Case Study
Australian Beauty School
Pet Biz Creatives & Australian Beauty School
Case Study Summary
Compelling, consistent branding across the website.
A powerful representation of all online courses, strongly aligned with the target audience.
Effective use of tone of voice and design elements to resonate with the ABS avatar, incorporating audience-focused messaging with storytelling elements.
Key Comments
Development of the branding was a comprehensive process, including all elements – and when we say branding, we’re not just talking about the ‘logo’ and ‘colour palette’.
Extensive audience research was undertaken to ensure all elements of Australian Beauty School matched the target audience, with the brand strategy fully fleshed before the website build + any creative/content efforts were executed.
Further A/B testing of website copy would be beneficial to fully clarify whether this new audience-driven, storytelling approach is more effective than the tried-and-tested sales strategy structures.
Installing a heat mapping tool (such as Hotjar) will be vital to better assess user experience, using data to streamline optimisation and nurture further engagement.
The Client
Learning Online provides the Australian and New Zealand community with remote learning opportunities, offering self-paced, flexible online courses which cover a range of industries including Photography, Wildlife & Animal, Beauty, Agriculture & Farming, Lifestyle, Small Business, Administration & Reception, and Landscaping & Horticulture.
With our team having successfully collaborated with Learning Online on a number of creative content projects, we had already established a thorough understanding of Learning Online’s course offerings and online presence. When we were approached with the opportunity to support the brand development and website build of Australian Beauty School, we knew that it, really, was a no brainer.
The Motivation
Australian Beauty School was created under the umbrella of parent company Learning Online. Our client decided to create this particular brand, having recognised the numerous benefits of establishing an online learning platform which specialised in one industry – on this occasion, Beauty. They had likewise noted the gap in the market for this particular brand and chose to seize this opportunity.
At its core, our client was inspired by the knowledge that much clearer messaging and brand representation could be utilised across a website which had this singular focus, talking to and drawing in a more defined audience whilst staking a claim on the market.
The Challenge
When we came on board for this project, our client had one primary challenge: how to create an online platform which established Australian Beauty School as an industry authority, powerfully engaged their target audience, appeared and functioned as a professional platform, and effectively communicated the benefits of studying beauty artistry online.
Whilst the Learning Online website was structured to highlight the quality and variety of educational courses students could access, the new Australian Beauty School website needed to clearly showcase the expert calibre of the beauty industry-specific online courses.
So how could this be achieved?
The Process
After receiving this brief, our first step was to establish two branding documents for Australian Beauty School: the Brand Story Guide, and the Brand Storytelling Strategy. The Brand Story Guide was created to establish the integral mission, vision and purpose of Australian Beauty School, the founding key values which would anchor this brand, and what messaging pillars would underpin all content and communication.
In contrast, the Brand Storytelling Strategy was created to outline exactly how the Brand Story itself would be conveyed – both in terms of aesthetics, design and copywriting. In this document, we identified exactly what journey each Australian Beauty School student would undertake with this brand, and what transformative experience they would unlock as a result.
Another pivotal element of the Brand Storytelling Strategy was determining the Australian Beauty School brand archetype. This was an essential step in developing the brand, as it was the lynchpin that would ensure consistency in every element of brand presentation – from marketing collateral, email campaigns, social media content to website graphics, design and copywriting too.
The brand archetypes of the Magician and the Sage were identified as powerfully aligning with Australian Beauty School, for the very reason that any prospective students would be searching for two things: power and understanding. They would be looking to develop their education and training in skills which would help to transform their lives for the better, with Australian Beauty School equipping them with expert knowledge and the ability to shape their professional lives in the beauty industry exactly as they wanted.
As a result, a brand identity which combined the mystical, transformative and visionary elements of the Magician with the knowledgeable, influential and intelligent aspects of the Sage, we knew, would deeply resonate with this target audience.
Alongside developing the Brand Storytelling Strategy, we completed additional market research to clarify the precise ‘pain points’ our intended target audience frequently experienced in relation to up-skilling or online learning. We also used this research to understand what common dreams or aspirations this target audience shared, what existing brands they were familiar with and drawn to, and what their interests were beyond the beauty industry.
Having fully fleshed out Australian Beauty School brand identity, ensuring this aligned with what the target audience would find both appealing and compelling, all copywriting and graphic content was compiled ready for the website build.
With all content then edited for SEO optimisation, the website build was underway. We tackled the construction systematically, page by page, to ensure the process was as efficient as possible. What was vital during this phase was the collaboration between our creative and technical teams, who worked together to ensure the Australian Beauty School website appeared and performed to the highest professional standard (whilst, most importantly, remaining within budget) for both desktop and mobile viewing.
The Results
Within a month, the Australian Beauty School website was complete and the official launch date set for October 2020.
New online course brochures were designed and produced to reflect the branding and content of the website. Additional free content was likewise created to populate the website (such as a series of beauty-focused blogs and ‘top beauty tools’ eBook guide), supporting our strategy of firstly establishing and secondly nurturing trust with the Australian Beauty School target audience.
The final result was a professional, sleek and eye-catching website which showcased a clear and cohesive brand identity, whilst simultaneously powerfully positioning Australian Beauty School as a leader within the online learning space.
The Future
The Growth Genies team continues to work on creative content for both Learning Online and Australian Beauty School, in addition to email marketing creation and brand development guidance.
With Learning Online recently diversifying into the New Zealand online education space, our focus is on the continued development and performance of all brands under the Learning Online umbrella. We continue to place brand storytelling at the heart of our strategies, so we can deeply connect and resonate with the respective communities, whilst working to grow awareness of these brands through increased website traffic and the continued production of valuable, educational and – best of all – empowering content.