The 9 Pillars of Brand Strategy
Does this sound like you?
You’re trying to move the needle on your business but you end up spinning your wheels.
You feel like you’re doing it all but you’re not getting anywhere.
You feel like something is amiss in your business but you can’t quite put your finger on it.
Now, there are many scenarios in which these could all be true that have nothing to do with your brand strategy, but if you’re not sure what a brand strategy IS or why you need one, stick with me here because you’re about to be let in on some truth bombs that we share with our clients day in and day out.
What is brand strategy anyways?
If you work with us, you might hear us referring to Brand Strategy as your Foundation, Goal, and your Roadmap. Aka, where your business is now, where you are going and how you will get there. It encompasses all of the components that we research, identify and synthesize on the back end before creating any kind of visual components for your business. What’s a cool logo without a strategy? Not much.
I hear you over there saying “That’s nice Mel, but break it down for me will ya?”. You bet.
Here are the pillars of Brand Strategy:
Market Research — so you can make educated decisions instead of just guessing
Ideal Client & Ideal Wholesale Client — by knowing who you are talking to and what they truly want/need you can tailor your messaging and visuals to appeal to them and “be in their head”
Core Values — what you, as a company believe in and stand for. These values are your compass to create brand messaging, behaviors & most of all your decision-making process.
Vision & Purpose — where are you going and why. This should have nothing to do with making money and should be the deeper WHY behind your operation.
Positioning/Differentiator — What makes you different from other businesses who do the same thing.
Voice/Tone/Personality — The way you say things often matters far more than what you are actually saying
Customer Journey — A map for your customers to follow so that they can get the results they are looking for
Offerings — What is it that you offer? Does it meet the needs of your ideal client & offer the results they are looking to achieve?
Storytelling — Creating memorable/educational/entertaining moments for your clients to interact with your brand so that they one day say, I need more of THIS in my life.
Notice that I did not once talk about colors, fonts or logos!
What happens when you have a brand strategy in place?
Every single thing you do, as a business, can be traced back to a solid brand strategy.
For starters, it is far easier to establish a visual identity once you have a brand strategy in place because you know who you are trying to reach — your ideal customer. You wouldn’t design a brand identity the same way if you were trying to reach your grandma or your toddler, would you?
Beyond that, brand strategy is the starting point for all communications that come from your brand. How you share your stories, what platforms you do it on, how you answer your emails, what sort of language you use… it all stems from your strategy.
The physical manifestation of your brand also comes from there & feels far more aligned when it's based on a solid brand strategy. For example, using recycled materials in your packaging is directly linked to your eco-friendly values.
What do I do now? Action time!
Grab a notebook (yes, we are old school like that) and start working through the pillars above until you have a clear and concise copy that’s easy to share and understand. How do you know if it’s concise and easy to share? Say it out loud to someone who has very little background on what you do or how you do it, and see if they can repeat it back to you. We also call this the grandma test.
Looking for a pro to help you out? Shameless plug here, but we always love having these kinds of conversations. Getting from point A to point B and finding creative solutions to get there is what we do. To get on Mel’s calendar, book a consultation call. like a good drug dealer, the first one is on the house.
Looking for a more DIY approach? We are working on some worksheets to help you work through the different pillars of your brand. Interested? Sign up for our newsletter below!
