Brand Strategy 101

Are you looking for a new website? Or maybe you want to refresh your brand with a new modern logo! As you are looking for designers, be on the lookout for those who simply will build you a website, or will they also be a brand STRATEGIST? This matters for your creative small business more than maybe you even know! So here is how you master brand strategy and some questions to ask your web designer.

What is brand strategy?

Brand strategy is a long-term plan that will drive a brand towards your long-term goals. Your brand should equip you to hit your unique goals in the next 5, 10, and 15 years, not just the next quarter. I’d be willing to bet that just having a gorgeous website or beautiful logo won’t help you hit your long-term goals.

What do you do with your clients?

I approach all my clients with brand strategy by asking them about their vision, mission, core values, differentiators, brand message, and ideal client. From there, I can design strong visual assets that will drive the client towards their vision.

I understand that sometimes it is difficult to make these decisions by yourself because your brand is your baby! So I walk you through the brand development with an easy to fill out (but long) worksheet.

Why is this important?

A good brand will cause you to have lasting impact on your ideal clients. I am not just trying to design something Pinterest-worthy but something that is built to endure and connect the heart behind your work, in order to connect you with your ideal client.

My clients dig into this nitty-gritty before I even start on their website so I know what they value and their goals. This allows me to better direct them towards a series of color palettes and aesthetics that drive them towards ideal clients.

What kinds of questions do you ask?

I ask a series of questions in order to acquire this information such as what does your “ideal client” look like? What is your brand message? What is the heart behind your work? How does your work solve a problem or alleviate a pain point of your ideal client? And how is your brand truly different?

The goal of this whole process is to speak to who you are, and not simply what you do. I want to know your personality, values, and beliefs because people purchase the face behind the brand, not just the work you produce.