If you want to have a brand that stands out as well as stand the test of time, you must have a brilliant brand strategy. If you want to have a brand in demand, you must have a killer brand strategy. Being a brand that is memorable and iconic means you have to have an effective strategy in place. Your brand is the essence of your company or in other words the components that make up your company’s character and identity. The worse thing for a brand is to be all over the place and not have a clear identifiable structure. The best thing for a brand is to have a clearly defined position that identifies what your company is all about and where you’re headed.
Below, I’ve listed 5 tips to help you establish a brilliant brand strategy.
1. Be passionate about your brand
If you create a brand that you’re excited about and enjoy working on, it will resonate in everything you do. Building a brand is hard work and sometimes it can be tedious. If you create a brand that fits into your lifestyle, you will be more comfortable embracing all facets of that brand. For example, if you have a hectic fast-paced lifestyle, you don’t need a brand that is laid back and reserved. You would probably work better with a brand that communicates action and movement. Whatever your brand is you must be excited about it in order to make others excited about it.
2. Be Clear about the Value your brand adds
When you understand how your brand adds value to people’s lives, you are able to communicate that in a way that those who are unfamiliar with your brand can understand. You must know the unique value statement for your brand that sets you apart from your competitors in a way that gets you noticed. Think about how you/your brand is unique and special and what your brand does differently than any other.
3. Be your brand’s biggest ambassador
When you are the brand, you must eat, sleep and embody that brand whole- heartedly. This statement simply means that you have to be the biggest cheerleader for the brand you represent. If your brand identity encompasses black and gold you should frequently wear those colors when you’re promoting your brand. Your brand identity is the physical component of your brand so your logo and the other visual elements of your brand must be displayed front and center. In addition, you must be willing to speak about your brand when given the opportunity to do so in order to let everyone know how passionate you are about the brand you represent.
4. Be honest about your weak points
Know what you’re great at and what you suck at and be honest about each of those things. When you admit to your faults or shortcomings before anyone else has a chance to point them out, you will appear authentic and self aware. Don’t just be honest about your weak points, but let your target audience know how you are improving in those areas and what you will do to address your shortcomings.
5. Add a charitable component
Your brand should not just add value to your target market but to the community overall. Consider how much of an impact you want to make in the world. What philanthropic causes do you care about? Understanding the value of having a philanthropic element to your brand means that you want to leave a legacy of service to helping others. Some of the major brands that do charity well are known for supporting specific areas such as children’s health/wellness, literacy or specific illnesses such as breast cancer. Think of what areas of philanthrophy that your brand should align with.
It doesn’t matter if your brand is just starting out or established, using the above guidelines to build your brand will be very useful long term.
Your Brand Building Assignment:
Using the above tips, write down 2 ways you can begin to make a bigger impact on your brand strategy and the give yourself a time-frame to implement the new strategies you have chosen.
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Lori A. Manns is an award-winning, marketing, sales coach and business strategist who works with small business owners to help them elevate their brand, get more clients and grow revenue. Lori A. Manns is CEO of Quality Media Consultant Group and founder of the Trailblazer Business Masterind™ where advancing entrepreneurs go to learn business growth strategies the soulful way. Lori is also the creator of Sponsorship Sales Secrets System;™ that shows you how to get more sponsors and sales for your business, guaranteed. To purchase consulting services on marketing, advertising or sales and, learn how to increase your revenue and grow your business; please visit the contact us page on www.qualitymediaconsultants.com.