Start from the beginning.

Expanding a brand isn’t as easy as 1, 2, 3… It’s not just about introducing your brand to the public, it’s also about keeping it in the spotlight and conveying your values. So, some thinking is required because you won’t succeed without a plan. In this blogpost, we’ll help you devise the right brand strategy.

What is a brand strategy?

The name of your brand is probably catchy, well-founded, appeals to your target audience, and says something about your business. Well done! But of course a name is not a brand. You want to build a puzzle consisting of matching visual and communicative elements, which attracts the right audience and creates associations with your products. Consider, for example, a clear logo, a factual or teasing baseline, typography unique to you, your written communication style… and so many more puzzle pieces that complete the picture.

Although all these puzzle pieces are effects of the brand strategy, the focus here is not on the brand strategy itself. A brand strategy is a plan devised for achieving your long-term goals, resulting in the growth of brand awareness and brand preference within the target audience(s) chosen by you.

Why should you develop a brand strategy?

You don’t want to just randomly plant a seed. Instead, you want to position it right the first time so that it can grow where you want it to – in the head and heart of your customer. Where it can always be top-of-mind! As a brand, you obviously want to build a strong connection with your customers and thereby keep them satisfied until they become brand ambassadors for you. Let’s be honest, what’s more powerful than word-of-mouth advertising? This will facilitate endless growth of your brand awareness and -image. 

Makes sense. How can I do that?

First formulate a clear plan for plotting your course, starting at the very beginning: yourself. Establish your brand identity by asking yourself brand existential questions like, “Where did my brand start?, “What do we want to grow into?, and “How can we achieve our goals?”. You can read more about this in the blog titled “Brand identity: the passport for starting your trip”.

Then see your identity as a brand, focusing on the USP (Unique Selling Point). Or in other words: what makes me unique, why is my brand different to competing brands, what is my added value? In real terms, describe who you are, what you do, and what you want to mean to your customers.

Next step, the brand concept. Shift your focus to the concrete manifestation of your brand identity (which you’ve already established). Keep your brand promise (also determined by now) in the back of your mind. The brand concept conveys the right brand feeling to your target audience in an understandable and clear-cut way. As a result, your target audience perceives your brand like you want it to. Brand perception is very important. If you consistently use the right typography and tone of voice, your customers will immediately know that yours is the right brand. So, carefully consider the visual and textual aspects and record them for future use.

You want to generate the right sentiment during every interaction with your brand. That can only be done through advance rational thinking.

It’s important to convey your values in your brand strategy. Your brand identity, brand concept, and brand perception all form small parts of your brand strategy. Don’t know where to start? There gets you there, so please contact our team.