A brand consists of much more than just a logo or a colour scheme. It encompasses the various feelings people associate with your business before, during, and even after making a purchase. If you have ever found it difficult to articulate what sets your business apart from competitors, or if you feel that your marketing is inconsistent and disorganised, those are clear indications that your brand strategy requires improvement.
What is brand strategy and positioning?
Brand strategy encompasses all of the factors associated with the perception of your business, including your values, the target audience you are trying to reach, the methods you use to communicate with them, and your competitive advantage. Positioning is the unique space you occupy in your customer’s mind in comparison to your competitors.
In combination, these concepts respond to three questions that at first glance may appear simple.
- Who are we, really?
- Who are we for?
- Why should they care?
If you are able to answer these questions correctly, the rest of your marketing will fall into place. It eliminates uncertainty in determining what to communicate and who to communicate to.
The Importance of Brand Strategy for Small and Medium Enterprises
Branding is often an afterthought for many small businesses. They think it can be figured out after they start doing “real” marketing. This is not the right approach in our experience. Without a defined brand strategy, you will have:
- Messaging that is unclear and inconsistent across your website, social media, and sales conversations
- Problems with differentiation in an oversaturated market
- Marketing costs that do not create longitudinal awareness
- A brand that feels and sounds different based on who is doing the writing
On the other hand, a strong, and well-positioned brand does all of that. It creates trust quickly, allows for higher pricing due to more obvious value, and makes all your marketing (ads, website, social media content) more effective as there is a consistent story for all of them.
How we do brand strategy and positioning
We don’t create meaningless brand exercises that are just bound in a pretty document. We focus on giving you something practical.
Discovery and research — First, we want to gain an accurate understanding of your business. This includes your goals, history, customers, and competitors. This typically includes discussions with you and your team, a review of your current marketing, and some research on your industry and audience.
Positioning — Let’s work out where you really fit in the market. That involves measuring what you do best, what opportunities competitors are missing, and what matters to your ideal customers. We don’t deal in the vague and subjective marketing claim of “quality service” — we target reality and specifics.
Brand foundation — Next, we develop the building blocks of this process: brand story, tone of voice, key messages, and visual direction where applicable. These will be the guiding reference for any upcoming marketing processes.
Activation — A brand strategy is worthless if not activated. We implement the strategy across your website, social media, sales collateral, and anywhere else to ensure the same narrative wherever your business is present.
Outcome
You and your team will have absolute certainty in your brand identity, target position, and communication strategy. Furthermore, any new hires or agencies will have effective alignment and guidance.
If your business is ready to move on from its old branding, or you’re starting new and want to get things right, we’d love to assist. Reach out so we can understand your current position and future goals.