I’m going to assume that you’re in your business for the long haul. This means that you’re smart enough to realize that brands are living, breathing things, not just your logo or tagline.
They infuse practically everything you do with some message or meaning, making sure that your entire business is all part of one strong unit. This starts from your website and blog to your online reviews and social media feeds.
If done correctly, a brand strategy can make all the difference in drawing in new loyal customers, holding onto the old ones, and garnering the sort of attention you need from the press. Let’s start by defining brand strategy.
Brand Strategy Definition
A brand strategy is a holistic approach to how a brand builds identification and favorability with customers and potential customers. A brand strategy encompasses several different brand elements like voice, storytelling, brand identity, and brand values.
What is a Brand Strategy?
A brand strategy is a plan with specific, long-term goals that you can achieve for the growth of a successful brand. The components involved in defining a brand strategy are its character which helps people recognize it.
A well-thought-out brand strategy, well-defined and executed brand strategy affects all aspects of a business and is directly connected to consumer needs, emotions, and competitive environments. But what does that really mean?
Brand strategy is one of those high falutin’ words that gets thrown around a lot, but I’m here to tell you that it’s not just another buzzword. It’s nothing to be afraid of, and everything to embrace.
The Brand Strategy will help your brand get focused on who you are, why you do the things you do, and how you want the outside world (your customers) to perceive you.
What makes up a Brand Strategy?
Purpose
Why do you exist? What problem do you solve? What value do you bring to your customers? Remember, these aren’t rhetorical questions — they need answers. Your company needs to know what it wants out of life, or else how can anyone else.
Developing a brand strategy for your business doesn’t have to be hard. It all starts with answering one question: knowing why you’re in business.
This is the most important question you could ever ask yourself. If you don’t know the answer to this, then you likely don’t know what your business is about, why it was created and how it can exist in the marketplace.
The reason for this is simple; knowing your purpose gives legitimacy and meaning to everything else you do. Every decision you make as a business owner or marketer should be made with the goal of fulfilling that purpose and helping your customers achieve their own goals in mind.
That’s not to say that there isn’t room for flexibility and change—how could there be? You learn more about your customers every day and the market changes constantly around you! But if your mission statement or core values are solid, they will provide guideposts along the way and help keep you on the right path.
Vision
This is where your purpose comes into focus. What does the future look like? What does success mean for your company? A vision statement isn’t just a pretty picture — it has to be specific and concrete. It shouldn’t just describe what your company looks like when it’s successful; it should also describe how you get there.
Emotional connection
People buy from people they like, trust, and respect. If a stranger on the street sees your company name and feels nothing, that’s not good enough — not for a brand, as competitive as yours will be. People have to care about your brand in order for them to buy from you.
Maintaining Brand Consistency
Maintaining a consistent brand strategy is crucial for any business. How you present yourself to the world and your target audience will affect how they see you. Without a well-defined strategy, your brand can be easily lost among the competition.
Strong brand identity includes:
- Defining your target audience
- Knowing what makes your brand unique
- Understanding how you want people to perceive you (brand personality)
- Creating a consistent message across all platforms
- Choosing an appropriate color scheme and logo design
- Using the right tone of voice in all marketing material
Decisions made at the beginning of your business will set the stage for future success or failure so it’s important to put serious thought into these elements before moving forward with anything.
Brand Strategy Tips and Reminders
TIP! Strategy is about making decisions about where you want to go. Then you can focus on getting there. Strategy is about solving problems. It’s about deciding what you need to do to accomplish your goals. A marketing strategy answers questions such as:
- What do I want my company to be?
- How do I want my company to be perceived?
- How will my company work with others in the industry?
- Who are my target audiences?
- What are my marketing goals?
Your brand strategy is essentially a road map to your success. It will ensure that you are professional, engaging, and unique. By following a well-formulated brand strategy you will be able to achieve your business goals and stand out from the crowd.
