One-Page Brand Strategy and Mini Brand Guide for a Nigerian SME
The capstone project for Brand Strategy for Small Businesses — a free Marketing course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.
- Free
- 6 steps
- Pass mark 65%
- Graded within minutes
- Beginner-friendly
The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.
What you will submit
A one-page brand strategy plus a mini brand guide (1-3 pages) for a real or sample Nigerian SME, covering positioning, target customer, brand promise, personality and voice, visual basics and consistency across touchpoints, shared as a doc/link or pasted text.
What to do, step by step
- Choose one real or sample Nigerian small business to work on, for example a caterer, tailor, skincare vendor, POS agent, barber or online thrift store. Name the business and describe what it sells in two or three sentences.
- Write the strategy half: a one-line positioning statement using the 'For [customer] who [need], [business] is the [category] that [difference], because [proof]' template; a target-customer profile (who they are, their pain, desire and objection); and a clear, specific brand promise with teeth.
- Write the expression half: three or four personality traits, where the brand sits on the English-to-pidgin dial, and at least three do-and-don't voice examples (including how it sounds when handling a complaint).
- Write the visual basics: a primary colour plus one or two supporting colours with hex codes, a neutral, one or two font choices, a note on logo usage, and a one-line photo/look style.
- Add a short consistency section listing the business's key touchpoints (Instagram/TikTok, WhatsApp, invoices, packaging, complaints) and one line on how the brand should show up at each.
- Combine everything into a clean one-to-three page document or shareable link (Google Doc, Canva, PDF) laid out like the brand guide skeleton from Lesson 7, and submit the link or pasted text.
Files to work with
Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 6 KBHow it is graded
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Clear, specific positioning statement and an evidence-based target-customer profile (pain, desire, objection) | 25% |
| Brand promise that is concrete, deliverable and noticeable, not vague wallpaper | 20% |
| Coherent personality and voice with concrete do-and-don't examples, including a complaint-handling voice | 20% |
| Practical visual basics (colours with hex codes, fonts, logo and photo notes) that fit the strategy | 20% |
| Consistency section and overall polish: organised, usable as a real brand guide for an SME | 15% |
You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.
Before you submit: make your link public
If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to finish Brand Strategy for Small Businesses before submitting the project?
Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Brand Strategy for Small Businesses is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.
How is the project graded?
An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.
Can I resubmit if I fail?
Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.
What do I actually submit?
A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.
Is the certificate real?
Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.
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Ready to earn this certificate?
Brand Strategy for Small Businesses is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.
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