Why your business needs a brand strategy
An article in the Harvard Business Review:
“The essence of strategy is choosing to perform activities differently than rivals do.”
Me: 🤯
Also me:
When thinking about your brand strategy, you want to set yourself apart from the crowd, from other companies or organizations that may be providing similar products or services.
A brand strategy, I believe, should be used by every business, non-profit organization, side hustle, you-name-it, out there. As the leader of whatever it is you’re leading, it’s important to get clear on your purpose and direction. Having a clear purpose and direction will not only keep you on track but will attract others (potential clients, staff, contractors, and advocates) who share your vision. Your purpose combined with strategy will set you apart from the crowd.
Generally, it consists of buyer personas, buyer journeys, competitor analysis, brand positioning, core values, and brand voice.
After working with different nonprofits and now running my own business, I’ve become an advocate for brand strategy.
I’ll probably write several blog posts to fully explain the importance of developing your brand strategy but for now, I’ll share with you how I break down a brand strategy with my clients.
Btw, this is a long one so you can use these links to jump to the different sections in this post:
Goals (personal, professional, and business)
First things first, get really clear about your goals.
If your personal goals don’t align with your professional goals, then it’s more likely that you may be unable to achieve the latter.
For example, working solo and part-time in my online business and running it exactly the way it runs is important to me, but also wanting to make 6 figures in revenue at the same time just seems unachievable. I’d have to rethink either working full-time or hiring a team to reach 6 figures.
Action step: Ask yourself, what are my personal and professional goals? Write down and reflect on your answers.
If you love a good Canva template, here’s one that I created that you can use for free!Professional: In whatever business you are in, what are the goals you have professionally? Does it align with the goals you have for your business?
Business: What goals do you want your business to achieve?
You can use the free Canva template I mentioned and edit the heading to indicate business goals. It also breaks down year 1, 3, and 5 goals!As a leader, identifying your own goals along with your business goals will make the rest of the brand strategy process easier. You’ll know exactly what you want for yourself and your business and can lead and communicate effectively.
Ask yourself and reflect: how can my unique goals grow my business?
2. Mission
Think of your “why” as a mission statement that also explains how your business will accomplish its goal.
A mission statement guides a business or organization to achieve its goal and make revenue. It also serves as a brief and concise explanation of what the business or organization does for its community.
When you have a clear mission statement, people won’t second guess what it is that you do and how you do it.
More importantly, your audience won’t be confused about whether or not to support you.
If your mission statement makes people scratch their heads, you may want to consider updating it.
Here are some instances where a mission statement should be revisited and updated:
If a business has already been in operation and products or services have been adjusted (to serve clients better).
If it’s vague.
If it’s hard to remember.
Since starting Tånom Writing & Design Services, I’ve changed my mission statement once.
Original: To encourage growth in individuals through their unique style.
*Although aspirational, it is unclear about what the business does.
Updated: To help you share your story with the world and grow your business through strategic web design.
*This is direct and tells the audience what Tånom Writing & Design Services does.
Having a clear mission statement is important - it’s easier for both you and your audience to remember!
3. Vision
If you took a piece of paper and drew out the impact that your business would have, what would you draw?
This is the exercise I did at a federal grants training and I have found it helpful since.
I like to think of the vision as the “if the fantasy came true” part of building your business.
After I updated my mission statement, I decided to take a look at my vision statement.
It went from:
Thriving circular economies in the CNMI.
To:
Thriving small businesses that are accessible online.
Although both statements are true for me personally, the updated vision statement aligns closer to my web design business.
4. Values
Think about your values as your guiding principles.
Tbh, I used to think values were so “fru-fru.” But then I realized that thoughtfully established values help leaders make informed decisions.
Values can even help prevent burnout!
When establishing my brand, I thought about the key areas that would continue to inspire me and help me decide how, when, and for whom I show up for.
Here are my values:
Cultural uplifting. The history of our people is what provides us with direction for our future. Our native languages can help guide us.
Eco-consciousness. Like our ancestors, we live and work off the land and ocean. As the world advances, we must be mindful about our impact on the health of our environment.
Community mindfulness. We grow up in small communities, often relying on one another for support, knowledge, and progress. What we do everyday should be for the benefit of our communities.
Need help establishing your values? Download the “Defining your values” workbook for free!5. Voice
If you’re marketing your business online through a website, email list or social media, you’ve got to establish your voice.
Your brand voice determines how you communicate with your audience.
Are you aggressive, empathic or sarcastic?
Do you refer to your audience as “babe,” “y’all,” or “guys?”
Identifying your tone, what words you would use and wouldn’t use are crucial steps to identifying your brand voice.
Your brand is how your audience perceives and connects with you and your voice plays a huge part in that.
My biggest tip for identifying your voice is to make it as authentic as possible. Otherwise, you might burn out trying to sound like someone you’re not or you don’t aspire to be.
6. Brand identity
A brand identity is typically what most people think of when they hear the word “brand.” This is your logo, color palette, font selection, and images. It’s your brand’s visual representation.
Oftentimes, people think this is all they need when developing their brand *nervous face.*
But since you’re reading this blog, you know by now that there are other KEY factors to establish when building your brand.
Although brand identity is not the only thing you need, it does play a role in your business becoming recognizable. To achieve this, your business needs to be consistent with the brand identity elements that have been established.
7. Ideal audience
Identifying your ideal audience, aka “ideal client,” or “target audience,” is, in my humble opinion, pretty difficult.
If you’ve attempted this before and didn’t quite get it- I feel you.
It may take several tries before finally nailing it down (or even just getting close to nailing it down), but it’s all good.
The easiest approach I found was actually working with clients from different backgrounds and reflecting on the experience I had with each of them.
When identifying your ideal audience, think about things like:
Their paint points
What keeps them up at night
Where they are from
Their values
Their approach to life
What season or phase they are in
Their priorities
Keeping in mind an ideal audience when developing your brand strategy helps direct your messaging and your energy.
If you’re reading this and thinking “man I still don’t get it” - I’ve got some content in the works that may help you. Just making sure to sign up to receive updates from Tånom.8. Competitor analysis (last but not least)
Phew we’re finally toward the end of my brand strategy breakdown!
There’s that Michael Phelps reference about paying no mind to the competition and just staying in your lane- we’re not applying that here!
Yes- we should definitely pursue our version of success BUT in order to succeed in business, we need to see who’s offering similar products/services so that we can stand out.
And who’s to say we can’t collaborate with our competitors? I only wish there were more partnerships and collaborations among nonprofit organizations that have similar missions! There’s so much we can achieve as a community.
But, I digress.
Take a look at your competitors, network with them, survey them, see if there’s an opportunity to help them succeed while building your brand, create partnerships, and if this is not possible- do the Michael Phelps thing!
How a brand strategy helps you
You won’t get stuck. You’ll always know what direction you’re heading in to reach your business’ goals.
Your team will always be on the same page. Whether you have employees or contract services out, everyone will know what standard they are working to achieve. You’ll attract employees or contractors who share the same values you do.
You’ll stand out and become recognizable. Showing up with consistent fonts, colors, images, voice, and messaging will help your audience easily identify whenever you put something out there.
How a brand strategy helps your audience (and your business)
A brand strategy creates consistency. Consistency builds trust. Think about your favorite restaurants. Do you usually order some of the same things? It’s probably because they’re made the same way each time which encourages customers to keep coming back. Your brand strategy serves your business the same way.
If you’d like to learn more about brand strategy, sign up to hear about future relevant content. Need help defining your values? Download Tanom’s FREE guide to getting clear on what drives you.Need help with your brand strategy and website? Fill out an inquiry form. Want more?
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