Brand strategy – 8 must-haves for a successful company

Just as a well-designed blueprint is crucial for constructing a strong, tall building, a well-crafted brand strategy is essential for building a strong, successful business.

Brand strategy is the art and science of defining your market position, creating competitive advantages, and satisfying customer needs, all to secure long-term success, market share, and revenue growth.

Let’s go through everything that you need to know about this type of document, how to create one, and why to visualize your brand strategy by using an online catalog maker.

A long-term plan that outlines the core values, objectives, and unique selling points of a business, as well as the methods used to communicate these values to the target audience is what will be needed the most to be presented to your team. It goes beyond simply having a logo or a tagline as you can see; a successful brand strategy encompasses a variety of elements, such as your brand’s voice, visual identity, and the values that drive your business forward.

Usually, a comprehensive brand strategy can be described in a brand style guide – which should be available to anyone working with your branding and marketing team. You can use Publuu’s catalog creator to showcase your brand strategy framework to the wider world.

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the crucial elements of creating a winning brand strategy, exploring the methods and techniques needed to create a distinct and memorable brand that can withstand the test of time. Our guide contains the knowledge and tools necessary to develop a brand strategy that not only attracts your target market but also distinguishes your business from competitors, fostering growth and success in today’s competitive marketplace.

What is brand strategy?

A brand is the overall impression people have of your business, which includes its visual elements, personality, values, and the experience customers have with it. Branding, on the other hand, is the process of shaping that impression through consistent messaging, visuals, and actions.

Brand strategy is a long-term plan that outlines how a company will use the branding to present itself to customers, differentiate from competitors, and establish a memorable and favorable image in the market. It encompasses the intangible aspects of a business, such as its brand voice, values, personality, and customer experiences, and connects them to consumer needs, emotions, and the competitive landscape. It summarizes all aspects of brand messaging, or brand guidelines to summarize all the aspects of a business and how well it presents itself to the world.

A well-executed, strong brand strategy helps guide all aspects of a business, ensuring consistency in messaging, visuals, and actions, ultimately building a strong and enduring brand.

Brand strategy is not only used by companies- individuals like digital creators work on personal management and business strategy to promote their personal brand as well, which makes this term quite universal in the sphere of business.

8 must-haves for a successful company branding strategy

Effective brand strategies start with the beginning – you should start working on your branding strategy even before you register your company since choosing a brand’s name is one of the most crucial steps in creating your company’s identity.

Creating a brand document with PDF online catalogs is a modern and interactive way to showcase your brand guidelines, assets, and other relevant information. It provides an engaging and visually appealing experience for your audience, thanks to a realistic page-turning effect, and interesting interactive elements such as photos, videos and more as the document below:

Publuu’s brand strategy example

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Publuu digital catalogs are easy to share and access, and you can embed them in your e-mail, or website or share them on social media accounts – which allows your team members and partners to access them at any time.

Thanks to online catalog maker, updating your brand strategy is easy to do – just upload the new document without changing the URL. You can quickly make changes to your shared content and replace your document with the updated version.

But before you start creating this document, you need to consider your brand story and the crucial steps that will shape it.

Determine your brand’s values

Values are the guiding principles that shape the way your company operates, makes decisions, and interacts with customers. Establishing your brand values is essential for creating a strong connection with customers and setting your company apart from competitors. You should carefully consider what you want your brand perception be based upon and what potential customers will want to see.

For example, Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear company, is committed to environmental sustainability and ethical manufacturing. Their products, marketing, and general business practices all include these brand values – the brand attracts environmentally-conscious customers.

State your brand’s mission

A clear brand mission communicates the company’s long-term goals and overall purpose. With your goals and missions, you can start to create a brand story and showcase brand consistency.

Tesla’s mission, for instance, is “to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” This mission statement guides Tesla’s product development, marketing efforts, and business decisions, making it evident to customers that its brand values are dedicated to creating innovative and sustainable energy solutions. The mission statement helps guide the overall branding strategy and decision-making within the company while also resonating with customers.

