Are you in the process of setting up your first company? Or do you feel like your current brand direction is in need of a refresh? Your brand strategy can be a tricky thing to get right, but if done correctly can reap huge rewards for your business and ensure your customers stay loyal and intrigued for years to come.
Here is our guide to winning at brand strategy.
1 – Understanding what a Brand Strategy really is.
The first misconception to clear up is that a brand strategy is not just your logo, website, email signature or packaging. Many companies make the incorrect assumption that once they have a logo, colour palette and font suite, they are ready to release their fledgling brand into the world. It’s actually a long term plan to ensure you reach clearly identified goals, connect to consumers requirements and emotions whilst also standing out from competitors.
2 – Play the long game
A properly implemented strategy takes a long term view of your brand over a number of years, identifying key areas to focus on to make sure that the brand is working to its maximum potential.
The ultimate goal is to create a lasting brand architecture that can stand the test of time, and that can be built on over the years to come.
3 – Identify your purpose
Through the process of creating a brand strategy, perhaps the key point to consider is what your brands purpose really is. This can be a difficult thing to fully understand, and may take you a good deal of time to truly get under your brands skin. But having a clear understanding of why you’re different and what you can offer consumers is vital.
4 – Be Emotional
Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, created a truly passionate and emotionally invested team when setting up his company. They knew they had a superior product to their competitors and were so sure of this that they handed out running shoes to athletics teams across Portland to prove it. Nike believed in themselves as the all American under-dog, clearly knew their market and went out of their way to reach them. The rest as they say, is history!
Customers are not robots, and do not always make what is considered ‘the correct’ decision when making a purchase. A great deal of emotion is involved in any buying decision, and it’s this that can be key to a brands success. Identify your market, learn what makes them tick, and ensure meeting this target is a key part of your strategy moving forward.
5 – Nurture loyalty
Your customers and clients are the lifeblood of your brand, and without them your brand simply would not exist. By making them feel involved and a part of your brand, it will nurture a sense of loyalty, which could turn many into ambassadors for your brand, spreading vital recommendations to friends, posting reviews online and helping you grow exponentially.
Look at your market and identify ways that you can get them to be a part of your journey. Cycling company Rapha created a riders club for members to organise meet ups, ride outs and get badges for meeting certain criteria. It’s now a cycling phenomenon and has in turn created enormous awareness of Rapha’s brand.
