Branding strategy in St. John’s: hiring and planning

Choose work that addresses your business problem

Write down the decision you need help making. You might need to identify a customer group, explain your service, coordinate a new storefront identity or choose marketing activities. Give candidates that problem rather than asking for an undefined branding package.

Request positioning and messaging work if you need help explaining who you serve and why customers should choose you. Request visual identity work if you have agreed on the message and need a logo, colours, typography and templates. For a marketing plan, ask the consultant to connect each proposed channel to a customer group, spending limit and measurable business outcome.

For a shop rebrand, list the physical and digital items you intend to change. Include the storefront, window lettering, website, menus or brochures, business listings and customer notices where relevant. Ask who will design, approve, produce and update each item.

Prepare a brief and compare written quotes

Give each candidate the same brief. Describe your business, intended customers, current offer, reason for the project and launch constraints. Share existing brand files and the sales or enquiry information you are comfortable disclosing. Identify one person who can approve work and gather feedback from other stakeholders.

Ask for a price breakdown covering discovery, customer research, strategy, copy, design and rollout support. Have the consultant state interview numbers, revision rounds, file formats, meeting commitments and exclusions. Request separate amounts for advertising spend, printing, signage, photography and ongoing management.

Obtain project-specific, itemized quotes for your St. John’s project. Ask candidates to explain differences in research depth, deliverables and implementation support before comparing totals. Agree on payment milestones and a process for approving extra work.

Review work samples with the consultant. Ask what problem the client brought, what research the consultant conducted and which deliverables the client received. Request permission-based references and ask those clients about communication, revisions and handover. Agree in writing on ownership or licensing of artwork, copy, fonts and photography, along with access to editable files.

Check storefront approvals before production

Under the City’s Sign By-Law, owners need a permit before constructing, erecting, placing, altering, repairing or relocating a sign unless a stated exception applies. The City exempts window signs outside heritage areas, subject to construction, maintenance and safety provisions. Ask the City to confirm the requirements for your address and proposed sign before authorizing fabrication. [1]

Tell your consultant whether the premises lie in a heritage area or involve a designated heritage building. The heritage-area provisions prohibit mobile signs, protect architectural features and set additional requirements for window signs and other formats. Section 59 allows Council to accept certain non-conforming signs following a Heritage Advisory Committee recommendation. Ask the City about the applicable requirements and exception process before relying on a departure from the standard rules. [1]

Put a storefront approval milestone into the scope. Ask for dimensioned drawings and identify who will handle the permit application, landlord consent and fabrication coordination. The City may require plans, specifications and engineer-stamped design drawings for a sign application. Keep production authorization separate from your approval of the brand concept. [1]

Investigate provincial support before committing

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Business Retention and Expansion service says businesses may receive consultation with an Economic Development Officer on marketing and sales alongside other business operations. The department also describes a prioritized action plan linking clients to programs and services. Ask about this option if you need help identifying the business problem before commissioning a consultant. [3]

The provincial Business Growth Program normally offers non-repayable contributions of up to 50 per cent of eligible costs, subject to program limits and eligibility. Its priorities include Knowledge and Technical Assistance and Growth and Internationalization. Ask program staff to assess your proposed work, eligible expenses and application timing before relying on assistance for a branding contract. [2]

Eligible business applicants include growth-focused, innovative firms operating in Newfoundland and Labrador that demonstrate commercial viability. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to undertake the work, access the required capital and remain in good standing with the provincial government. Prepare a project description and consultant scope for that discussion. [2]

Agree on launch responsibilities and measurement

Ask the consultant to finish with an implementation plan that assigns tasks, approval dates and spending limits. Decide who will update customer-facing materials and answer questions about the change. Arrange a handover meeting where your team can practise using the messaging and templates.

Choose a business measure before launching: qualified enquiries, booked appointments, repeat purchases or another outcome you can track. Record a starting point and agree on a review date. Ask how you will account for other changes, such as revised prices or opening hours. Require candidates to explain the assumptions behind any projected results.

Standard heritage-area sign text height limits

Match the next step to your project

Your hiring checklist

1. Name the customer group and business decision you want the consultant to address.
2. List the research, messaging, design and marketing deliverables you need.
3. Give candidates the same brief and request itemized quotes.
4. Agree on revisions, approval responsibilities, payment milestones and exclusions.
5. Confirm address-specific storefront requirements with the City before fabrication.
6. Confirm provincial assistance before budgeting for a contribution.
7. Document file ownership, third-party licences and account access.
8. Assign rollout tasks and agree on a business measure and review date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I commission a logo or a strategy first?

Ask for strategy work first if you have not agreed on your intended customer, offer and message. If you have documented those decisions, ask a designer to work from them. Have candidates explain which decisions they need you to make before design begins.

Does changing an existing storefront sign need a permit?

The City’s by-law requires a permit for sign alterations unless an exception applies. It also covers placement, repair and relocation. Confirm your proposed work with the City, especially for a heritage-area address, before authorizing production. [1]

Can provincial funding pay for my branding project?

The Business Growth Program normally contributes up to 50 per cent of eligible costs, subject to limits and eligibility. Ask program staff to review your proposed scope and application conditions before assuming that your branding project will receive a contribution. [2]

What should I receive at the end of the project?

Specify the deliverables in the contract: research findings, positioning, approved messaging, agreed design files and a rollout plan as appropriate. Request instructions your team can use, document ownership and licences, and arrange a handover session.