Identify your product’s purpose

Understanding the purpose of your products or services is crucial for communicating their benefits and value to customers in your brand strategy. This involves identifying the problem it solves or the need it fulfills, which can help you position your offering effectively in the market.

For example, Warby Parker, an eyewear company, was founded with the goal of providing affordable, stylish eyeglasses while addressing the problem of inaccessible eyewear for people in need. By highlighting this purpose in their brand values, Warby Parker attracts customers who appreciate the company’s socially responsible approach to business.

Understand the needs of your ideal customers

Creating a great brand strategy requires identifying and addressing the needs of your target audience. Airbnb, a global home-sharing platform, recognized that travelers were seeking unique, affordable, and authentic lodging experiences. By focusing on these customer needs, Airbnb has built a brand that appeals to a wide range of travelers and stands out from traditional hotel offerings.

Understanding the needs of your customers helps you tailor your products, services, and marketing messages to meet their expectations and resonate with them emotionally. You can start the brand strategy process by deciding what your tools are and what type of brand story you want to tell.

Craft a visual identity

A strong visual identity is crucial for creating a memorable brand voice and image. This includes elements such as your logo, color palette, typography, and imagery, which should all work together to convey your brand’s personality and values.

For example, McDonald’s has a distinct visual identity, with its iconic golden arches logo and signature red and yellow color scheme. This visual identity is instantly recognizable and helps the fast-food giant stand out in a competitive market.

Publishing a brand strategy document showcasing the brand’s personality and visual identity can help you in brand positioning. You can use catalog creator to publish a guideline to your brand strategy online, so that artists, freelancers

Study customer’s journey

Mapping out and understanding the customer journey helps companies identify opportunities to enhance the customer experience, build brand loyalty, and increase customer satisfaction. You need to understand your target market and know what core values your audience is interested in before you start creating a strong brand strategy.

Amazon, for example, has invested heavily in optimizing its customer journey, focusing on aspects such as easy navigation, personalized recommendations, and fast shipping, all of which contribute to a positive customer experience and a strong brand reputation.

By mapping out the touchpoints and experiences customers have with your brand at all the stages of their purchase, you can identify areas for improvement and better align your strategies with customer needs.

Set up your brand’s voice

Developing a consistent brand voice helps convey your company’s personality and values, making it more relatable and memorable to customers. You need to match your brand voice to your entire brand guidelines – there’s no point in establishing yourself as a professional in a niche that’s specific to young people, for example!

Mailchimp, an email marketing platform, is known for its friendly, informal, and humorous brand voice. This unique voice helps humanize the brand, making it more approachable and engaging for its users.

Review the brand’s performance

Regularly reviewing and evaluating your brand’s performance is vital for ensuring that your brand strategy remains effective and aligned with your goals.

Google, for example, continually analyzes user data and feedback to identify areas for improvement in its products and services. By staying proactive and adaptive, Google maintains a strong brand image and continues to meet the evolving needs of its users.

 

What’s the difference between a brand strategy and marketing strategy?

Marketing strategy is the overall, wider approach to promoting and selling products or services to customers, going beyond the brand strategy as seen above. It involves setting marketing goals, identifying target audiences, planning and executing marketing campaigns using various channels and tactics – not just the brand messaging. A marketing strategy drives awareness, generates leads, and converts prospects into customers into a target market.

Brand strategy is concerned with creating a distinct brand identity and positioning, whereas marketing strategy focuses on promoting and selling products or services to customers. Establishing a brand strategy does not necessarily mean you’re trying to sell something – you want to showcase your brand values and make the brand recognizable. Eventually, branding strategies lead to purchases, but that’s not their basic goal.

What are the seven components of branding strategy?

Purpose

Before you start working on formulating a winning brand strategy, decide why are you doing this! The purpose of a brand strategy is to define the company’s core objectives and the reasons it exists. To do so, you can create a brand strategy document or a brand positioning statement – you can publish it using your PDF and converting it to digital catalog.

