SHFT Agency

Developing brand programs and running strategic brand consulting for our clients. 

Also available as a fractional Chief Brand Officer.

Head Of Brand

Helping organizations and solopreneurs grow and make more money by being very clear about who they are, whom they serve, how they serve them, and why.

Brand Strategist

JÜRG

• Communication strategies for various industries
• Website copy, newsletters, blog articles, social media posts
• Management and promotion of blogs for agencies and their clients
• Digital copy for international clients (USA and Switzerland)

Copywriter

Hurni Engineering Sàrl

• Creating strategic communication plans and budgets
• Writing and editing promotion and communication material (both printed and digital)
• Serving as the liaison between the Autodesk marketing teams (DACH) and Hurni Engineering
• Working closely with cross-functional departments to ensure a good delivery of communication to clients and partners
• Organizing annual corporate events: selecting and transforming venues, accomodating needs, building fruitful partnerships with event contributors

Hurni Engineering is a B2B consulting firm specialized in software for computer-assisted product design, data management, and lifecycles. It is a certified Autodesk Gold Partner in Switzerland.

As their Marketing and communications coordinator, I was responsible to build awareness of Autodesk's solutions to help create better, faster, smarter.

Marketing Coordinator

Brand Strategist | I position challenger B2B brands for lasting growth with audits and strategic workshops | Strategy @ SHFT Agency

Brand strategy to connect you in a more meaningful and relevant way with existing and future buyers. 

Ready to work together?

Being a solopreneur sucked at times.

Especially in a field like mine.

Freelancers often feel alone.

Lack of recognition about the input, lack of visible results to boast, lack of a community to be a part of, at times.

All reasons why being on my own was rough.

The biggest part before all that?

Not having the plan I needed to make sure I moved in the right direction.

A little more on me:

Before becoming a Strategist, I was a Copywriter.

I was good with words and ads, not so much with explaining exactly why people should choose me over anyone else. (a little ironic, I know).

Let me tell you, between the in-house copywriters, the freelancers with a loaded experience, and the ones name-dropping their prestigious clients, the competition was fierce.

I was basically competing on price with my not-so-great Rolodex.

Fast-forward to today,

I now know exactly what I bring to the table.

Yes, I changed job descriptions.

 But, no matter the route I’d have taken, if I didn’t know exactly…

… what my best legitimate case to be in business is,
… what are my unique traits and strong POV,
… and how to express all this,

I would have never made it out alive.

Before you start, 

Or even if you’re already in it but now struggling to justify your place in your field,

Make sure you have a plan.  

#shftyourbrand

Steph Egger

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“Just start” is terrible advice.

Did big brands get where they are by just starting?

I highly doubt it.

Whether from a company or personal brand POV, no one gets where they are by just starting.

Yes, it’s good advice to just start… executing.

Once you have that strategic plan, please start.

But don’t build out campaigns, advertise, and promote your shit without thinking it through first.

There’s a reason big brands are where they are now.

They take the time to understand their audience, their market, the overall environment, and how they can fit in it.

More thoughts in next week’s SHFT newsletter.

Including our strategic plan template.

Don't miss out! Link in comments.

#shftyourbrand

Gnarly doesn't even begin to describe it!

5 strangers were assembled—spoiler alert: they were all killers.

The mission:

Blow up a category in just 3 days.

3 days of collaborating, brainstorming, workshopping, hair-pulling, and wrestling not just to make a new social app, product, or design some branded swag. 

Instead, we needed to come up with a great idea that creates change.

Here’s what we did for those wondering:

➡️ The category? Mental health.

➡️ The idea? Stopping the spread of entitled little assholes.

➡️ How? By shoving them in a hardcore bootcamp tailored to turn them into empathetic men.

➡️ The activation? Check below for mockups of some touchpoints, copy, and PR shit.

Team 6 you guys are absolute legends!!

Veronica Pisano  + Matt Schoch!! with design.

Amanda Lund + Clea Hernandez with copy and language.

Me? I was just along for the ride, I guess.

#branding #brand #brandstrategy #disruptivethinking

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Most brand messagings are half-baked.

Lack of courage? Boldness? Innovation?

Yes and no.

Mostly, it’s a lack of clarity.

Clarity around your uniqueness, your angle, your narrative.

You didn’t take the time to really find what is the unique point of view you can bring to your market.

So, now you sound like your competitors.

When the headline of your hero section reads like it could be anyone’s,

Or if it doesn’t communicate something meaningful and relevant to your audience,

Congratulations! You lose.

#shftyourbrand 

The 3-Step Remedy for Your Brand Messaging

Linkedin is the medium, not the product.

