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Hi friend, welcome to episode 101 of the Brand Strategy Podcast. Today we are talking about all things brand strategy.
Now, this is a concept that I’m nerdly excited about because as a brand designer and strategist, it’s a huge part of my day-to-day process. But with all that to say, this concept of brand strategy is a very common idea in the creative industry. And although I see so many of us talking about brand strategy, I don’t quite think the majority of us grasp what brand strategy really means.
So today we are going to dissect this buzzword and figure out what it really means and why it matters for your creative small business.
Sound good? Let’s get to it!
WHAT IS BRAND STRATEGY?
Brand strategy is long-term plan designed to propel a brand toward a very specific set of goals. (2:29)
Okay, cool, but what does that actually mean?
Simply put, brand strategy means that your brand should equip you to hit your unique goals. Now I’m not just talking about goals for the next quarter or the next year. I’m actually talking about the beautiful big-picture dreams that define your business’ long-term direction. (2:45)
In this episode, I dive into the things that could be actually holding you back from hitting these long-term goals and instead how to approach brand strategy differently to set you and your business up for success.
WHERE TO START WITH BRAND STRATEGY?
So often, I hear from creatives similar pain points when it comes to brand strategy. They would like to move forward, but just aren’t sure where to start. (4:25)
Which is why as a brand designer and strategist, I specialize in guiding every single one of my clients through a strategic approach that I personally like to call brand development.
Brand strategy is the core foundation that will set your business up for success. And I’m sharing all the reasons why in this episode! (5:10)
WHO IS A STRATEGIC BRAND PROCESS FOR?
Let me ask you these questions:
What big, bright beautiful dreams at the end of it all do you want your business to stand for?
What is the legacy you want to leave?
And does your brand help propel you in that direction?
Starting with a strategic brand will inspire lasting connection with your ideal clients and it will give you the opportunity to lean into a brand that is designed to endure. Because let’s be real, we are not building something to be trendy. The brand strategy approach is an intentional process and it’s not for the people who just want a pretty brand. (6:50)
A strategic brand process is for you if you want to build something that is designed to endure, that will connect with your ideal clients, that can reflect the heart of your life’s work, and that can really help propel you onward as you chase after your dreams. (7:19)
Tune into the episode using the player above for the exact questions I ask my clients as I guide them through my brand development process.
WHAT MAKES YOUR BRAND DIFFERENT?
From a client’s end, I want them to answer these brand strategy questions with the utmost honesty and vulnerability.
These aren’t questions where you just sit down when you have five extra minutes and you write the first thing that comes to mind. These are questions you want to immerse yourself in. You want to be honest with yourself and dive deeply into them so you can reveal the most honest answer. What sets you apart? What are your differentiators? (11:25)
When it comes to your differentors, it’s really easy to think they are simply the facts and figures that make our services different. But realistically, you will see the most success as an entrepreneur with this process of really honing and owning your differentiators, if you can understand that your differentiators speak to who you are not what you do.
THE THING THAT SET YOU APART
As a designer, walking through the brand strategy process, it really does equip me to do my best work. And it also equips my clients to see the kinds of results that will not only impact their bottom-line, but also impact their confidence in the work that they do. (13:20)
Sweet friend, you really can build this dream brand without having to go out and hire a professional brand designer and strategist. (13:45)
And for my listeners, I created a free 5-day email challenge called, the Dream Brand Challenge. This challenge walks you through a page straight out of my signature brand development process. Each day we will walk through a process that really does equip you to master a lot of the concepts we learned from this episode.
You can head to brandstrategypodcast.com to sign up and get all the juicy details.
GO ON A BRAND STRATEGY DATE
Building a brand strategy process that really gets to the heart of your work and figures out some actionable ways you can leverage that within you client experience and offerings is absolutely within your reach. All it takes is some labor of love—time, energy and effort. But I can 100% promise you, if you are willing to go on a brand strategy date with yourself, you will walk away with clarity and insight you need to do business differently. (15:30)
Tune into this episode to learn more about Brand Strategy using the player at the top of this post and let me know your biggest takeaway in the comments below!
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