Such a document outlines the long-term goals and vision, helping to guide decision-making and create a strong brand identity. A clear purpose not only communicates what the company stands for, shows your brand voice and stance, but also helps to build an emotional connection with customers who share similar values and beliefs. Include the purpose of your brand in your strategy documents, and think of what your company can achieve

Brand consistency

Consistency is key to creating a cohesive brand strategy across all touchpoints, from product design to marketing communications. Including consistency in your brand strategy means simply maintaining a consistent brand voice, visual identity, and messaging.

Well-described branding strategies rely on being unified across all channels – use the same aesthetic whether in the real world or in the social medias. Brand consistency helps to reinforce brand recognition, build trust with customers, and establish a strong brand identity in the market.

Emotional benefits

An effective brand strategy aims to evoke emotions in customers, creating an emotional connection that fosters brand loyalty and drives long-term customer engagement. This can be achieved by understanding the needs, desires, and pain points of your target audience and crafting your brand story, messaging, and experiences around these insights. Emotional branding helps to differentiate your company from competitors and create lasting relationships with customers.

Flexibility

While maintaining consistency is important, flexibility is also crucial for adapting to changing market conditions, customer preferences, and industry trends. This ensures the right brand positioning matching your needs and ones of potential customers.

A flexible brand strategy allows for innovation and evolution, ensuring your brand remains relevant and competitive over time. This can involve updating your brand’s visual identity, product offerings, or marketing tactics in response to new opportunities or challenges.

Employee Involvement

Employees play a critical role in delivering your brand promise and creating a consistent brand experience for customers. A successful brand strategy involves engaging and empowering employees to become brand ambassadors, ensuring they understand and embody the brand’s values, purpose, and mission. This can lead to enhanced customer interactions, increased brand loyalty, and a more cohesive brand identity.

Once again, sharing your brand guidelines using a PDF document online allows your employees to learn more about your branding, brand colors and language you’d prefer.

Loyalty

Building brand loyalty is a key objective of any winning brand strategy, as loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, advocate for your brand, and provide valuable feedback. To cultivate loyalty, focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences, consistently meeting or exceeding customer expectations, and maintaining a strong emotional connection with your audience.

Competitive Awareness

An effective brand strategy requires an understanding of the competitive landscape, including the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats posed by competitors.

This knowledge helps you identify areas where your brand can differentiate itself and capitalize on your unique selling points. By staying aware of the competition, you can make more informed decisions about your brand positioning, product offerings, and marketing tactics to maintain a competitive edge in the market.

What are the 5 brand strategies?

When building a brand strategy your general ideas depend on your industry and goals. It’s worth knowing what are your brand strategies and who are your ideal customers before you start creating brand assets.

Company name branding

Company name branding involves building the entire brand around the company’s name, which becomes synonymous with the products or services offered. This approach creates a strong brand identity and simplifies marketing efforts, as the company name serves as the primary point of recognition for customers. For example, Coca-Cola uses company name branding, with its name being closely associated with its signature soft drink. The logo is very strongly associated with the product. The advantage of this strategy is that it can create a powerful and memorable brand presence in the market, making it easier for customers to identify and recall the brand.

In some cases, company name branding can extend beyond a single product or service, encompassing a range of offerings under the same brand umbrella. This approach can help establish brand trust and credibility, as customers are more likely to try new products from a brand they already recognize and trust. However, it’s essential to ensure that all products and services under the company name maintain the same level of quality and align with the brand’s core values and identity.

Individual branding

Individual branding is a strategy where each product or service within a company’s portfolio is given its own unique brand identity, separate from the parent company or other offerings. This approach allows companies to target different customer segments and tailor their marketing messages to each product or service’s specific audience. For example, Procter & Gamble uses individual branding for its various products, such as Tide laundry detergent and Crest toothpaste, each with its distinct brand identity and marketing campaigns.

By employing individual branding, companies can mitigate the risk of one product’s failure affecting the perception of the entire brand. Additionally, it offers more flexibility for launching new products or entering new markets, as each brand can be tailored to suit the specific needs and preferences of its target audience. However, this strategy may require higher marketing and branding investment, as each product must be promoted separately.

