Hot Metal Brand: Recent Episodes

Snapper Studio

This is the Hot Metal Brand Podcast. I'm Martin from Snapper Studio, and I'm on a mission to help you get clarity in your brand and confidence in what you're selling. From thoughtful empowering brand strategies to defining powerful visual stories - I'll arm you with bite-size branding tools to help you upgrade your brand and leave your own unique mark.

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Declan Edwards is widely known as that happiness guy and as a thought leader in the space of positive psychology, employee experience, and personal development. As the founder of BU Happiness College, a social enterprise dedicated to helping individuals and organisations build the skills of happiness, Declan has built a strong personal brand by standing at the intersection of science, storytelling, and social impact.

With a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology and a background in health, Declan has grown his influence as a trusted voice in the personal development space; speaking on stages including TEDx, consulting with leading organisations, and amassing a loyal online following of purpose-driven professionals. His work has shown that happiness is not a fluffy ideal, but a measurable and learnable skill that drives meaningful results in both life and leadership.

Through intentional personal branding, Declan has not only elevated his voice but also used it to amplify a movement that is changing the way we think about success, leadership, and happiness in the modern world.

In this wildly refreshing episode, we sit down with Declan Edwards — a.k.a. The Happiness Guy, founder of BU Happiness College, TEDx speaker, and passionate fruit hater. You need to listen to what fruit it is.

We unpack everything from emotional branding to joy, with a detour into vegetable trauma, and why "happiness" desperately needs a better PR team.

✨ Who should listen:

Brand builders, creatives, and business owners looking for a new emotional lens
People in culture and hr
Anyone obsessed with how psychology meets marketing
Tomato lovers (consider this a warning)

Links:

Subscribe to Declan's Podcast "How to Be Happy" on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0zriwga04Rl0pbjFuDF6Hl?si=1361a39f296e4b60
Subscribe to Declan's Podcast "How to Be Happy" on APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-to-be-happy/id1361238593
Join the waitlist for Declan's upcoming book: https://s.pointerpro.com/bookwaitlist

Website: www.declanjedwards.com

BU Happiness College: buhappinesscollege.com

LinkedIn: @declanjedwards

Hit play to find out why building a happier brand might be the most strategic thing you do!

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Kerri-Ann Hooper on Building Smarter: Contracts, Cash Flow & Calling BS on Industry Norms

This episode is for anyone who's ever looked at a building contract and thought: Wait, where did that charge come from?
I’m joined by Kerri-Ann Hooper — straight-talker, industry shaker, and founder of a building company doing things differently.

We get into:

The sneaky stuff hidden in building contracts (and how to spot it)
Why COVID didn’t just shake up timelines — it reshaped trust
What real estate taught her about branding, perception, and backing yourself
How social media actually works for builders (hint: it’s not just before-and-after shots)
And why building a brand with intention matters just as much as bricks and mortar

Kerri-Ann’s story is packed with real-life lessons — from overcoming financial hits to navigating unrealistic design expectations and championing transparency in an industry that’s not known for it.

Whether you’re in the game or on the tools, this convo is a blueprint for building better — businesses, brands, and homes.

Episode Highlights:
00:00 – Office Christmas Party Recap
00:57 – Meet Kerri-Ann: A Disruptor with Purpose
01:40 – Making Waves at a Networking Event
02:23 – Branding That’s Built to Last
07:44 – Real Talk on Industry Challenges
13:12 – The COVID Fallout
16:05 – Resilience in Action
22:01 – The Block vs. Reality
24:30 – Champagne Tastes on a Bunnings Budget
24:50 – Picking Colours That Rent, Not Just Impress
26:02 – How TV Trends Skew Real Life
27:43 – What’s Next for the Aussie Building Scene
28:50 – Energy Efficiency & Government Red Tape
29:48 – Prefab Homes and Smarter Living
30:29 – Why the Housing Crisis Isn’t Just About Houses
35:59 – Relationship-Driven Business
41:24 – How to Nail Social Media When You’re in the Trade
45:25 – Wrap-Up & Takeaways

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In this conversation, Martin Sully addresses the question of how to maintain a unified brand identity and consistent message for a two-sided marketplace with two target markets. He suggests creating personas for each target market and gathering information about their demographics, interests, and problems. By integrating this information with the brand values and message, it is possible to create content that resonates with both target markets. The key is to use language that is simple and free of jargon. The brand identity should remain consistent, but specific pages or landing pages can be created to address the different needs of each target market.

