Building a brand strategy to grow your business
Whether you’re a major brand looking to shift market perception, or a start-up business launching a new product, having a clear brand strategy is key to helping you achieve your objectives.
According to recent research, brand awareness is the main objective for 49% of content marketers, and with 90% of consumers saying that they expect their experience with a brand to be the same across all platforms, a clear and comprehensive brand strategy is more important than ever.
Start by understanding your business objectives
With over 20 years of brand-building experience, we know what it takes to create and deploy a successful brand strategy. For us, it should all start with developing a clear brand proposition which is driven by business objectives, although this is often easier said than done. This is where a structured Brand Workshop becomes an essential first step in the brand development process.
Our Brand Workshops involve key stakeholders from the business, and we work with them to establish a clear brand proposition closely aligned to the business plan which provides a solid platform for the creative process.
Build a brand strategy from the ground up
When you’re faced with a blank brand canvas and a host of ideas and aspirations, getting started on the brand strategy can be daunting.
This is the position we found ourselves in with one of the UK’s largest housing providers, Your Housing Group. The business ambition was to create a new property maintenance service which included responsive and emergency repairs. From an operations perspective, everything was going to plan, but from a brand and communications perspective things needed to be pulled into shape, and quickly.
By starting with a comprehensive Brand Workshop, we were able to get all of the key opinions – from Board, Marketing, Operations and HR – out in the open quickly, and formulate a clear brand proposition. This led directly to the development of the business name, brand and full brand deployment, from staff uniforms and van livery, through to digital screens and mobile push notifications.
Transforming a brand into a brand strategy
Of course, most businesses often have a brand in place, but are finding that they are not getting the results they’re looking for.
This was the case with start-up company Follicle & Limb, who had the brand basics in place, but needed support turning a ‘look and feel’ brand into a compelling brand and product proposition for their innovative new shaving product.
Our Discovery Workshop process was used to get the brand and market insights needed to provide clear direction for both the brand and the product. This resulted in the redevelopment of the Follicle & Limb website and creation of beautifully crafted brand imagery and brand video to support a product launch which positioned the F&L ONE shaving brush system as a unique premium product in a crowded market place.
Regularly review your brand strategy
For other brands, they know exactly what they stand for and where they want to be, but the market has changed around them and so it’s time to review their brand strategy and realign their brand proposition.
Working with a well-respected local business we provided an objective view of their current brand through a combination of qualitative market research and a Brand Workshop which became invaluable to them in being able to look at it their brand with new eyes and transparency about what was working, and what wasn’t.
The outcome was a brave decision (based on evidence from the market research) to change the name and the brand identity of their business.
This full brand strategy overhaul gave a much-needed lease of life to the company, which is now thriving with a new look and new attitude. Fortune really does favour the brave, and it takes a lot to be honest and identify that your brand could be working harder for you, but you will reap the rewards of a bold decision to shake things up.
Whatever stage your business (or brand strategy) is at we are fully equipped to help you reach its full potential, identifying and working with you to achieve your objectives. Our comprehensive process of brand strategy, development, and deployment, is a sure-fire way to provide your brand with the best opportunity to flourish.
Build your brand strategy for business growth
For more information on how to develop a brand designed to help your business grow, please call us on 01604 453 177 or drop us an email.
