Alright, let's cut to the chase.
Creating a brand is more than just coming up with a clever name and a killer logo. Unfortunately, far too many companies focus solely on these superficial elements and neglect the underlying strategy that gives a brand its strength and staying power.
The ignorance of brand strategy can have serious consequences for a business. Without a clear and cohesive brand message, a company may struggle to differentiate itself from its competitors and connect with its target audience. A weak brand can lead to confused customers, lost sales, and long-term damage to a company's reputation.
But on the flip side, a well-crafted brand strategy can give a company a significant competitive advantage. A strong brand can help a company stand out in a crowded marketplace, create a deeper connection with its customers, and build long-term loyalty.
But first, what is brand strategy?
Brand strategy, by definition, is a long term plan for a brand to achieve specific, pre-defined goals. The brand strategy is a blueprint that outlines the steps taken to establish and maintain a positive brand reputation.
This blueprint includes details on how various elements such as the brand's purpose and values, tone and personality, visual content, and storytelling will be used to create a positive perception of the brand across different channels.
Besides, without purpose, design is mostly art.
How do you develop brand strategy?
To go about developing brand strategy for your business, it's important to define 5 key elements:
Purpose
People
Personality
Positioning
Planning
To get you started, we've explained the elements below.
#1 - Purpose
Defining the purpose of the brand refers to the defining idea of why the business exists in the first place. What does the brand stand for? What do they aim to achieve? What motivates the brand beyond money? These are questions to ponder upon and define during the strategy phase.
#2 - People
You need to know who you're helping. Not just a demographic of your audience but also the psychographics, their pain points and what motivates them need to be identified and aligned with your branding efforts. Because branding is about resonating.
#3 - Positioning
Whose your competition and what sets you apart from them? This is where you identify how you're gonna differentiate yourself and create a unique proposition for your audience.
#4 - Personality
This is where you identify and define the personality the brand intends to create for the audience. Some elements you can focus on defining are the brand voice, archetype, and messaging. How are you gonna humanise your brand?
#5 - Planning
Once you've identified the above, you have everything required to create your brand messaging framework and the plan to approach your brand identity development process. Create a story around your brand and take it to the market.
To Sum Up..
It's more crucial than ever for brands to be clear about their beliefs in a time when consumers seek authenticity and products they can identify with. Brands without a strong sense of who they are and what sets them apart will swiftly be discovered and forgotten.
But the ones that have this sorted out, will be celebrated by their audience no matter the size of the business.
If you would like give your business the brand it deserves, connect with us today!
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