What is a brand strategy and why is it important?
I often hear from clients who are struggling to get traction in their businesses. They’re working so hard and doing all the right things, yet something just isn’t clicking.
Maybe you’re struggling to explain why your product or service is valuable. You know how transformative it is, but you can’t find words that will resonate with potential clients or customers.
Maybe you’ve outgrown your brand. It’s feeling old, dated, or not in line with where you want to take your business.
Or maybe you know something needs to change, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. No matter what you try, you keep hitting an invisible wall holding your business back, and you don’t know how to fix it.
If this feels like you, keep reading!
I’m going to show you how to create a core business tool that will help you make deep, lasting connections with your audience based on your vision for what matters most. Those connections will turn into rewarding relationships, increased sales, and through-the-roof loyalty on the part of your customers.
Why the focus on connection? Because it lasts. A recent study showed that customers who are emotionally connected to a brand have a mind-boggling 306% higher lifetime value. They’re also loyal to the brand for longer (5.1 years vs. 3.4 years) and recommend it at a much higher rate (71% vs 45%).
Forget inquiries ghosting you or customers buying once and never coming back. When you focus on building an emotional connection with the right people, they’ll stick with you.
Not only will they be repeat customers and enthusiastic advocates — they’ll make up an army of people who have experienced your vision for the world and are proud to be a part of making it happen.
And the way to build that connection starts with your brand strategy.
What is a brand strategy?
A brand strategy is a concise document that brings together your business goals, brand heart, and core message to clearly explain how your brand will show up in the world and achieve its objectives.
Because it’s rooted in the heart of who you are and how you help your ideal customer, it allows you to create a consistent and meaningful brand experience that goes way beyond the surface to make a lasting impact. That means:
no more confusion, lack of clarity, or sending mixed messages
no more diluted brand presence that your customers don’t remember or don’t feel strongly about
More than that, a brand strategy is also a practical tool that makes it easier for you to run your business. How? It gives you a roadmap for connecting your high-level business goals and vision with your day-to-day steps and choices for getting your message out there and connecting with your audience. That means:
no more guessing at what you should say or do
no more spreading yourself too thin, feeling scattered and all over the place
no more lost money and time spent on rebrands that don’t land or visuals that don’t feel right.
It should directly influence not only your design but also your marketing, sales, product/service development, team culture and hiring, and every other part of your business. It will make you focused, consistent, and clear — everywhere.
When do you need it?
Not to put too fine a point on it, but, well, NOW. The sooner you get your brand strategy in place, the easier it will be for you to grow — regardless of where you find yourself.
That being said, there are a few situations where having a brand strategy in your back pocket is especially helpful. I cover this in detail in this blog post, but here’s the highlight reel:
When you’re starting
Finding your audience, figuring out your messaging, understanding what’s a priority when everything feels urgent and overwhelming… there’s so much that goes into getting a brand off the ground. Having a brand strategy framework that can grow with you is essential.
When you’re stuck
When you’re facing analysis paralysis, too many priorities or options (and no sense of how to choose), or you feel like you’re doing all the right things, yet the needle isn’t moving… that’s a strategy problem.
This process helps you step back to look at where you want to go and what you need (and don’t need) to get there. The result? You’ll feel calmer, more focused, freshly motivated, and equipped to take the next step forward. (If this is you, a Brand Retreat Day is a great place to start.)
When you’re ready to pivot or scale
Ohhh this is an exciting one. This means stepping up to a new level, and while that is exhilarating, it’s also incredibly demanding on you as the CEO. You’re trying to reach new people, create a new offering, or bring on a new team. There are a lot of moving parts! A brand strategy can help provide the organization, consistency, and clarity you’ll need to keep everyone on the same page and moving in the right direction.
What is included in a brand strategy?
The essential components of a brand strategy are:
Vision & Mission: What do you want to achieve, and how will you get there?
Values: What are your guiding principles and beliefs?
Purpose / Big Idea: What’s the driving concept behind everything you do?
Positioning Statement & Competitive Analysis: How will you stand out in the marketplace?
Audience Profile(s): Who is your ideal customer? What problem do you solve for them? What are their goals and pain points?
Brand Personality & Voice: How do you relate to your audience and meet their needs? How do you speak, sound, and feel?
Core Message: What are the key messages that articulate what you offer and why it matters — everywhere your brand connects with the world?
Visual Identity: What is the visual impact your brand needs to have? What cues, symbols, and objects do you use to represent your brand’s heart and message? How do they make you recognizable and memorable to your audience?
This is a long list, I know! It can feel overwhelming, but if you’re wondering how to break it down, stick with me.
Start by taking a look at my Brand HOME Framework. It organizes your brand strategy into four parts so you can see how everything is structured and relates together. Head over here to read more about that.
I also have another post coming in a couple of weeks that talks through my step-by-step process for creating a brand strategy, so stay tuned for that!
A simple place to start
Here’s a simple exercise to help you start thinking about what your brand strategy could look like. Pull out a sheet of paper and fold it into three columns. Set a timer and give yourself 10 minutes (per question) to brainstorm your answers to these three questions:
What do you do? What is your product or service? How does it make life better for the people who buy it? Go beyond features and practical details to explain how it is transformational.
Who is it for? Who are the people you are trying to serve? What problem are you solving for them? What do they need from you? Go beyond demographics and think about their state of mind.
Why does it matter? This is the connection piece we talked about at the beginning of this post. It ties together your “what you do” and your “who you do it for” into a meaningful message that people will trust, believe in, and keep coming back to.
And if you want help building your brand strategy, I’m here for you! My Elevated Brand Blueprint process will give you the high-level messaging you’ll need to make those customer connections and a roadmap for moving your business forward with more focus and clarity. Reach out today to book a free call!
To sum it all up…
A brand strategy brings together your business goals, brand heart, and core message to create a blueprint for how your brand will show up in the world.
It helps you to create a consistent and meaningful brand experience that builds a connection with your ideal customer and keeps you focused on the impact you’re trying to have.
It also gives you a roadmap for connecting your high-level business goals and vision with your day-to-day decision-making and priorities so you stay focused on the right things and move towards your goals faster.
Three times developing a brand strategy is essential: when you’re starting, when you’re stuck, or when you’re ready to pivot or scale (including hiring a team). More about that here.
There are a number of specific tools that you should include in your brand strategy, all designed to help you find clarity, understand your audience, and communicate your message clearly. Learn more about how they work together here.
Next steps
Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed! It’s okay to start small — your strategy will evolve with you. Use the questions I’ve shared in this post to get you started or take a look through the other links I’ve shared to learn more. I’ll keep updating this post with links as I publish more resources, so bookmark this link or save it to Pinterest and come back to it as you need to.
And of course, I’d love to work with you! Brand strategy development is the core of my work with clients. Whether it’s uncovering your brand vision, finally creating messaging that feels true to who you are, establishing a strategic creative direction for your brand experience, or building out a roadmap for setting priorities and getting things done, I’m here to help. Learn more about my signature Elevated Brand Blueprint package here, or reach out any time to set up a time to chat!
