7 Steps to a Successful Brand Strategy for Your Creative Business
As the owner of your creative business - I’m talking to my health, wellness, and lifestyle brands - there’s no doubt that you have a complete understanding of your business. After all, you likely built it from the ground up!
But how well do you portray your brand information to your target audience?
I may have got you thinking on this one here but as the story goes, without a strong brand strategy, it’s next to impossible to remain competitive in the consumer marketplace.
Because I’ve noticed, I’ve put together this blog post to discuss what you should know about brand strategy in your marketing, including how you can create an effective brand strategy for your business.
What is a Brand Strategy?
Before we can delve into brand strategy, we first need to understand what is a brand – or better, what the entire experience a target audience has with your company – actually means.
A brand is much more than a physical characteristic like a logo and a company name. It’s the lasting impression your company has on the customer and dictates what people think, feel, and say about your business. Through every customer interaction we have - whether that be on social media, in the grocery store, or through online networking events, this emotional experience can become stronger or weaker depending on how you connect with your brand & how your past or potential client sees how your brand can & has transformed their business.
Although it has an intangible nature, a brand helps differentiate your company from its competitors and drive value. And to help bring your brand’s competitive positioning to life, you need a brand strategy.
This long-term plan includes specific goals to help create and strengthen your professional brand. It provides an understanding of who you are as a company and details how you as a creative entrepreneur can communicate this information best to your clients.
How To Develop a Brand Strategy
Brand strategy development takes a lot of hard work, time, and commitment. Some questions you might be asking your self could be:
How do you know where to start?
What should you include?
How do you implement the strategy once you have one?
To help you create a comprehensive brand strategy, we’ve outlined six steps to follow.
1 | Define Your Business Strategy and Goals
Now’s the time to think hard about the future of your business. A lot of people get confused at this part and only focus on the here & now.
But what I want you to do is to think about what you want to see regarding your future revenue, if you plan on opening up a creative studio or agency & if that will include a permanent brick and mortar location, any part of your service areas and your client base.
Like any other strategy, the purpose of a brand strategy is to accomplish one or more goals. These goals are what form the core of your brand strategy development.
2 | Complete Your Research
Completing accurate research on your target client group provides insight into their perspective, priorities, and needs. You can learn about how they perceive your products and services so you can determine your appropriate messaging that resonates with them.
Industry research is also vital. Learning about your competitors’ branding can also provide you with creative inspiration and tips for increasing engagement within your niche.
3 | Create Your Brand Positioning
The promise you make to your customers is important, but having a defined purpose is what helps you remain competitive.
What sets you apart from others, and why should customers or clients invest with you? What set of beliefs and values influence everything your business does? What future do you want your company to help create?
Using three to five sentences, I want you to create a positioning statement that captures the heart of your brand positioning.
It’s best to keep it aspirational but also grounded in reality so that you aren’t over-promising to your audience.
4 | Define Your Brand Personality
Just like people, a memorable brand has a distinct personality.
I want you to describe your brand as a person (real or imagined), by outlining the characteristics and attributes that make it appealing and influential.
Is this person professional and sophisticated?
Wild and enthusiastic?
What tone, voice, and style do they use?
Everything your creative business does and creates should embody these brand personality traits – from your product descriptions to how your team interact with customers, audience or clients.
5 | Develop Your Messaging Strategy
Now that you have your brand positioning, it’s time to make your messaging relevant to your potential clients, team members, influences, partners or collaborators.
Each target audience will have its own set of pain points that your brand can address in its messaging.
Although your brand positioning & fundamentals will remain the same, you’ll need a unique message that addresses these specific concerns. so be sure to use any evidence you need to support your statements.
6 | Design Your Visual Identity
Your visual identity and colors help your brand come alive to form its foundation.
Instead of making color decisions based on your personal preference, I always suggest for you to do some research on color psychology.
There are various positive and negative connotations that people associate with specific colors, so choose ones that solicit appropriate emotions and responses for your brand.
Choose a visual identity that’s purposeful and able to grow with your brand because each element should complement the other, including your logo, imagery, and typography.
Because of my work with brands that are just starting out or brands that may not have the investment to go for a full brand identity experience, I’ve created premade logo designs that are specific to wellness & lifestyle industries but can be customized and designed for anyone.
My logo design kits provide you with the necessary branding elements you need when it comes to your business. Choose a design package and you get a logo suite (which includes your primary, secondary, and submark) with the option to include a business card, a unique customized branding illustration, or all three!
These visual identities are so affordable and have a quick turnaround in just 7 days! I encourage you to check out my shop and see what’s currently in store for wellness, lifestyle, and interior design with new products being added frequently.
7 | Implement Your Brand Strategy
After defining your brand strategy, it’s time to integrate it with your content marketing strategy.
Your website is likely the most popular way new clients or customers will find you, so be sure to use it to tell your brand’s story effectively. The same goes for your blog, proposals, business cards, and rate sheets.
Your social media accounts offer a great opportunity to attract and engage your target audience. No matter what social platform you use, remember to keep your branding consistent. For example, use your brand strategy with your Pinterest strategy to maintain cohesive voice and visuals easily.
The Importance of a Brand Strategy in Marketing
How people view your brand heavily influences the relationship that they have with your business.
By taking the time to develop a strong brand strategy, you have the opportunity to shape your brand’s identity purposefully.
Since customers are often willing to pay more because of a brand, your business will highly benefit from this and it will gradually show over time as your revenue will increase over time.
A successful brand strategy highlights your competitive positioning and defines your uniqueness in the marketplace. It helps you understand who you truly are, which helps you to communicate consistently and effectively with any prospective clients or customers. In turn, you’re able to attract the right audience your way because these are people who share similar values.
Conclusion
Your brand is your company’s best asset. It can influence the thoughts and emotions people have with your company – which in turn, can affect your bottom line.
Make your brand the best it can be by developing a strong brand strategy and you will see the positive return on investment (ROI) over time!
If you’re thinking you’re in need of a brand strategy, let’s connect! Check out my services here and book a free consultation so we can discuss your business needs further & create a plan so you can attract your dream audience.
Let’s Connect
@cwillisandco
