Simply put, brand strategy is the foundation for all business development, brand design, sales and marketing. It’s the day dot. Without it your business won’t operate effectively or efficiently. Much like frantically flinging dry spaghetti at the wall and hoping some of it sticks.

To have a really successful business you need to stand out among a big, loud crowd of competition.

Moreover, you need to connect with your target audience in meaningful ways, so they actually want to buy from you. But this doesn’t happen with stardust and hope. In order to make this happen you need a plan and a confident strategy to go from where you are now to where you want to be.

Ok, but what is brand strategy?

In a nutshell, it’s your game plan. A 360-degree business blueprint.

A strong brand strategy is meticulously crafted. It takes into account all aspects of your market, niche, product/service offerings, customers, and competitors. And all of this should be built from as much data as you can get your hands on.

In the early stages of your business you’re probably going to have to take some leaps of faith. It’s pretty unavoidable when you’re starting from scratch. Eventually, as time goes on and you get more customers and fans you’ll have more data to work with so you can tweak and improve your strategy as you go along, to make it even more effective.

Let’s get to the nitty gritty – how exactly does this help me?

For the nerdy ones at the front (hello my people), here’s a list of what brand strategy includes:

<ul>
<li>Getting unstuck and reconnecting with your personal ‘why’.</li>
<li>Clarifying where you want to be and building a roadmap to get there.</li>
<li>Pinpointing why your brand exists and the impact you want to make.</li>
<li>Refining your brand story and mission statement.</li>
<li>Nailing your strengths, USPs and competitive advantage.</li>
<li>Becoming the obvious choice and standing out from your competition.</li>
<li>Communicating effectively and sending the right message. </li>
<li>Identifying, understanding and becoming irresistible to your ideal customers.</li>
<li>Mapping out and maximising your customer’s buying journey. </li>
<li>Optimising each encounter your customers have with your brand.</li>
<li>Streamlining your processes, tools and time. </li>
<li>Refining your offering and developing new income streams.</li>
<li>Aligning your team with your values and vision.</li>
<li>Building brand awareness with a no-faff marketing strategy. </li>
<li>Figuring out how to translate all of this into the way your brand looks and sounds.</li>
</ul>

A strong brand strategy will help guide you through the ups and downs. It will keep you focused on who you are and what you want to achieve. Even better, it’ll save you time and money by helping you to market to the right people, in the right way.

Above all, brand strategy is your secret weapon helping you battle the competition and become the obvious choice. Your guiding light, your shining star, your love… sorry, I’m having a bit of a Luther Vandross moment over here.

If you want to grow your business, you’re in the right place!

Your free, no obligation, virtual coffee with me is one email away:

<a href=”mailto:claire@barefacedstudios.com”>claire@barefacedstudios.com</a>

Struggling with your sales? You might not be selling to your ideal customer! Find out more by <a href=”https://claireholly.co.uk/6-reasons-why-its-so-important-to-truly-know-your-ideal-customer/”>clicking here</a>.