How to choose the best brand strategy for your business

So what could brand strategy and packing have in common?

As I sat on top of my suitcase this morning and squeezed it closed with every ounce of strength I had, I started to wish I had put a little bit more thought into the necessity of 5 pairs of shoes being carted around South America with me. How could I have possibly thought this was a good idea?!

Sure, I have been away since the end of February so you could argue I needed a fair amount of things. And yes, I have gone from conference wear in LA with Business Chicks to a Mexican resort to quite literally the very end of the World in icy Ushuaia. You could argue that it would be impossible to travel and pack for all of these situations and so did I at the time.

Somehow, packing and repacking for several flights and lugging a suitcase onto a ferry (with bemused smirks from locals and hipster backpackers) tends to give you a new perspective on things.

It’s a bit like when your trying to create your brand strategy for the year ahead. At the time, you may be thinking you need all of the things. Fast forward a few months when your clasping a cup of coffee in a frenzy, halfway through three different projects and feeling like a human Stretch Armstrong, you start to feel a bit differently.

Fact is, when you try to work on multiple projects all at once your efforts become diluted. I’ve learned the hard way on this trip but I sure as hell wont make the same mistake with my business this year! Want to join me and pick just one or two strategic moves per quarter and give them a laser like focus? As they say, “You can do anything but not everything” (at least not all at the same time). Then, on your next trip (read: next quarter / goal setting session), you can pack a fresh new wardrobe!

Before we dive in, let’s have a look at what brand strategy is and why it’s important? A lot of people think that once they have a logo and website live, thats their branding done and dusted. But that is just not the case. Think if your brand as a living breathing person. The initial branding of the logo, colours and fonts is like your brands eye colour, hair colour, height and smell. It’s the DNA. But people do not live in a vacuum once they come into this World. How you engage with your audience on a day to day basis is all part of your brand. Your strategy helps to get you closer to the iconic brand you want to become.

So how do you choose the right strategies to focus on?  

Work backwards

What a strategy is not: A couple of facebook lives and fresh new brand colours on your website this year. Before you do anything to grow your brand, you need to visualise the end result that you are trying to achieve. Do you want to be speaking at conferences next year? Would you like to increase your sales by 30%? Break into new markets? You need to be crystal clear on what it is you are trying to achieve and work backwards from there. 

Break it down and make a start

Unsure where to start? Guess what? It really doesn’t matter where you start! Because once you start, you have momentum. And if it wasn’t the right place to start, you have made that realisation and now you have a better understanding of what needs to be done.

Do a brand audit

Take a look at all of your current branding materials. Have a look at your website, your proposals, social media and ad campaigns. Does it all look and feel consistent? Where can you make improvements? A successful brand is one that is consistent in its messaging. If your brand looks different on facebook to your website, how is your audience going to become familiar with it? Consistency = trust. Perhaps it’s time to get some social media templates designed that will make sure it will always look uniform. 

Re-evaluate your target market

We are all constantly evolving. Your dream client when you first started the business could look totally different to you now. As you grow and learn, things shift and it’s so important that your brand adapts to stay relevant. Knowing who your dream client is and how to speak to him/ her is crucial. Every single time you write a post, upload a photo to instagram or create a new product or service it should be with this dream client in mind. Need to do a refresher? Download my free worksheet to determine your perfect client here.

I hope that helps and I would love to hear how you choose your brand strategies! Comment below or lets connect over on insta.

See you back here next week,

All my love,

Kady x