An enhanced brand strategy is crucial for fulfilling your business’s vision and purpose. Consistency in brand development ensures long-term success. Do you know where your brand is headed?
Brand development should be the goal of every owner. Whether they outsource the work to an internal team or external consultants, the process should be the same at the outset. Define the brand purpose, formulate a vision, summarize the mission, establish the company values, create a brand personality and then give it a face.
Brand purpose and vision
Any entrepreneur who creates a brand probably has the main goal of making money. That’s right. However, in order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to establish a brand purpose. Answer a simple question:
What is the purpose of the brand besides making money?
A simple question, but essential for future direction. Equally important is to articulate a brand vision that should be enduring. It should be sustainable and should only change when it is fulfilled or when fundamental changes are made. Ask:
What future does the brand create for the public?
The vision should be understood by all employees from the outset and the aim is to disseminate it to the general public.
Brand strategy by mission
After defining the purpose and vision, which can be complex, comes the brand mission. A mission statement is a strategic message that needs to be simplified as much as possible for employees. In the brand strategy document, the mission should be developed in more detail. In our workshops, we start with the question:
How do we create this future (vision)?
The answers lead to the essence of strategic and sustainable brand development, key to meeting business objectives.
Authentic brand personality
Defining the key answers provides clear direction. Purpose, vision and mission help maintain consistency and authenticity for the public. Consistency also includes brand values that can be leveraged in a long-term communications strategy. Values are the foundation of a brand personality that attracts the public and helps build relationships. They must be something that employees and customers identify with and make the brand unique and different from the competition.
Target group, product, competitors and more
After creating a brand personality, the brand needs to be given a voice (Tone of Voice) and a look (visual style). To build a successful brand, you need to know your target audience thoroughly. Create personas for each segment to better understand your customers’ needs and barriers.
Customers are key, but it’s equally important to focus on the product itself. Define core benefits on two levels:
What are the functional values of your product/service?
What are the emotional values of your product/service?
By connecting customers, products and competitors, you can create a position in the marketplace that will lead you to fulfil your brand purpose, intellectual (brand purpose) and material (money).
To effectively promote your brand, for example with Google Local Services Ads it is crucial to have a well-defined strategy and a thorough understanding of your target audience.
