Plan: The Strategy Behind Every Marketing Dollar
Strategy and foundation, the groundwork to lay before you spend anything on marketing. We research your market, define your audience, build your brand, and create a 12-month roadmap that points every future decision in a clear direction.
Four Services. One Unshakeable Foundation.
Every service in the Plan track answers one question before you spend a dollar on marketing: do we actually know who we're talking to, what we're saying, and why it matters?
Market Research & Competitive Analysis
Understand your competitive landscape, find the opportunity gaps, and position your business to win.
See what's includedCustomer Persona Development
Build detailed buyer personas that bring your ideal customer to life, so every message lands with precision.
See what's includedBrand Identity & Development
Create a visual and verbal identity that is unmistakably yours, from logo to voice to brand standards.
See what's includedStrategic Marketing Planning
A 12-month plan with specific goals, channel mix, content calendar and budget allocation, built around your business.
See what's includedKnow Your Market Before Your Competitors Know You're Coming
Most small businesses enter the market with assumptions rather than data. They guess at who their competitors are, what their customers want, and where the gaps are. We replace guesswork with a clear, evidence-based picture of your market, so every strategic decision you make is grounded in reality.
Our research covers your full competitive landscape, pricing benchmarks, messaging gaps, and the specific opportunities your competitors are leaving on the table. The result is a report you can act on immediately.
What you get
- Competitive Landscape Report: a deep analysis of 3–5 direct competitors covering messaging, positioning, pricing, strengths and weaknesses.
- Market Size & Growth Trajectory: a data-backed view of your market's size, growth rate and the trends shaping it.
- Opportunity Gap Analysis: specific, actionable gaps where your business can stake out a differentiated position.
- Pricing Benchmarks: where your pricing sits relative to the market, and how to use pricing as a competitive lever.
- Positioning Recommendations: a clear statement of how to differentiate your business, in language your customers will respond to.
Your Customer, Defined in Precise Detail
Marketing that speaks to everyone speaks to no one. A buyer persona is more than a demographic profile. It's a composite portrait of your ideal customer: their goals, their frustrations, how they make decisions, where they spend time online, and the language they use when they're looking for a solution like yours.
We combine qualitative research, behavioral data, and Kylie Campion's 20 years of brand and audience expertise to build personas that feel real, because they're built on real signals, not assumptions. These personas become the foundation for every marketing decision you make going forward.
What you get
- 2–3 Detailed Buyer Personas: demographics, psychographics, goals, pain points and buying behaviors for each segment.
- Customer Journey Mapping: how each persona moves from awareness to consideration to decision, and where they drop off.
- Channel & Content Preferences: where each persona spends time online and which content formats they respond to.
- Messaging Triggers: the specific language, pain points and value propositions that move each persona to act.
Everything That Makes Your Brand Unmistakably Yours
Your brand is more than a logo. It's the feeling people get when they encounter your business: the trust, the recognition, the sense that you're exactly the right choice. A complete brand identity covers both the visual and the verbal, meaning what your brand looks like and what it sounds like, plus the standards guide that keeps everything consistent as you grow.
Logo Design
A primary logo plus two variations (horizontal, stacked and icon), ready for web, print and social.
$600 – $1,200Brand Voice Profile
Brand persona, tone of voice, do's and don'ts, repeatable slogans and catch phrases, and sample copy, so anyone writing for your brand sounds like you.
From $800Brand Strategy Document
Mission, vision, values, brand personality and a clear statement of your competitive positioning: the strategy behind every visual and verbal decision.
$800 – $1,400Messaging Framework
Tagline, elevator pitch and key value propositions: the words you use to describe your business on your website, in sales conversations and on social media.
$500 – $900Brand Standards Guide
Usage rules for every brand asset, so your brand looks and sounds consistent on a business card, a social post or a billboard.
$400 – $700Full Brand Identity System
Logo suite, color palette, typography and imagery guidelines as one complete visual system, at a bundled rate.
$2,000 – $4,000A 12-Month Roadmap That Fits Your Budget and Drives Real Results
A 12-month marketing plan should be specific, measurable, and built around your actual business goals, not a generic template. We map out your channel mix, content calendar, campaign rhythm and budget allocation so you know exactly what to do, when to do it, and why it will work.
