How to Create a Brand Strategy
You may have set colors, a gorgeous logo, and clever phrases that you use as taglines for your business–but branding does not stop with design. Successfully branding your business includes molding your messaging with the problems you plan to solve for your customer base. Simply put, the branding of your business needs to be done with a well thought out strategy. Here are some tips to get you started.
Define the Problem
People have problems and they turn to businesses to solve them. The countertops are dirty, but a good Clorox wipe will solve the problem. Vacuuming takes too much time–hello, robot vacuums!
What problem does a customer have that your product can solve? You won’t have much luck selling expensive baby toys for the sake of making a buck–you need to prove to your target audience that your handmade wooden toys for children have a lifetime of value, and in the more immediate future, will keep their kids busy and entertained long enough for them to hide in the pantry and eat licorice in peace.
Uniquely Solve the Problem
Once you have defined your customer’s problem, you need to figure out how you can uniquely solve their problems with your product or service. Chances are there are many products that already exist that could solve their problem, so figure out why they need to choose you and clearly communicate that in your messaging.
Sure, a recipe book will solve the problem of not knowing what to cook for dinner–but can you go one step further? Vegetarian recipes, slow cooker recipes, or under $5 recipes all solve the problem of what to cook for dinner, but they are far more unique than just a bunch of recipes and target a very specific group of people.
Get specific about what your product will do for your customers and you will see an increase in your loyal customer base! It is easy to click “add to cart” when you are sure that the product will fix the problem.
Grab Customers Attention
In the early stages of business, consider offering a grand deal that will entice early customers. You need the cash flow–they love a deal! Offer lifetime support, discounts for subscribing to newsletters or following social media pages, free PDF guides, or anything else that serves your customers. No matter what stage of business you are in, always provide value to your customers. A good relationship is one of give and take, so don’t just take from them.
Coming up with a great offer that grabs customer attention shouldn’t be difficult. Consider your goals and include a deal that helps both you and your target audience reach a goal or solve a problem. If your goal is to build up your email base, offer a discount for subscribing to newsletters. Your goal may be to get recurring business from loyal customers, so offering a free PDF guide that solves different problems, all with different solutions of yours, might be a good fit.
Tie it all together
Now that you know your audience, understand their problems, and have brainstormed ways that you can solve those problems, tie this all together in your brand strategy. Your mission and vision statement, taglines, brand voice, the overall messaging of your brand, and even your logo and color scheme should incorporate pieces of your research.
Full Service Branding Agency
Does all of this sound a little too time consuming and confusing? No need to fret! CAST Design Team is a full-service branding agency that is ready to help you with every aspect of your business. When it comes to turning a business into a brand, there is no agency quite like CAST Design Team. We provide in-depth strategy and execution of branding, marketing, and social media management services that will help establish and grow your brand. Reach out today for more information.
