Why Planning Your Brand Strategy Is So Important For success

What is a brand strategy?

There are many definitions and interpretations of what a brand strategy is.

For me, based on the way I approach brand development, it first starts with the essence of your identity as a business, essentially your Brand DNA. It's the reason you exist and why people choose you above the rest.

With that in mind, the brand strategy itself is about how you bring your Brand DNA to the surface, across all touch points, all of the time.

What impact does the brand strategy have?

Your brand strategy is absolutely critical to the success of your business. It's the how and where of consistently communicating your brand DNA to your audience, authentically and with credibility.

On the basis that your strategy draws on critical aspects that determine the relationship your brand has with your audience, everything you do around brand strategy will filter through to your audience.

It's imperative therefore that your brand strategy is considered and planned.

How far reaching is the brand strategy?

It touches on several key elements, such as:

• Purpose beyond financial gain
• Values
• Tone of voice
• Messaging
• Visual identity
• Brand philosophy

It's all these elements, and more, that come together and drive the emotions of how your audience feels about you, the relationship they ultimately have with your brand.

What's the process for planning the brand strategy?

It has to start at the beginning. You have to get the brand foundations in place first. The foundations are what create your identity as a business, your brand DNA.

Once they are in place, you can begin to plan how to best reach your audience.

This starts with reviewing your current key touch points, comprising typically of all channels that have an interaction with your audience.

For example, website, social channels, corporate documentation, your people and more. It's vast.

Once you have reviewed the touch points, it's about assessing which channels are best suited to carrying which elements of your key messaging.

Look at which channels are the most effective in connecting with your target audience in a way that resonates.

Exploring how you can consistently communicate with your audience to build credibility with authenticity.

I personally find Miro an excellent tool for this. I use it to map out strategies that can often be multi-tiered and complex. Planning is essential.

The Importance of Brand Strategy

Your brand strategy is hugely important in how you resonate with your target audience. Its importance should never be underestimated.

Planning your brand strategy is critical in how effectively you can build credibility with your target audience. It's about consistency, authenticity and credibility.

If you are about to delve into brand development, consider the whole picture and plan your journey. And if you would like assistance to navigate through all these elements, please do get in touch.