Key Takeaways

Create personas for each target market to gather information about their demographics, interests, and problems.
Integrate the gathered information with the brand values and message to create content that resonates with both target markets.
Use language that is simple and free of jargon to ensure the message is understood by both target markets.
Maintain a consistent brand identity while creating specific pages or landing pages to address the different needs of each target market.

Need to better understand your target audience? Read our blog post: Attracting Dream Customers and Repelling Customers

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Brand guidelines are the most important document for a business, as they control and maintain consistency in branding. They can go deep and include strategy, tone of voice, and messaging. Even small businesses should have brand guidelines to guide their brand identity. Not having brand guidelines can lead to issues like inconsistent colors and messaging. Brand guidelines help document and communicate shifts in target markets and prevent confusion. While it's not necessary to outline every detail initially, the minimum for brand guidelines is logos, fonts, and colours.

Key Takeaways

Brand guidelines are essential for maintaining consistency in branding.
They can include strategy, tone of voice, and messaging.
Even small businesses should have brand guidelines.
Not having brand guidelines can lead to issues like inconsistent colors and messaging.
Brand guidelines help document and communicate shifts in target markets.
The minimum for brand guidelines is logos, fonts, and colours.

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In this episode, Martin Sully discusses how to maintain a brand's tone of voice. He explains the difference between brand voice and tone of voice, and emphasizes the importance of aligning the brand voice with the company's mission, values, and target audience. Martin also suggests creating a written style guide to maintain consistency in communication. He advises auditing past content to ensure it aligns with the brand's tone of voice and highlights the significance of authenticity in influencing purchase decisions.

Key Takeaways

Brand voice and tone of voice are two separate things, with brand voice being consistent and tone adjusting based on the audience's emotional state.
Align the brand voice with the company's mission, values, and target audience.
Create a written style guide to provide guidance on communication.
Audit past content to ensure consistency in tone of voice.
Authenticity influences purchase decisions and builds stronger connections with customers.

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The conversation revolves around the importance of paying attention to the little details in business, particularly when it comes to aligning values with execution. The host shares a personal anecdote about a company he met that focused on renewable energy but had plastic-coated business cards, highlighting the disconnect between their values and their actions. The main takeaway is that every little detail matters, especially when trying to achieve sustainability goals or B Corp registration.

Key Takeaways

Paying attention to the little details is crucial in business
Aligning values with execution is important
Every little detail matters, especially when it comes to sustainability
B Corp registration requires attention to detail

Send us a Text Message.

Martin Sully discusses the importance of networking and building a personal brand. He emphasizes the need to connect with people both online and offline, and highlights the value of real-life conversations. He also shares his experience with starting a networking group called Chatterbox and the benefits it brings to businesses. He encourages small wins and offers advice on creating content and building a personal brand.

Key Takeaways

Networking is crucial for building a personal brand and expanding your reach.
Engaging in real-life conversations with people can provide valuable insights and help in building relationships.
Starting a networking group can be beneficial for businesses of all sizes.
Creating content and building a personal brand requires consistency and finding a balance between polished and behind-the-scenes content.

Visit the Snapper Studio Branding Agency website

In this episode, Martin Sully interviews Joe McKay, a LinkedIn ghostwriter and content creator. They discuss Joe's background, his approach to working with people on LinkedIn and personal branding.

Joe emphasises the importance of listening to customers and understanding their pain points to create effective marketing content. They also touch on the challenges and rewards of living and working in different countries and managing stress.

They then dive into a LinkedIn profile review, focusing on the profile photo, headline, about section, and activity section. They discuss the importance of making the profile iconic, clear, and using the header to focus on the target audience's pain points.

They finish by highlight the value of using documents and carousels to showcase expertise.

Takeaways

Personal branding on LinkedIn involves creating a clear and compelling profile that addresses the pain points of your target audience.
Listening to customers and understanding their needs is crucial for creating effective marketing content.
AI can be a useful tool for brainstorming and generating new ideas, but it should not replace the human touch in content creation.
Living and working in different countries can be challenging but also rewarding, providing opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Running a business and managing stress can be challenging, especially with young children.
A LinkedIn profile should be iconic, clear, and focused on the target audience's pain points.
Using documents and carousels on LinkedIn can showcase expertise and engage viewers.
Branding encompasses the long-term strategy of a business, while marketing focuses on spreading brand awareness and making sales.
Creating scalable offerings can help diversify and expand a business.