I’ve said it, I’ll say it again and again.

There’s so much more this platform can do for you.

If only you used it as the medium instead of the end-product.

That’s the issue with “just starting”.

You don’t have a plan, so you follow big creators here.

You know, so you can get a feel for what seems to work and what doesn’t.

Fair.

The issue?

If you keep adjusting your content based on what works best on the platform…

There’s a very strong possibility you’ll end up posting about Linkedin on Linkedin for Linkedin.

Is that really why you went into business in the first place?

Don’t give up on your unique idea.

#shoottheshft

Not my social feeds forcing ChatGPT down my throat at all...

When I say Brand matters a whole lot, 

This is why:

- Marketing alone cannot drive the perception in the right direction.
- Product alone cannot drive the perception in the right direction.
- Sales alone cannot drive the perception in the right direction.

It’s a concerted effort over time that will shape how the buyer relates to your organization and what it has to say and offer.

If you focus solely on one or the other activity, you’re missing out on consistency, flexibility, depth.

- In delivering
- In messaging
- In prototyping

Brand orchestrates your efforts and aligns everyone to get the job done.

#shftyourbrand

If I was taking over a marketing department,

I’d take those four steps first:

1. Learn everything about your product, people, processes.
2. Ask what each department knows about the customer.
3. Look at the latest customer research results.
4. Evaluate my brand’s potential for growth.

You’ll probably have something to add.

Can’t wait to hear about it.

#shftyourbrand #marketing #brand 

How to make it easy for your customers to remember you?

Build an association by repeating yourself. A lot.

But before you do this, you need two things:

1 - [TOUCHPOINTS]

Insert touchpoints where your customers hang out. Design them in a way that works for your audience, makes them stop and think for a second.

2 - [CONTENT]

Think hard about the content and message you're broadcasting with those touchpoints.

What are you pushing out there? Is it relevant and meaningful to your target audience?

All-in-all? 

Don't worry too much about repetition, especially on social.

It takes a lot for someone to remember your stuff. 

Because, contrary to what some would have you think, your audience never really *actually* cares in the first place.

People tend to forget something 2min after they saw it.

Meaning you actually should feel like you're repeating yourself a little too much.

#shoottheshft #shftyourbrand

Is Linkedin your end-product?

If it’s not, I suggest you treat it as you should:

A communication channel.

Communication of what? 

Your ideas, opinions, and knowledge.

Obviously, also your products and services (although that should be more of an accessory).

You don’t need to talk about Linkedin on Linkedin for Linkedin to be successful.

Cold outreach, private conversations, connection requests, …

They all still work to build a solid customer base.

No matter what the Linkedin content gurus tell you.

Don’t become another cog in the machine.

Stick to your idea and use Linkedin for what it originally is: 

A medium to convey your thoughts, knowledge, and opinion.

Nothing less, nothing more.

#shoottheshft

Not seeing good ROI on your campaigns?

Here’s the fix:

Stop focusing so much on promotional material.

Yes, discounts and promotions are the main drivers of sales.

But, they’ll never engage the 97% not in the market now. Something you need if you want to see longterm success and growth.

Instead, start thinking about brand marketing campaigns.

Some examples for a video format (one that is super measurable):

- Highlight your founder’s story
- Give the mic to your team members
- Say how you engage with your community
- Show what happened when a customer used your stuff

Brand marketing connects on a deeper level than a promotional code slapped on a product outlined in Photoshop.

That’s why it gets much better ROI and ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) on all levels.

#shftyourbrand 

Brand-building and advertising go hand-in-hand.

Tesla is giving us a masterclass right now.

They thought they didn’t need advertising. 

They thought all they needed was a strong brand with a charismatic leader making headlines. 

Actually, they thought they had a brand above the laws of advertisement, awareness, and recognition. 

Their price discount now suggests otherwise. 

It sends a signal to owners and buyers—no matter how they’re spinning it: “we’re not doing that well.”

Looking forward to see how this affects the status symbol Tesla has been about since the mid-2010s.

Because let’s face it, cleaning the car industry was commendable but it’s been in the rearview mirror for a long while now.

A “strong” brand isn’t enough.

Advertising also plays a massive role in shaping perceptions and moving the needle.

Don’t be caught lacking.

#shftyourbrand #brand #advertising 

Pic credits: NYT.

Brand drives content because it helps to:

- Align with your unique angle
- Focus on the pillars of your business
- Shape a narrative that generates stories

Without working through what makes you different, why, and how you can show said difference, you’re not going to last long in the content game.

Added bonus:

Brand marketing content gets a much better ROI than performance marketing over the long term.

Your move.

#shftyourbrand 

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