Using Brand Strategy To Build A Brand That Lasts

You’ve definitely heard the phrase “your brand is more than your logo”, but what does that actually mean? What are the pieces that you need to build an effective brand? And how do you go about defining them?

These are some of the most fundamental questions you can ask yourself as a business owner embarking on the journey to build a brand that lasts. Effective branding transcends trends, provides clarity, and gives you confidence when navigating the marketplace.

 

Why Branding Matters

We tend to make our purchasing decisions based on trust. We want to know that the people we’re buying our “stuff” from have our back, care about us, and care about the product they’re creating. The primary function of branding is to build awareness and loyalty (aka. TRUST) with your ideal audience.

The way you communicate through your business, the colors and fonts you use, your logo, and all other visual components of your business are powerful indicators of your values. We leverage these tools to clue an audience into who we are, and why they should trust us with their hard-earned money.

But how do you know where to start? Figure out what you want to say? And how do you know if you’re communicating those things effectively?

 

That’s where brand strategy comes in.

 

What Is Brand Strategy

An effective brand strategy gives your business a central unifying set of principles around which all behavior, actions, and content are aligned. In simple terms; your brand strategy should be used to clearly dictate all branded actions you take in your business.

Your brand strategy should be built around your vision, goals, and values as a business owner. It needs to show a deep understanding of your audience’s needs and desires. And, it should be able to be clearly communicated by everyone involved in your business.

Brand strategy helps your business carve out space in a crowded marketplace. And provides a clear framework for making decisions that reflect the goals of your brand.

 

How To Define Your Brand Strategy

 

Keep It Simple

Don’t overcomplicate things. Spend some time defining the basics of your business.

• What do you do?
• Who is it for?
• Why do we exist?
• What is the value?

How can you take all of those pieces and turn them into a single, impactful sentence?

At [business name] we [what you do] for [who you do it for] because we believe that [what is the value].

At [business name] we [what you do] for [who you do it for], [how we do it differently].

 

Keep It Consistent

Spend time thinking about the things you value in your business. How do you communicate those values at every touchpoint?

• How should we write our Instagram captions?
• What kinds of content do we share (ie. funny, informational, inspirational, educational?)
• How does your website look?

Everywhere that your brand appears should serve to strengthen your audiences’ understanding of your value. Identify the spaces where there’s the greatest disconnect between who you strive to be and how you’re showing up. Come up with a game plan for bringing your vision and values back into those spaces.

Keep It Flexible

Your brand strategy, and brand at large, should be designed to support growth and change. A strong brand identity should grow with you, not hold you back. There should be room for adapting, expanding, and evolving your brand.

 

If all of this sounds like a lot to handle on your own, no stress, that’s exactly what we’re here for. Schedule a call today to find clarity and confidence in your brand space.