Attitude branding

Attitude branding focuses on creating a strong emotional connection with customers by aligning the brand with a specific attitude, lifestyle, or set of values. This strategy helps companies differentiate themselves from competitors and foster brand loyalty by resonating with their target audience on a deeper level. For example, Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign is an example of attitude branding, as it evokes a sense of motivation, determination, and an active lifestyle that resonates with its target audience.

By leveraging attitude branding, companies can create a sense of community and belonging among their customers, who are more likely to identify with and advocate for the brand. However, it’s important to ensure that the brand’s attitude and values are genuine and consistently reflected in its products, services, and communications, as customers are quick to detect inauthenticity or inconsistency.

Brand extension branding

Brand extension branding is a strategy where an established brand leverages its existing brand equity to launch new products or services in a related or different category. This approach can help companies capitalize on their existing brand recognition and customer loyalty to enter new markets or expand their product portfolio. For example, Apple’s introduction of the iPhone was a successful brand extension, as it leveraged the company’s existing reputation for innovation and quality to enter the smartphone market.

However, brand extension branding comes with its risks, as extending too far from the core brand offerings can dilute the brand’s identity and confuse customers. Additionally, a poorly executed brand extension can negatively impact the parent brand’s reputation if the new product or service fails to meet customer expectations.

Private-label branding

Private-label branding involves creating and marketing products under a retailer’s own brand name, rather than using the name of the manufacturer or supplier. This brand development strategy allows retailers to offer exclusive products, often at a lower price point than comparable branded products, and to have more control over product quality, pricing, and marketing. For example, many grocery stores have their private-label brands, such as Walmart’s Great Value and Target’s Good & Gather, which offer a range of products across various categories.

Private-label branding can be an effective way for retailers to differentiate themselves from competitors, build customer loyalty, and increase profit margins by cutting out intermediary costs. Additionally, it provides retailers with the flexibility to adapt to changing market trends and customer preferences quickly. However, private-label brands may face challenges in establishing brand recognition and trust, as they often lack the marketing resources and established reputation of national or global brands. To overcome these challenges, retailers need to invest in creating high-quality products, competitive pricing, and effective marketing strategies that showcase the value and benefits of their private-label offerings.

What is a great brand strategy example?

Apple Inc. exemplifies a highly successful brand strategy. It is based on a constant commitment to product innovation, with legendary products like the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook constantly receiving new additions and features. Their emphasis on research and development has helped them earn a reputation as a market leader and breakthrough in the technology industry. The brand is synonymous with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions that escape convention.

Another important part of Apple’s brand strategy is its minimalist approach to design. Apple has managed to make its devices instantly recognizable and desirable by creating elegant, simple, and aesthetically pleasing products. Just a glance at a product, and you will recognize it as an Apple device- this is the power of branding.

Similarly, an important element of branding strategy is the user experience. The smooth operation of hardware, software and services, ease and intuitiveness of use, are all fundamentals that build a strong and consistent brand identity.

Good planning and customer focus are evident in all aspects of a Apple’s operations, from product design to marketing communications. They use a consistent brand message, visual identity, and messaging across all platforms, allowing target audiences to identify and interact with the brand easily.

It’s also worth noting how they treat customers on their journey. They’re with them not only from the first information to purchase – Apple cares about customers who have already made a purchase. They know that a convinced customer is an excellent brand ambassador.

Summing up

Brand strategy is one of the most crucial elements that should be included in your overall company’s strategy. Goals, perspetives and other key components have to be taken into an account to create a proper strategy, with adequate colors, tone of voice, and others.

You can also choose to go with the one of the well-proven strategies used by worldwide recognized brands. Depending on how much you would like to expand your business, whether product-wise or size-wise, make sure to look up to the leaders.

Creating a brand strategy will surely help you in the longrun as it will be your company’s identity, some sort of personality for your business.

 

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