Reilly Newman | When starting a business, the majority start with a business plan. Some model to outline how they will generate revenue and balance their expenses. What they forget to ask themselves is why.
If business is our “what” and “how” then brand is our “why“. You see for your business to be successful in today’s climate, it’s no longer as simple as just opening up shop and waiting for customers to waltz right in. Yes, before the Internet and technology, this may be a decent approach, but with the amount of white noise in the market, your brand is your most important asset. Not your marketing, not your advertising… your brand.
People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek
Brand Strategy and Why
Brilliantly stated by author Simon Sinek above, we can see the clear correlation between brand and understanding one’s “why” — (Note: if you haven’t read Simon’s Start With Why, we highly encourage you to do so.)
Your brand’s strategy focuses on “why” by deep diving into the specifics of how your business will resonate with your target audience (your “who”).
Please understand that this is not the job of marketing.
Marketing, advertising, PR, etc. are all on the execution/action side of the table, while brand strategy, branding, experiential design, etc. are on the planning/premeditated side.
Benefits of Brand Strategy
When a brand is formed, it makes the items on the execution side run much smoother and in harmony with the messages the brand is positioned to communicate.
In other words, brand strategy is the key to making your business stop playing defense and start playing offense. No more reactions, but rather thoughtful responses that align with your brand through your marketing, advertising, and implementation.
Your brand strategy should not only set the tone of your brand and art direction but give clear guidance on how to portray and implement your brand and its touchpoints. By setting the foundation to your brand’s positioning, differentiation, essence, personality, and more you will be ready to move onto creating an effective logo/brand visual identity and the following applications for touchpoints.
Note: Strategies and positionings are not about being everything to everyone. Read what we wrote about this: You Can’t Be Appealing to Everyone