Reach out to JoeJoe McKay LinkedIn
Joe's LinkedIn Playbook

We're back from Christmas with a proper guest – Rebecca McCutcheon is the Managing Director of Fit Test Australia (FTA), a company that specialises in respiratory safety.

We dcusses her business's growth and how vital it is to learn from mistakes, uphold strong values, and maintain authenticity in both personal and business branding.

FTA have a mission to enhance people's health, and have just added new services such as spirometry, audiometry, and ear fit testing.

Bek emphasises the importance of ongoing employee development, adherence to core company values, and overcoming obstacles in business.

If you want to connect up with her – jump on her website – Fit Test Australia or reach out to her on LinkedIn.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in brand building.

And, although SEO can be confusing and expensive, it offers long-term benefits that outshine short-term marketing strategies like influencer marketing, which can be unpredictable and less controllable.

SEO should be a key component of any brand's website/marketing strategy and recommends integrating it with brand building to foster trust among consumers and eventually increase sales.

I have Remy Audette, from Sunday Best lined up to go into more detail on mixing brand strategy and SEO together to help grow your business.

00:00 Introduction and Rekindling Love for Website

00:48 Introduction to the Level Up Podcast

01:20 Understanding SEO and Its Importance

03:09 The Role of Luck in SEO Success

04:08 The Value of SEO vs Influencer Marketing

05:21 The Risks of Relying on Social Media Platforms

06:07 Integrating SEO into Your Brand Strategy

06:48 Building Trust and Confidence through SEO

Just like you might set New Year's resolutions, the start of the year is the perfect time to set and track ambitious, achievable business goals.

We talk about:

Accountability
My brand goals for the year
Why brand goals need to be broken down into tasks
Setting stretch goals and deadlines to help you achieve them.

An explanation of the importance of brand audits.

In this episode, I describe how audits can be used to:

Understand a brand's position
Evaluate customer recall
And to identify potential issues that a business might not have noticed.

I use brand audits to analyse three key areas:

External branding
Internal branding
Customer experience

The ultimate goal is to ensure businesses are heading in the right direction and to diagnose areas to improve.

It's also a service Snapper Studio will introduce in 2024. Come and sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about it.

In this episode of the Level Up Your Brand Podcast, host Martin Sully, shares his Christmas experiences and discusses the concept of 'is your business a brand?'.

It includes:

A Christmas day wrap-up
A thought provoking question raised by Kevin Finn
Where the identity of a brand comes from
And highlights that to build a brand, it must be worked on daily

In this episode of the Level Up Your Brand Podcast, we discuss how baking a charismatic personality into a brand helps create meaningful connections to your audience.

We cover:

How every person working in a brand becomes an extension of its persona
The connection between a brand and its employees.
And give you a practical tool to create a charismatic brand personality.
We also the misconception that charisma and personality are limited to individuals, not brands.

Giving personality traits to a brand is not about manipulatively triggering emotions but facilitating engaging connections.

Snapper Studio and Martin want to announce limited availability for branding projects and podcasts due to Martin and his wife expecting a baby.

I want to personally thank listeners for their support and encourage them during the holiday season to reach out if they need help.

You can reach me on:

LinkedIn
Email – martin @ snapper . studio
Or through the Snapper Studio website

In this episode, host we talk to Mathew Goddard from Aquacultr about creating a more efficient and sustainable system for seafood production.

Mat shares his journey from discovering a Barramundi farm for sale to establishing a sustainable fish farming model.

He emphasises on the need for sustainable, low footprint technologies and how his company, Aquacultr, seeks to revolutionise seafood farming.

We discuss the environmental and health implications of current seafood farming methods and the future for sustainable aquatic farming.

Mat also shares his aspirations for improving food security and leaving a positive impact on the environment, the food industry and people's lives.

LinkedIn – Mathew Goddard
Website – Aquacultr Sustainable Fish Farming Systems

Martin Sully, a brand strategist and founder of Snapper Studio, discusses the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning on branding.

He explores the tools currently available that incorporate AI, including Chat GPT, photo editors, AI-generated logos and even the emergence of AI-assisted brand development tools.

However, he also emphasises that while AI can help streamline certain design processes and content generation, it can never replace the emotional and human touch in branding.

