Defined by Shyne: What the heck is brand strategy?

If a brand is what people believe about you[r business], then what is a brand strategy? Well, a strategy is simply just a plan, which means it has two parts: “what to do (action)” and “why (purpose or end goal behind said action).”

When you look at it that way, a brand strategy is simply a plan for achieving, building, or growing a brand. That said, your brand strategy is basically (1) a map for solving business problems and (2) a blueprint of how to behave, act, and speak in order to make your brand on the outside match up what you want it to be inside.

*WARNING: You may notice this is actually a pretty easy to understand explanation– that’s because I believe brand building should be simple and approachable. My custom brand building method gets rid of all the fluff and complicated jargon to pull out the core things that really matter in a brand with as little friction as possible. Why? Because I want you to feel empowered and confident in your knowledge of what goes into building a successful brand.

Ok, resume.

Destination + Directions = Dopeness.

Examples of how brand strategy works to solve business problems:

• Situation: only attracting smaller clients but want to attract more advanced businesses?
• Brand strategy solution: reposition your business in the market & reshape your messaging to better communicate to those people. The right communication elevates your image and allows you to attract higher level clients.

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• Situation: you’re making consistent sales but feel like you’re not standing out enough in your market and are starting to blend in/hit a plateau.
• Brand strategy solution: go back to your brand’s core DNA and maximize what makes you unique, craft messaging that emphasizes your uniqueness, and plan how you can do business YOUR way to bake this uniqueness into your actual business operations.

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• Situation: you want to be seen as the expert/professional you are without also dimming down your personality. You’re struggling to feel connected to your brand and want to represent your quirks in a way that still serves your business.

• Brand strategy solution: figure out the core elements of your brand persona that capture your essence and allow you to feel authentic. Then, make a plan for how you can bring that energy into every brand touchpoint from your aesthetic to your social media content to your email marketing. Messaging that allows you to express yourself while centering around how you professionally change people’s lives. Design that’s super YOU but still refined.

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See how brand strategy is basically the key catalyst in any business situation regardless of how established you are, how much money you’ve made, etc.? No matter how long you’ve been behind the wheel, you can’t get to a totally new destination without some direction, and you can’t get un-lost without a map. Instead of thinking of it as a bunch of complex concepts, think of it as a plan for a way of life, or a "culture" section of an employee handbook. Clearly defining what your brand is and does and what it isn’t and doesn’t do.

As you can see above, there are core elements of a brand strategy (identity, persona, messaging, positioning, etc.), but the way you utilize and prioritize these elements varies per brand because every brand is different and has different goals.

Your brand strategy should evolve with your business to help get you to the next level each time. When you first start your business, your priorities are totally different than when you’re 3 years in and striving to create a new disruption in the market.

Because it’s rooted in your business identity and goals, the strategic elements and deliverables of your brand strategy should directly tie back to what you need to do based on the stage of biz you’re in or the culture you’re trying to create in your brand.

Even multimillion dollar companies hire brand strategists because they understand that any time there’s a problem OR a goal, a proper plan needs to be devised. Check out this LinkedIn job listing where a $10million hedge fund owner is looking for a branding coach to get clear on what makes the brand unique & how to communicate it. Hellooooo, isn’t that what I’ve been preaching about this whole time?

It literally doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. Ever. Even when you’re a huge business. PROOF ⬇️

Sure, you can DIY your brand strat to an extent (because nobody is more of an expert in your philosophy than you!), but in Part 2 of this mini-series I’ll elaborate on why there are limitations there that can be resolved by working with an expert brand strategist.

Hopefully this clears up all the internet-inflicted confusion (which was clearly so unnecessary, because how simple was that??!!) Until part 2, check out my free brand strategy guide to help you dive deeper into elements of brand strategy and even create/audit your own brand!

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