A brand strategy is the foundation of a successful business. It sets forth the goals and objectives of your business and provides a roadmap to achieve them. Without a strong brand strategy, your business may not reach its potential. This article will teach you everything you need to know to build a powerful brand strategy.
What Does Branding Mean?
Branding is the process of creating a unique name, term, design, symbol, or other feature that identifies a product or service and distinguishes it from those of other producers.
Branding aims to create customer loyalty and distinguish a company's products from its competitors.
Why Brand Strategy Is Important
A brand strategy is essential because it helps businesses create a unique identity and communicate that to customers.
It can help a business attract new customers, retain current customers, and increase revenue.
A well-executed brand strategy can also help a business reduce its marketing costs, improve its public image, and increase employee productivity.
The Difference Between Brand Strategy & Marketing Strategy
There is a lot of confusion between "brand strategy" and "marketing strategy."
The main difference is that brand strategy is about creating a unique and valuable brand for a company, while marketing strategy is about creating a plan to reach and engage customers with the company's products or services.
Brand strategy is the overall plan or direction of a brand, and it includes everything from its mission and values to its marketing and communication plans.
On the other hand, marketing strategy is the specific tactics and techniques used to reach consumers with a brand's message. This could include everything from advertising to product placement to customer service.
What Does A Brand Strategy Include?
A brand strategy is a plan that helps a company create, protect, and grow its brand.
It typically includes developing a brand identity, creating a marketing plan, and managing its reputation.
A brand strategy can also include developing new products or services or expanding into new markets.
The Steps To Developing A Brand Strategy
Building a brand strategy is a process that begins with understanding your customer and ends with creating a unique selling proposition (USP) that will differentiate your company from its competitors. There are six steps to developing a brand strategy:
1) Define the Brand's Mission. What does your brand stand for? What values do you want to promote? What story will customers believe about your company? Once you know the brand's mission, you can start developing values and stories that support it.
2) Understand Your Customer Base Who is your target customer? What are their needs and wants? How has your customer base changed over time? By understanding who your customers are, you can develop products and services that appeal to them.
3) Create a Brand Identity What does your company look and feel like? What colours do you use? What type of imagery is popular among your target customer? By creating a brand identity, you set the tone for how customers will experience your company.
4) Develop a Marketing Plan How will you reach your target customer? What are the different channels through which you can advertise? How will you measure success? A well-developed marketing plan will help you reach your target audience and achieve desired results.
5) Manage the Brand's Reputation How do people perceive your brand now, and how will it change in the future? Are there any negative associations your brand has? How can you manage these perceptions? By managing the brand's reputation, you can ensure that your company remains positive and credible in customers' eyes.
6) Continuously Evolve the Brand Strategy As your company grows, so may the need for a revised or updated brand strategy. Be prepared to make changes as needed to ensure that your brand continues to resonate with customers.
You should update the brand strategy regularly to reflect the company's direction and growth.
Brand Strategy Framework
A brand strategy framework is a tool that can help you develop a plan for building and sustaining a successful brand. It enables you to think about your brand from customers, employees, and shareholders, point of view, and it provides guidelines for creating and executing strategies.
A brand strategy framework typically includes the first five elements mentioned above. Here is the brand strategy framework and the elements you can use to develop your powerful brand strategy.
1) Research
Brand Audit
Business Objectives
Stakeholder Analysis
Market Analysis
Brand Strategy Analysis
2) Strategy
Refining The Focus
Brand Promise
Positioning Strategy
Brand Brief
Brand Archetypes
Brand Architecture
Brand Experience
3) Design
Logo
Tagline
Typography
Guidelines
Tone/Voice
Communication
4) TouchPoints
Collateral
Digital
Environments
Advertising
Merchandise
Signage
Vehicles
Uniforms
Stationary
5) Assets
Managing The Assets
Changing Brand Identity
Launching Brand Identity
Communicating Brand Identity
Protecting Brand Identity
Conclusion
A well-defined brand strategy is essential for any business. You can create a strong brand that will help your business succeed by following this blueprint.
Be sure always to keep your brand strategy updated and relevant.