Martin believes AI will change the graphic design landscape over the next two years, including Adobe's potential move into providing AI-assisted brand development tools.

00:53 Introduction to the Podcast

01:17 Impact of AI on Branding

03:01 Exploring AI and its Limitations

04:02 First Experience with Generative AI

05:33 Understanding Emotional Branding

08:42 Current AI Tools in Branding

12:01 Real World Uses of Generative AI

12:13 The Role of AI in Podcasting

17:48 Adobe's AI Innovations

23:16 The Future of Branding with AI

28:48 Conclusion: AI's Role in Design and Branding

We talk with Claire from KidBiz Academy and Tara Clark Art about the pitfalls of working with kids, selling candles, fortune telling, and how we all need to persevere to get to where we want to.

This episode is packed with gems, by two guests who are doing incredible things. Claire is empowering children to take on an entrepreneurial spirit, teaching them all about the various aspects of business, from marketing to design, to sales and production. Breaking it down and making it interesting for kids aged 5+.

Tara is a 15-year-old aspiring artist, specialising in Character Design. She guides me through her process, where she wants to take things and that she's currently open to commissions, so if you want to work with her, her work is simply amazing. And now she's a published illustrator.

Download my freebie - supercharge your brand's feelings

Claire WheelerWebsite – KidBiz Academy
Socials – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Tara ClarkInstagram – @Tara.Clark.Art
Commissions Email Tara at tarairclark@gmail.com

Recycling 20 tonnes of plastic saves enough electricity to power 54 houses for a year.

Yearly, it's reported that the world creates 460 million tonnes of plastic.

Let that sink in.

Luckily the world has smart entrepreneurs like Jess Hodge, from Resourceful Living, who are battling to solve the problem and create useful everyday solutions to reuse it.

Connect with JessFacebook - Resourceful Living
LinkedIn - Resourceful Living
Website - Resourceful Living

Rachel Smith is this episodes guest. We first connected when she took the quiz on my website. Point's don't mean prizes, but she's currently the high scorer with 3. Have a go here - Feels Finder Quiz

We chat about
• Yum cha and wine
• Rachel's list, how it all began and maintaining a community.
• The Content Byte Summit and the talks that lit up the stage – Jennifer Goforth Gregory and Ed Gandia's episode with Shane Sam
• Picking a brand name and how it sometimes picks itself.
• AI's impact on copy and design worlds
• What Rachel would do differently if she did it again

Connect with RachelRachel's List
Rachel Smith Copy & Content
Content Byte Podcast
Subscribe to the Wrap Up

Branding, it's history and the dark, disturbing reason we changed our podcast name to the Level Up Podcast.

This episode covers:
• The Industrial Revolution and it's impact on branding.
• Branding's disturbing past
• Where we see branding going and how business will have to adapt.

I also spoke about Personal Branding Unlocked, a new podcast from Monica Walmsley and Josh Lawlor.

And, the original article that sparked this podcast - The Daily Heller - is post branding a thing?

Spot more of my work at Snapper Studio

A 10-month hiatus. But the podcast is back.

This week we're talking all about scent branding and how you can introduce it into your brand.

Read more about scent branding on our website – https://www.snapper.studio/blog/scent-branding

2023 is knock, knock, knocking on your door, with all the jingling of Santa's bells. It's time to talk graphic design trends in 2023.

I'll cover 6 design trends to avoid in 2023, summarise what we saw in 2022, and explain why you should avoid looking at trends.

12 Design trends to avoid in 20226 Design trends to avoid in 2023

Martin, when should I rebrand? How much does a rebrand cost?

I regularly get asked these types of questions.

And there’s a bunch of things to consider.

What's your biggest challenge right now?
How do you overcome it?
Is it a revolution or evolution?

A rebrand is about redesigning or rewriting your story. It's more about revamping who the brand is and how you want to be perceived.

In this episode, I'll run through 20 signs that it might be time for a rebrand.

Book a Vision call

Visit Snapper Studio website

If you're struggling to pick your brand colours, this episode is for you.

When you have a clear direction, picking your brand colours will feel less like picking colours out of thin air and more wahoo!

In this episode, I discuss the thought process behind choosing brand colours and the considerations you need to make when selecting yours.

