Ideally a Brand Strategy is the first task of Marketing and Communications, informed by the overall business strategy and business model. 

As we get into the details of your audiences, and marketplace it can reveal new insights that may spark changes in your overall business strategy or model. 

The logo and brand identity is an visual expression of all that we have captured in the brand strategy process. We use the insights to inform the design brief for the visual brand. 

Marketing strategy and tactics can be implemented once the brand process is complete. 

This usually starts with the website and key collateral. Then finding the right channels to connect with your key audiences. 

Why do I need it? 

Without a brand strategy, there’s often a fuzziness in the business around – what’s our message? Where should we spend marketing dollars? How can we get more business?

There’s also sometimes a mis-match between who you are, and how you are portrayed through your brand identity. In my experience, it’s usually more of an under-sell than an over sell. It really doesn’t do your business justice, or confuses the audience, so they go elsewhere. 

You’ll work off hunches, or intuition, but always feel like you’re reinventing the wheel or rewriting copy for proposals or marketing because you’re not sure it’s capturing the right things.

Your web designers, social media team and marketing partners will keep asking lots of questions and will feel a lack of clarity in what they should be saying and doing.

When is a good time to undertake a brand strategy?

In an ideal world, a brand strategy would be part of the early stages of the business planning, as it explores the customer, the market and how you will differentiate. 

However, many businesses get started slowly and grow over time. Typically, the essence of the brand strategy and business values come from within the founder. It’s almost an extension of who they are, and their story. 

At some point, usually around the 3 year mark, if not well defined, the brand will start holding the business back, and there can be some stagnation. Or, on the other hand, the business owners can feel like they are run off their feet, but they are not doing the work they want, it feels random and opportunistic.  

What started as a strong culture and brand experience can start becoming inconsistent and watered down, as new people are bought into the business. Hiring the right people can be difficult, as there’s not clear definition around the brand and what it stands for.

At this point a brand strategy really helps to bring clarity, unity and direction. It takes the learnings of the past to help inform the future. It lifts everyone’s eyes above the everyday and explores where to position the brand into the future. 

My clients often feel a great sense of relief and renewed energy, as they have a clear path forward and feel confident about decision making, hiring new people, and attracting the right business.