„People don’t buy goods and services. They buy relationships, stories, and magic,“ says Seth Godin, one of the most renowned and influential thinkers and authors on marketing in the digital age. Given the sheer amount of information available to us and the ease with which we can access almost any information or service at the touch of a button, a successful brand strategy is one of the key elements a company needs to stand out.
The 6 Pillars of a Successful Brand Strategy
In this article, we define the 6 essential elements that make a brand strategy successful.
What is a Brand Strategy?
When entrepreneurs hear the word „branding,“ they usually first think of the visual appearance of the corporate identity, i.e., the color palette, logo design, font, and aesthetic elements found on the website and throughout the company’s offerings. Many entrepreneurs outsource the graphic elements to professionals in this field, and for some, that’s all there is to it, but a successful brand strategy involves much more.
This part of a brand strategy is undoubtedly important and indispensable, but it is becoming increasingly important to view the brand as something that has much more to do with than just visual identity. A brand must not only tell the story of what a company offers, but also what it stands for and what it hopes to mean. A branding strategy helps companies define themselves and their story through their branding and carry it out into the world through a documented and clearly thought-out plan.
6 Steps to Creating Your Brand Strategy
If you, as a company, are not clear about what your brand stands for, almost every aspect of your business will feel the impact. Here are six clear steps to developing your brand strategy that will strengthen your communication with your audience and thus your overall business success.
#1 Define who you are as a brand
The very first crucial element of a brand strategy is, of course, the brand itself. While there are countless ways to define a brand, in short, a brand can be understood as the impression your audience and target market have of your company. In other words, your brand determines what people think, feel, or say about your company.
At the heart of every brand are the company’s vision, mission, purpose, and values. These are the first things that need to be clearly defined. From these elements, the supporting elements of the brand can be developed, including the brand’s personality, essence, and tone, also known as the brand core, as well as the tagline, messaging pillars, and the brand’s visual identity.
#2 Develop your brand message
Once the core elements of your brand are clearly defined, it’s time to translate them into a message that tells your brand’s story, also known as brand messaging. The foundation for developing brand messaging is the company’s unique value proposition (UVP) and brand messaging guidelines.
The value proposition is one of the most important factors of any brand strategy, as it is fundamentally linked to the target audience and market and sets the company apart from its competitors in the market. A large part of market research goes into the UVP, and therefore it must be defined, refined, and thoroughly understood.
You can then develop brand messaging guidelines that connect your brand core and UVP with your audience through clear marketing. Your brand guidelines will include all visual elements as well as the tone of voice that tell your brand’s story in the best and most creative way and ensure consistency is always achieved, regardless of who is working on developing individual marketing materials.
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#3 Define your visuals
There are a number of elements within the brand guidelines that will remain consistent and define your brand to those who come into contact with it.
Your logo is perhaps the most important element of your brand identity, as it becomes an icon for your company. The psychology of logos is to convey a strong message through a single image. When designing your logo, it is helpful to keep your company values in mind so that they can shine through. Key characteristics of a logo include being striking, timeless, memorable, and working well in both large and small formats. To ensure your logo hits the mark, you can try a free logo maker that combines all the elements you need into a single strong graphic statement.
Typography and color palettes also play a role in defining your brand’s appearance and are also used in the design of your logo. There is a whole psychology associated with using different colors and shapes to reinforce a specific message, such as using blue to convey trustworthiness and squares to convey a sense of stability, while circular elements represent flexibility or fluidity.
#4 Design your website
Nowadays, companies that don't have a website don't have much of a business. A website is an indispensable tool for any business and plays a key role in the brand strategy, as it is where most customers land first. The impression your website leaves can be the lasting one the customer has in mind.
There are certain essential elements that must be included on your website. These include your UVP and your About Us page, which briefly and concisely explain the benefits of your company from both a functional and emotional perspective. Your website will also include your tagline, which summarizes your market position in a sentence, word, or phrase, and it will be designed according to your brand identity in the form of logos, typography, and color palettes.
Whether your website is a branding website simply intended to convey your brand message, or a powerful website designed to attract new customers, your online content is central to your branding strategy. Creating content with search engine optimization in mind is crucial for your website to stand out and for your potential customers to find you.
And finally, a customer feedback area on any website is an important tool to find out what your customers like – or dislike – about your company. This allows you to improve based on the most accurate information available – from the customers themselves.
#5 Outline your marketing plan
Now that your branding is up to date, it’s time to create your marketing plan, which translates all elements of your branding strategy into a business-promoting toolkit. Marketing means everything you do to get your customers to engage with your brand and your company. For some companies, billboards and radio advertising are the basic elements of their marketing plan, while for other brands, something more educational might be more suitable for their target audience.
#6 Implement a brand measurement plan
After so much hard work has gone into developing an excellent brand strategy, it makes sense to measure the results using a brand measurement plan. This is a document that translates your company’s goals into measurable metrics and dimensions. A measurement plan is an essential part of your long-term strategy. It contains definitions of your key performance indicators and goals, so you can be sure that your company and the team that leads it stay on track.
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