Brand strategy is the process of creating, communicating, and delivering value to your target audience through your brand identity, positioning, messaging, and experience. As a brand strategist, you have a unique role in helping your team achieve its goals and objectives. Here are some ways you can contribute to team success as a brand strategist.
The first step to creating a successful brand strategy is to understand the vision of your team and your organization. What is the purpose, mission, and values of your team? How do they align with the overall vision of your organization? How do you want your team to be perceived by your audience and stakeholders? By clarifying the vision, you can help your team define its brand essence and differentiate itself from the competition.
A brand strategist can contribute to team success by providing clear direction, inspiring creativity, and ensuring that all efforts align with the overarching brand vision and goals.
Um die Vision eines Unternehmens zu komplementieren, sollte man auch die Vision der einzelnen Mitarbeitenden verstehen.?? Dafür nutze ich sehr gerne die Methode ?Zeichnen eines Zielbilds“. In dieser Methode erstellt jeder Mitarbeitenden auf visuelle Art und Weise eine Zeichnung. Wie sieht er/sie sich in 5–7 Jahren innerhalb des Unternehmens, wie sollte sich das Unternehmen weiterentwickeln, welche Trends wirken auf das Unternehmen, was wird das Unternehmen anbieten, wie wird das Arbeitsumfeld aussieht und wie ver?ndert sich das generelle Arbeitsfeld. Legt man nun die Zielbilder der Mitarbeitenden & der Führungskr?fte übereinander, so entsteht ein Gesamtkunstwerk, welches das Unternehmen in den n?chsten 5–7 Jahren darstellt.??
What helps is to have the team build the brand based on human drives. In that way you know what the drives are from the team, how they see the brand (image or identity) and how together build a strong brand that is linked to the intrinsic motivation of the team. This also helps a strong culture, which for me is linked -like yin yang- to the brand. We use the method #23plusone to understand those human drives. Works every time.
In my experience, brand strategists craft more than plans; they create a shared understanding by documenting the guidelines clearly. This empowers every team member to work independently yet with a shared vision. For Example, a Social Media Manager can confidently devise a content plan without constant consultation because they inherently understand the brand’s essence—its USP, positioning, audience-thanks to the meticulous groundwork done by the brand strategist. For a solid strategy, one needs to gather information -the brand's goals, resources, vision, positioning, audience, and the competitive landscape. This information resides within the organization, often the sources are the CXOs and other key stakeholders.
In the early days of building my small branding and marketing agency, I realized that having a tangible vision was like having a compass in the noisy business landscape. It's not just a lofty statement; it's a what drives you forward. I remember sitting down hashing out what we stood for. It was full of big goals, dreams, and a touch of bold courage. And you know what? That session created a 'North Star', something every business needs for any long-term brand strategy. Defining the purpose isn't just about the "what" and "how" of our work; it was about the "why." Why do you get out of bed every morning to do what you do? What change do you want to create? Lastly, vision isn't static; it evolves with you as the world evolves.
The next step to creating a successful brand strategy is to conduct research on your target audience, market, and competitors. You need to understand the needs, wants, preferences, behaviors, and expectations of your audience, as well as the trends, opportunities, and challenges of your market. You also need to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your competitors, and identify how your team can stand out and create value for your audience. By conducting research, you can help your team develop a data-driven and customer-centric brand strategy.
Um die Zielgruppe zu verstehen, sollte man folgendes Vorgehen w?hlen: 1?? Interviews direkt mit den Kunden des Unternehmens. Gehe direkt zur Zielgruppe und spreche über die Wünsche, Bedürfnisse und Erwartungen. Ein klar strukturierter Fragebogen hilft, eine Vergleichbarkeit der Aussagen zu erhalten. 2?? Interviews mit den eigenen Mitarbeitenden zur Wahrnehmung der eigenen Marke, des Feedbacks der Zielgruppe sowie den Eindrücken zu den Marktbegleitern. 3?? Konkrete Markt- & Wettbewerbsanalyse durchführen, um sich ein eigenes Bild der Marktsituation zu machen. Hier sollte auf die St?rken und Schw?chen der Unternehmen geachtet werden. 4?? Durchführung von Trendanalyse zum Verstehen der zukünftigen Einflussfaktoren auf das Unternehmen.
A brand strategist should be open to exploring new ideas and approaches that can differentiate the brand in the market. Encourage innovative thinking within the team.
A brand strategist must understand the three main pillars of their company's brand. The market, the competitor, and the consumer.