John Rankin has spent 22 years starting, owning and scaling a business. He knows that a marketing plan that looks good on paper but ignores budget limits, day-to-day operations and the founder's capacity is worthless. Every plan we build is designed to be carried out, not filed away.
What you get
- Specific, Measurable Goals: lead generation targets, traffic benchmarks and conversion objectives.
- Recommended Channel Mix: based on where your personas actually spend their time.
- Content Calendar & Campaign Rhythm: what to publish and promote, month by month.
- Budget Allocation Strategy: a prioritized spend plan designed to get the most return within your limits.
Your First 30 Days With Anchor & Grow
Week 1
Discovery call, onboarding, and access to your existing brand assets and analytics.
Week 2
Market research, competitive analysis and persona development.
Week 3
Brand strategy document and Brand Voice Profile.
Week 4
Delivery of all Plan work, plus kickoff of Build or Grow work, depending on your package.
Timelines vary with scope. A full Starter package typically takes 4–6 weeks from kickoff to final delivery.
Get the Whole Foundation for Less
Starter
The Foundation Package
Everything in Plan: market research, 2–3 buyer personas with journey mapping, full brand identity, and a 12-month strategic marketing plan.
Upgrade later and 50% of your Starter fee is credited toward a Growth or Partner build.
Start With Starter- Already know you need more?Growth and Partner include every Plan service, plus your website, content and ongoing marketing.
- Just need one piece?Every Plan service is available à la carte. Bundle 4 or more services and save 10%.
- Fixed quotes, always.Prices are guideline ranges. You'll get a fixed quote before any work begins.
Questions About Brand Strategy and Planning
What is included in the Plan track?
The Plan track includes four strategy services: market research and competitive analysis, customer persona development, brand identity and development, and a 12-month strategic marketing plan. Together they define who your customers are, how you stand apart from competitors, what your brand looks and sounds like, and exactly where your marketing budget should go.
Do I need a brand strategy before building a website or running ads?
In most cases, yes. A website, an ad campaign or a social media calendar built without clear personas, positioning and messaging usually has to be redone later, at greater cost. The Plan work makes every Build and Grow dollar more effective because each asset is aimed at a defined customer with a defined message.
How much does brand strategy cost for a small business?
The complete Plan foundation is included in our Starter package for $2,500 to $5,000 as a one-time project. Individual services start at $400 per buyer persona, $800 for a competitive landscape report, $1,200 for a 12-month marketing plan and $2,000 for a full brand identity system. Every engagement gets a fixed quote before work begins.
How long does the Plan work take?
A full Starter package typically takes 4 to 6 weeks from kickoff to final delivery. Individual services are faster: a competitive landscape report usually takes 1 to 2 weeks. You'll get a timeline with your quote, and we walk you through every deliverable on a review call.
What is the difference between a brand identity and a logo?
A logo is one mark. A brand identity is the complete system around it: logo variations, color palette, typography, imagery guidelines, brand voice, messaging and the standards guide that keeps it all consistent. The logo is what people see, and the brand identity is what makes them recognize and remember you everywhere.
What is a Brand Voice Profile?
A Brand Voice Profile is a practical guide to how your business sounds. It defines your brand persona and tone, lists do's and don'ts, captures repeatable slogans and phrases, and includes sample copy. It means anyone who writes for your business, whether you, a staff member or a freelancer, sounds consistently like you.
How is your marketing plan different from a template?
We build plans bottom-up from your real budget and goals instead of top-down from a list of tactics. Every plan sets specific, measurable targets, matches channels to where your personas actually spend time, and explains the reasoning behind each recommendation so you understand not just what to do, but why.
I already have a logo and a website. Is the Plan track still useful?
Yes. Many clients come to us with existing brand assets that aren't producing results. We can start with a competitive analysis, personas or a channel strategy audit to find what's missing, then refine rather than rebuild. You only pay for the pieces your business actually needs.
Can I buy a single Plan service instead of a package?
Yes. Every Plan service is available à la carte, and bundling 4 or more services saves 10%. If you later move to a Growth or Partner package, all Plan work is already included, and Starter clients receive a 50% credit toward their new build fee.