As an architect, you’d never begin construction without a blueprint. And as a business owner, you need to create a strong brand strategy before you start building your brand. It’s also essential for developing cohesive marketing campaigns that will help people remember who you are and why they should choose you over other options in the marketplace. In this article, we’ll teach you all about the branding methods and essential elements of a good brand strategy so you can get started right away!

7 Elements of a Good Brand Strategy

Your brand strategy or plan is one of the most important parts of your business. 

It’s a plan that encompasses specific, long-term goals that can be achieved with the evolution of successful marketing— the combined components of your company’s character make it identifiable.

A well-defined and comprehensive brand strategy affects all key elements of a business and is directly connected to consumer needs, emotions, and competitive environments. In other words: it’s everything! 

1. Purpose-driven Brand

The most important thing about your brand is not the promise you make to your customers—it’s why you make that promise.

Your branding element is about what you promise to do for your customers. It’s about how you differentiate yourself from competitors, and it’s about why people should buy from you instead of them. It’s important to remember that while you’re in business to make money, differentiating your brand from others in your industry should be a priority as well.

2. Stays on-brand at all times

In a world where brand recognition is everything, you need to stand out from the crowd. But how do you do that when there’s so much noise?

A consistent message helps you build trust with your target audience and show them who you are—and it does so in a way that’s not only simple but also authentic. In an effort to give your brand a platform to stand on, you need to be sure that all of your messaging is cohesive. Ultimately, consistency contributes to brand recognition, which fuels customer loyalty. (No pressure, right?)

So when you’re thinking about what posts should go up on your social media account, ask yourself: How does this help me build my brand? Does it align with my message? Is this something funny that would confuse my audience?

3. Authentic Emotion

The most-shared ads actually used emotion and universal experiences to connect with customers.

Recognizable brands like Apple may be the perfect example of a company that utilizes emotions to create a connection with consumers and brand loyalty over time. Apple’s branding strategy uses simplicity, a clean design, and most importantly, a desire to become part of a lifestyle movement. 

It’s also why Apple has such strong brand loyalty: people love being part of the Apple community because they feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. And this feeling is what makes loyal customers—not just because of the design or because it works well, but because they want to be associated with their values as well as their product quality.

4. Flexibility

The world is challenging, and marketers have to stay ahead. That means being flexible and creative with your campaigns!

Consistency establishes the tone for your brand, while flexibility allows you to make changes that increase interest and differentiate your approach from the competition. On the flip side, there are lots of opportunities to engage with new audiences and demonstrate your flexibility. Look at the ways you haven’t promoted things before, or how your audience has changed since then, and use those as a vehicle for helping you grow your brand

5. Involve Employees

You’ve built a successful brand strategy that’s reliable. Now, it’s time to make sure that your employees are just as consistent in how they represent you.

If your branding methods consist of playful and bubbly Twitter engagements, then it doesn’t make sense if potential customers call in and are connected with grumpy, monotone representatives, right?

By holding all your employees to its core values and helping other companies implement the same approach as well, recognizable companies have built a strong reputation for solid, helpful, and human customer service.

6. Loyalty

Many businesses treat their customers like numbers and forget that they’re people.

If you give your prospective customers an experience that is personalized and feels special, they’ll be more likely to stay loyal to your brand. When you take customer loyalty into account, this particular customer base will likely spread favorable word of mouth about the business, encouraging others to try your products. Sometimes all that is required is a simple thank you. Other times, going above and beyond is best.

7. Competitive Awareness

Competition is a good thing. It forces you to think outside the box, which means you’re always improving your business strategy. Take the competition as a challenge to improve your own strategic branding and create greater value for your overall brand.

Staying in tune with your competitor’s strategies is essential if you want to enhance your brand, but don’t let them dictate every move you make.  Focus on what makes you unique as a business and find out what makes you stand out from the pack to use it as an opportunity for growth.

The Importance of Strategic Branding

The world of business is changing. The competition is fierce, and every brand looks the same.

But you can make your brand strategy stand out by establishing your uniqueness—and there’s no better way to do that than strategic branding.

Your branding strategy helps you future-proof your brand and develop it in a way that differentiates you from others. By communicating uniqueness to your target audience, you strengthen your marketing initiative, brand value, and customer loyalty.