Why you need a Brand Strategy
A brand strategy is your company’s roadmap that guides decision-making, customer engagement, and marketing efforts.
A good brand strategy is a vital part of any successful business, providing a roadmap to guide key decisions, customer engagement, and all marketing activities. It’s also helpful in determining the correct visual and creative direction for your brand. It is a critical tool for businesses to assess their current position in the market, define their objectives (both business objectives and marketing objectives), and identify the tactics and strategies necessary to reach their goals.
Crafting a comprehensive brand strategy is an essential part of any business plan, allowing businesses to create a strong, recognisable brand that resonates with their target audience.
Why is a Brand Strategy so important?
A brand strategy is important because it ensures that all of your company’s efforts are purposeful and consistent. It helps you establish a relationship with your target audience, create a distinct identity, and differentiate yourself from the competition. It is the foundation of your company’s messaging, visual identity, and overall presence.
Creating a Brand Strategy
Developing a brand strategy does not have to be a daunting task (but it’s still important to take it seriously!). While there is a lot that goes into the actual process, here are a few key points to get you started and to let you know what you should be thinking about.
“The secret to getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” — Mark Twain
5 steps to creating a strong Brand Strategy
Define your purpose
What are your mission, values, and goals?
A mission statement describes why your company exists, why you are offering your product or service, and how it helps to solve the problems of your customers.
Your values tie into your Unique Selling Point, so feel free to expand on that. Ask: would you buy from yourself? Why/why not? What would you feel if someone you loved bought a product like this from someone like you? Your goals can help you clarify your motivations, set a clear direction for you and your team members, and ensure you can celebrate the wins when they come along!
Understand your audience
Who are you trying to reach? Try to be as specific as possible when defining your target audience.
Where do they live? How old are they? Where do they spend time online? What do they do for a living? What kind of accounts do they follow on social media? What content do they like to consume? What are their main worries in life? Leave no stone unturned!
You really can’t be too specific. Ideally, you want to create 2-3 customer personas that will personify the audience you want to reach and sell to. Give them names (we have Lucy, Lauren and Martin on our list) and write down all the details that make them unique. When creating content (whether it be for promotional purposes or if you’re simply providing value), write to them as individuals.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking your audience is ‘everyone’. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that there are similarities between the people that generally buy from you, or resonate with your business. Focusing on those key demographics or psychographics will go a long way in determining how you refine your messaging to target the right people.
Identify your competition
Who are your competitors? When researching your competitors, try to deconstruct what they offer, what they charge, how they market and interact with their clients, etc.
You’re not trying to copy them; you’re trying to learn from them. What are they doing that you can do differently and, more importantly, what are they doing that you could be doing better?
Develop a positioning statement
How do you want to be perceived by your audience? What feeling do you want to leave people with when they've interacted with your brand? Your brand’s position in the market is influenced by your beliefs and demonstrated in your behaviour. It’s what you do differently.
When you have a good understanding of your position, you can infuse it into every aspect of your brand. It will guide the choices you make, how you interact with your audience, and how they interact with you.
Create a brand voice
What is the tone and attitude of your messaging? Brand Voice will determine how you speak to your potential customers in your messaging (social media channels, website, etc).
Finding the right voice helps you to connect with your ideal audience.
Creating a brand strategy is a critical step in establishing a strong and memorable presence for your business. When you have a plan in place, it makes it easier to create content, engage with customers, and differentiate yourself from competitors.
Need help with developing a strategy for your brand? Get in touch for a free (no-obligations) 20 minute call to see if we’d be the right fit!