I cover:

Why you can't choose your colours until you understand what you're trying to communicate and to who
Why looking at your closest competitors can help guide your colour choice
An example of a brand colour palette that I would pick
And tips on how to pick the right colours

Resources:

• Follow me on lnstagram: @snapper.studio
• Meet me in real life @chatterbox.au
• For more information and to work with me visit snapper.studio

A tub-thumping brand personality and tone of voice will shape how customers engage with your brand. It will make storytelling simpler, so you no matter the platform, you can talk to them like humans. What you'll be left with is a vibrant, authentic, unique way to market your business.

In this episode, we cover:

Transforming your brands personality and increasing your brand awareness
How to uncover engaging brand personalities
How to apply brand personalities
Exploring personality traits
Balancing your brands personality

Come and learn more about branding at www.snapper.studio

By elevating your customer experience, you create an army of loyal customers who will be out there talking up your brand and saving you marketing dollars.

This is a big task, and you will continue to do this as your business evolves. It pays out in trust and improved customer experience.

In this episode I run through two methods to build your customer experience.

Come and learn more about branding at www.snapper.studio

Learn how to nurture your brand's promise and successfully deliver exceptional service to your customers.

In this episode of the Hot Metal Brand Podcast, I'll show you 4 ways to build your brand promise.

Including:

Unifying your team with your mission
Hiring the right people
Including your team in brand strategy decisions
Learning how to accept feedback

Successful businesses deliver exceptional service throughout the whole customer journey.

Next week you'll learn how to build that customer journey.

In the meantime, come and learn all about me – snapper.studio/about

When the world zigs. Zag.You probably don't know the origin of this phrase, but the important thing is to embrace it.

In this episode, we move into looking at competition, analysing what they do, then tossing it out the window and running your own race.

Keeping you one step ahead, and forging your own path.

Each month I run workshops on creating your own unique brand strategy, learn some more here - https://www.snapper.studio/brand-strategy-workshop

If you're not ready to invest - check out the free download on my website - https://www.snapper.studio/download/feelings

Last week, we looked at repelling your non-ideal customers by standing for something, getting to know your ideal customer and setting them expectations.

This week we're focusing on working on who is your dream customer.

We'll cover:

Focusing on a niche rather than a broad market
Why you should look at buyer/customer personas
How many customer personas you need
An example of a customer persona
And how to narrow down and ask the right questions to write your personas.

If you're interested in meeting me and chatting in real life each month, In Newcastle, Australia. I host a networking event called Chatterbox - a friendly event to chat over any plans and help you get clarity on your brand. You'll also meet many other established, growing or just starting businesses.

Take a look at Chatterbox's Instagram.

The first of a 2-part series introducing you to finding your ideal customers.

First, you have to work out how to not attract the wrong customers to your business.

There's a 3 step strategy to this:

Stand for something, people who don't align with your beliefs and values won't be inclined to make a purchase
Get to know what your ideal customers love and think
Set expectations, so if someone comes to you for one thing, they get just that, and nothing more. You can then build value into that.

Connect up with me on Instagram
Visit my website snapper.studio

Creating thoughtful brands that get to the heart of what customers want is called intentional alignment, where you align your reputation, values, mission + vision statements and your brand's promise to make an emotional connection to your customers.

We dive right into:

Building a positive reputation by understanding negative reputations
Connecting to your audience with emotions
Creating brand values
Mission and vision statements - outlining your goals and objectives are for your business
Brand Promises - how to outline what the customers' experience is

Come and learn more about Snapper Studio - https://www.snapper.studio

Welcome back to the first proper episode of the podcast! Where I dive deeper into the foundations of a great brand!

I cover:

• What branding is to me.
• Common misconceptions of what a brand is.
• Why you need to carefully think about all the decisions in your business.
• What branding can do for you.
• How to build strong foundations by looking at your brands DNA, your why, unique selling propositions, understanding customers, brand goals and feelings.

The feels finder download is the first task I work through with every single client. Come and grab your free download — https://www.snapper.studio/download/feelings

Welcome to the Hot Metal Brand Podcast.

I'm Martin from Snapper Studio, and I'm on a mission to help you get clarity in your brand and confidence in what you're selling.

From thoughtful empowering brand strategies to defining powerful visual stories - I'll arm you with bite-size branding tools to help you improve your brand and leave your own unique mark.

Covering:
• Naming a podcast
• The podcast format
• And a little bit about me.

Subscribe now and I'll see you on the next episode.

www.snapper.studio