We’re back with Part 2 of our Build Your Brand series, with the key to strategies for standout branding. We’ve compiled a highlight reel to save you time, and help you prioritize your marketing goals.
Before You Get Going: Where Are You?
First thing’s first. Like any other set of strategies for your business, branding isn’t an overnight process. It’s a journey. And on any journey, you’ll end up off course if you don’t know where you are to begin with. So to determine where you and your brand sit in the market, we recommend a SWOT analysis [Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats].
The easiest way to do this is talk to the people that influence your brand: your designers, your sales and marketing team, and–of course–your customers. Ask what you do well, where you could grow, and what in your environment could help (or hurt) your goals.
You Know Where You Are: Now Get Going!
When it comes to crafting a standout branding strategy, we agree with Hubspot about the five steps you have to take for your brand to stand out.
Step 1: Vision Statement
If you want a clear vision statement, try answering questions like:
- What problem or pain point will my product or service solve?
- How will my product or service change the life of my customer for the better?
- What do i want my company to accomplish in the future?
If you’re stuck, you can check out the infographic, or check out the vision statements of the company you respect.
Step 2: Mission Statement
A mission statement is the purpose of your company: the who, what, where, when, why, and how of your business, make sure it’s concise– and leave out the jargon.
Step 3: Essence
Believe it or not, this isn’t a new age blog. Essence really is a part of a standout branding strategy. It’s the emotions you want to evoke; the intangibles of your customer experience. For help, we recommend The 9 Criteria for Brand Essence.
Step 4: Personality
This is closely related to Essence in that it’s also intangible. Simply put, imagine your brand is a person. Describe them in as much detail as possible: likes, dislikes,, culture, etc. and you have your brand personality.
Step 5: Position/Value Proposition
A brand position/value proposition meets the following criteria:
- It’s couple sentences long at most
- It defines the target market clearly
- It communicates the problem/need the product addresses, and
- How the product meets those needs
- It shows your customers why they should care
- It articulates what sets you apart in your market or industry
You Know Who You Are: Now Spread the Word!
Now that you know who you are– and who your ideal customer is–it’s time to market your standout branding. Figure out your campaign goals (and deliverables), your message, and your outcomes, and you’re ready to make the move from OK campaigns to killer marketing.
