You need to communicate a brand strategy to stakeholders. What's the best way to get their attention?

The best way to communicate anything to stakeholders is with insights about their business or customers that are both unexpected and familiar. Unexpected in that you are revealing some combination of data and observations and context in a new way. And familiar in that what you're doing is revealing, not creating. The response you want from stakeholders is not, "I never thought of it that way," because for them to agree with you is tantamount to saying some outsider knew more about their business than they did. Instead the desired response should be, "It's been right there but I never saw it that way before."

Understand the stakeholders' backgrounds, interests, priorities, and communication preferences. Tailor your messaging and presentation style to resonate with their needs and expectations, ensuring relevance and engagement.

Go beyond traditional audience analysis; practice cultural cartography. This involves mapping out not just demographics but the cultural, social, and technological landscapes your stakeholders inhabit. Understand the memes, themes, and dreams that drive their world. This rich, nuanced understanding allows you to craft messages that resonate on a personal and cultural level, making your brand strategy not just seen but felt.

Ahead of your presentation, glean some insight and feedback from them on THEIR perceived problems with the brand, and importantly what they believe is the problem you're solving for your customer. You can then address these challenges, perceptions and values in your presentation.

Clearly outline what you aim to achieve with your brand strategy communication. Whether it's informing, educating, inspiring, or persuading stakeholders, set clear objectives to guide your message.

Clearly outline what you aim to achieve with the communication. Whether it’s gaining approval, soliciting feedback, or informing, your objectives should guide the structure and content of your presentation. -Specify the action you want stakeholders to take after the presentation. -Highlight how the brand strategy supports overall business goals. -Make objectives SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to facilitate clear understanding and assessment.

Your objectives are more than goals; they're your brand's North Star, guiding every story, message, and piece of content you create. Articulate these objectives in a way that they don't just inform but inspire. Make them ambitious yet achievable, and ensure they align with the larger purpose and values of your brand. This clarity will act as a beacon, attracting stakeholders with its brilliance and guiding them through your brand journey.

Engage stakeholders by weaving your brand strategy into a compelling narrative. Utilize storytelling elements such as characters, conflict, resolution, and vivid imagery to make your message memorable and relatable.

Clearly define the objectives of the brand strategy communication. Determine what you aim to achieve with the stakeholders, whether it's gaining buy-in, obtaining feedback, or fostering alignment with the brand vision and goals.

Expand on types of objectives: Inform: Increase awareness, understanding, or knowledge about your brand, products, or initiatives. Educate: Provide in-depth explanations, tutorials, or resources to empower stakeholders. Inspire: Motivate action, emotional connection, or advocacy with your brand's story and values.

In a world inundated with content, choosing the right format is about crafting a multisensory experience. Whether it's an immersive workshop, a visually stunning video, or an interactive digital platform, consider how you can engage the senses to create a memorable and impactful brand strategy communication. Each format should be a doorway into the world of your brand, inviting stakeholders to step in and explore.

Foster ongoing dialogue with stakeholders by inviting questions, feedback, and concerns. Keep them informed about the progress and results of the brand strategy implementation, and show appreciation for their involvement.

Select the most appropriate format for communicating the brand strategy based on the audience preferences and the complexity of the information. Consider options such as presentations, workshops, reports, visual aids, or interactive sessions to effectively convey key messages and facilitate meaningful discussions.

Strengths: Detailed, comprehensive, ideal for archiving and reference. Limitations: Can be text-heavy, less engaging for some audiences. Best for: Sharing in-depth analysis, complex data, or detailed recommendations.

Stories captivate and connect with people on an emotional level. Incorporating storytelling into your presentation can make the brand strategy more relatable and memorable. -Share a narrative that illustrates the brand’s journey, challenges, and vision for the future. -Use real-life examples or hypothetical scenarios to demonstrate the strategy’s impact. -Employ vivid language and visuals to enrich the storytelling experience.

Elevate storytelling from a technique to an art form. Construct a narrative arc that is as compelling as any novel or film, with your brand and stakeholders as the protagonists. Introduce conflict in the form of market challenges or brand obstacles, and lead to a resolution that showcases your strategy's impact. Use vivid imagery, dynamic characters, and emotional highs and lows to make the brand journey an unforgettable saga of transformation and triumph.

If you're explaining your brand strategy to a stake holder, you don't need to go to the basics, they already know the brand and business, they are interested in knowing about the way forward. You stick to 4-5 important points and try to sell a story but with numbers. Be clear where you can, and keep the communication straightforward. Tell them what the current market share is and how the brand stands in comparison with the competitors. Your strategy and pitch should revolve around way forward and growth of brand, pick 4..5 metrics and give them timelines for the same.

Weaving Magic: Storytelling Techniques for Your Brand Strategy Storytelling isn't just about captivating audiences with narratives. It's a potent tool to communicate your brand strategy effectively, leaving a lasting impression on your stakeholders. Here's how to weave magic with storytelling: Captivate with Characters: Hero: Introduce your brand as the protagonist facing challenges. Obstacles: Highlight the hurdles your brand overcomes (market shifts, competition). Guides: Show mentors or allies representing partnerships, innovations,

I find it helpful to position strategy pitches like press releases: start big (results, profits) and work backwards (cost, effort). Don't just show data—use insights to tell a story and color in the journey. Reference examples from similar (or aspiring) companies, and be sure to tie in elements your audience cares about. For CXOs, a dollar sign is often associated with the true objective of any business move, but not all evidence will (or can) be tied to money.

Transform evidence and value from mere data points to a compelling narrative of proof and promise. Use data visualization, storytelling, and case studies to bring to life the successes and possibilities of your brand strategy. Show not just the return on investment but the return on involvement—how engaging with your brand strategy can lead to personal and professional growth for your stakeholders.

Data-driven insights: Don't just tell, show. Use market research, customer surveys, and industry reports to support your claims. Competitive analysis: Highlight how your strategy differentiates you, positioning you as a leader. Performance metrics: Demonstrate past successes with data showcasing the effectiveness of similar approaches. Expert opinions: Include quotes or endorsements from industry leaders or trusted advisors.

Turn engagement and follow-up into an ongoing dialogue with your stakeholders. Treat this as an opportunity to build a community around your brand, where feedback is not just heard but acted upon, where stakeholders are not just informed but involved. Create platforms and forums where this dialogue can flourish, and make sure to personalize your interactions, showing your stakeholders that they are valued participants in your brand's journey.

Remember that this is not their full time job. While this brand project might be a key and large project for you and your team, your stakeholders have their own day-to-day challenges with their team, workload, etc. So be mindful of their time. Be succinct in your requests. Be respectful of their time. Come prepared. You'll likely get better feedback if you can have a 10 min phone call or meeting and ask closed and open questions for your reporting.

With big brand changes, we make sure to provide FAQ pages, feedback loops, and transparency in our direction. This means embracing that everyone has an opinion on brand, visuals, and storytelling whilst remembering to be clear in the chosen direction and choices that have been made.

WIIFM ... the age old question... what's in it for me? Consider your angle with each stakeholder group. Articulate how this would benefit them or directly benefit the client's they serve. Also acknowledge and thank them for their educated / experienced input. Genuine flattery also helps ;)