitting the mark and ensuring that all of the recommendations that we went 53 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:26,240 through are being implemented. So you can book those sporadically, or you can book a 54 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:32,440 package of quarterly check ins. So you've basically got our support all year round. But 55 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:38,680 I'd say our main point of difference is that everything feedback and edits are discussed 56 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:44,640 with the client in front of us in person, which I think is much more efficient and better 57 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:51,480 than countless emails flying around or us sending you what we've done with zero context, 58 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:55,240 zero explanation, requiring you to go off and have a look at it. So basically giving 59 00:05:55,240 --> 00:06:00,960 you homework that you don't need. It's much better to have everyone there in the room 60 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:07,920 or on a zoom call discussing it all in real time. So yes, that's basically in a nutshell 61 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:15,280 how we're different and why the smart beauty method I think is a much more effective way 62 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:21,640 of working and producing really great creative work that the client is 100% on board with 63 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:27,800 and enthusiastic about. And I hope that this has inspired you to learn a bit more about 64 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:33,120 us and what we do. Feel free to book a free discovery call. The link will be in the show 65 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:39,960 notes. And that's basically a 15 minute call where we can chat through all of the challenges 66 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:44,920 that you're currently facing with your brand and see if we can help see if it's a good 67 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:52,760 fit. You can also email me at hello at smart beauty creative.com with any questions or queries 68 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:58,800 and we can chat a bit further. While I think the traditional agency model still has its 69 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:06,280 place, I think this way of working is more dynamic. It's more efficient and it allows 70 00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:12,640 for like I say better communication and for much more client involvement. It puts the 71 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:18,200 client at the heart of the process. Everything that we create, it still feels like it has 72 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:23,240 your imprint on it throughout. It still feels like you that is basically at the heart of 73 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:29,440 what we do. Because I've spoken with other brand founders who say they worked with an 74 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:34,240 agency who went off created this amazing vision for their brand but didn't reflect what the 75 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:39,440 client wanted. The agency just went off and were very creative but didn't really deliver. 76 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:45,200 The client partied with a lot of money and didn't really feel like she got anything of 77 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:51,680 value in return. That's why I think these immersive workshops are so important where 78 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:58,120 we are all in the same room together and everyone is on the same page. I think that we kind of 79 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:05,320 bridge the gap between the traditional agencies and freelancers. I'm not saying that traditional 80 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:11,800 agencies are now obsolete because of this. Obviously some clients and some projects require 81 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:17,480 the retainer model. But I think if it's something like creating a complete rebrand, if it's 82 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:24,280 completely overhauling your core verbal strategy or giving your current copy and messaging 83 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:29,640 and tone of voice a refresh, I think that this immersive workshop model is a lot more 84 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:36,120 efficient and easier for everyone involved. I think what makes us different from, say, 85 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:42,440 hiring a freelancer, having been a freelancer myself for a very long time, I know the value 86 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:48,120 of hiring freelancers. But what makes us different is that a freelancer basically parachutes 87 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:54,040 in and solves a problem. You're basically saying, right, my car's got a puncture, you 88 00:08:54,040 --> 00:09:00,560 need to come in and just patch that up. Or, yeah, I need to respray my car green. Can 89 00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:05,960 you come in and just fix that little problem or fix this little problem? So we're troubleshooters, 90 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:10,240 mainly we're problem solvers. And it's a really great skill to have not everyone can do it. 91 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:15,880 And that's what makes freelancers so amazing that you can just parachute in and solve a 92 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:21,920 problem. Obviously, freelancing is not just problem solving. You can get drafted in to 93 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:27,160 work on bigger projects. But the client is mainly driving that relationship. So the client 94 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:32,040 has an idea of what they want. And then they bring in a freelancer to fix that. So it's 95 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:36,040 a very flexible way of working. The way we are different is it's not just me, there's 96 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:41,200 a team of us. And also, we are the ones driving the project. So instead of you coming to us 97 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:46,520 and saying, I need a tagline, or I just need a blog post, I would say, okay, I think you 98 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:51,640 need a freelancer for that. That's not really within our remit. And I have plenty of freelancers 99 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:57,600 who are amazing on my roster that I can recommend. If you come to us and say, okay, I don't think 100 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:02,600 our copy is working. And I don't think our tone of voice is hitting the mark. I don't 101 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:07,760 know how we can stand out in a crowded market. I'm not sure what to do. That's where we come 102 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:13,920 in and say, okay, I've got this package of services that we can offer to give your brand 103 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:19,520 a complete overhaul in terms of your messaging and your voice and your brand copy and just 104 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,920 to completely revamp everything. This is how it's going to work. And this is how we'll 105 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:29,200 do it. It's kind of bridging that gap between a bigger agency or a freelancer that maybe 106 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:35,000 isn't going to give you that top level strategy that you need. But we also offer that kind 107 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:40,800 of personal service and that flexibility that a freelancer can offer that perhaps a bigger 108 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:46,640 agency can't. And also, we're better for smaller brands if you're just starting out, or if 109 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:53,080 you're established and just want a few things to do with your tone of voice. It all depends 110 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:57,920 really, if you're more established and maybe don't want to hire a bigger agency, but just 111 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:02,360 want to change the direction a little bit with where your copy is going and where your 112 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:06,360 branding is going, then that's when we can help as well. Not to mention the fact that 113 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:12,120 we are beauty specialists. In case you don't already know, I have a background as a journalist 114 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:17,360 and a beauty editor. I've also worked as a brand strategist and a copywriter for a myriad 115 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:22,760 of beauty brands for the last 15 years. So I know the industry very well inside out, you 116 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:29,040 might say. I've seen a lot of brands come and go. So I've seen firsthand what makes 117 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:35,400 a brand succeed and how a brand can fail. I think having that background for expertise 118 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:42,120 which involves staying on top of beauty trends, for example, writing about beauty products 119 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:47,440 in a compelling, engaging way that readers can connect with, sifting through the science 120 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:54,640 behind certain formulas and translating that into clear, concise, understandable language 121 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:58,920 that won't make reader who perhaps isn't a scientist switch off. Those are all what 122 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:04,640 we specialize in and why we are a good fit if you are a beauty brand as opposed to a 123 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:10,440 bigger agency who work on a number of accounts and perhaps don't have beauty specialists 124 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:16,920 within their team. I also have a beauty writer who works for a national newspaper, very famous 125 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:23,480 newspaper in the UK and that kind of environment involves writing copy at breakneck speed. 126 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:29,640 She definitely knows her stuff and is an excellent writer. So I'm very pleased to have her on 127 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:33,800 board. I hope that sounds like something that you would be interested in and that you would 128 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:39,040 be keen to work with us. So like I say, the link to booking a discovery call is in the 129 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:43,600 show notes or if you want to drop me an email, please feel free. Look forward to speaking 130 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:57,160 with you soon. 131 00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:01,000 I hope you enjoyed that episode. All links will be in the show notes and feel free to 132 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:06,480 visit smartbeautycreative.com or visit us over on Instagram to find out more about what 133 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:10,800 we do. And if you enjoyed listening, please don't forget to rate and review Smart Beauty 134 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:31,960 on iTunes as it helps people find us. See you next time.