The third step to creating a successful brand strategy is to develop the strategy itself. This involves defining your team's brand identity, positioning, messaging, and experience. Your brand identity is the visual and verbal expression of your team's personality, values, and attributes. Your brand positioning is the unique value proposition and benefit that your team offers to your audience. Your brand messaging is the key messages and stories that communicate your team's positioning and identity. Your brand experience is the interaction and impression that your team creates for your audience across all touchpoints. By developing the strategy, you can help your team craft a consistent and compelling brand story.
Versteht man die eigene Marke und hat die inneren Werte, den Kern, sowie die Mission und Vision klar definiert, dann besitzt man bereits ein solides Fundament für die Markenstrategie.?? Als n?chsten Schritt gilt es auf Basis der Recherche und Wettbewerbsanalyse die ?White Spots“ innerhalb des Markts herauszuarbeiten und die Potenziale, Chancen sowie auch Risiken dafür zu beleuchten.?? Diese ?White Spots“ müssen einen Match mit dem Markenfundament aufweisen, sodass man sich in der strategischen Ausrichtung auf das fokussiert, was bereits in der Vision des Unternehmens sichtbar ist.?? Im letzten Schritt müssen die konkreten Handlungsma?nahmen & Botschaften definiert werden, die diesen beiden Aspekte zusammenspielen lassen.??
This wealth of information gathered in the first two steps, becomes the foundation for a strategic document - a blueprint that shapes how a brand desires to be perceived by its customers. Within this document, we will have, the personality traits, the customer personas, the communication guidelines for these personas, and the channels to reach them effectively. This document isn't just a plan; it's the longterm roadmap to achieve the brand's goals.
Defining clear and specific goals aligned with your mission is a crucial first step in the strategic branding process. These goals provide the foundation for your brand strategy, allowing you to set specific objectives and key results (OKRs) that will drive your brand's success. It's all about creating a strategic roadmap that is not only clear but also actionable and results-oriented.
The fourth step to creating a successful brand strategy is to implement the strategy across all channels and platforms. This involves creating and delivering the brand assets, such as logos, colors, fonts, images, videos, slogans, taglines, websites, social media, brochures, presentations, etc., that represent your team's brand identity, positioning, messaging, and experience. You also need to ensure that the brand assets are aligned with the vision, goals, and objectives of your team and your organization. By implementing the strategy, you can help your team build awareness, recognition, trust, and loyalty among your audience.
Das Unternehmen wei?, wo es herkommt (Markenwerte, Markenkern), es wei?, wo es hin m?chte (Vision / Ziele) und es hat den Weg dafür im Detail beschrieben (Markenstrategie). Nun ist die Zeit gekommen, aufzubrechen und die "Marken-Reise" zu beginnen. Die überarbeitung des visuellen Markenbilds sollte in enger Abstimmung mit dem "Markenteam" erfolgen. Die übertragung auf die Assets hilft dabei, das Fundament, die Vision und die Strategie einfach an die Zielgruppe zu kommunizieren. Ein konsistentes Markenbild st?rkt die Wahrnehmung der Marke, nimmt aber auch Zeit in Anspruch. Die Strategie wird niemals über Nacht umgesetzt. Man muss an seiner Strategie und Vision festhalten, konsequent kommunizieren und das Team mitnehmen. ??
It's crucial to translate your vision and goals into tangible brand assets and content materials. These assets must authentically represent your brand identity, positioning, and messaging. Additionally, ensure alignment with your organization's broader objectives. Tailoring your approach for different channels and platforms is key to maximizing reach and engagement. Each audience segment may have unique preferences, so understanding these nuances is essential. The central challenge during implementation is aligning multiple goals with a single mission, requiring strategic coordination. Successful implementation brings your brand to life, fostering awareness, recognition, trust, and loyalty among your audience.
The fifth step to creating a successful brand strategy is to evaluate the strategy and measure its performance. This involves collecting and analyzing feedback, data, and metrics from your audience, market, and competitors, and assessing how well your team's brand strategy is achieving its goals and objectives. You also need to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and improvements of your team's brand strategy, and make adjustments and recommendations as needed. By evaluating the strategy, you can help your team optimize its brand performance and value.
Führe nach einem vorher definierten Zeitraum, bspw. 12 oder 18 Monate, erneut die Analysen und Recherchen aus dem zweiten Schritt durch. Stelle die gleichen oder leicht angepassten Fragen und bewerte und vergleiche die Ergebnisse. Ist die "Marke on Track"? Wo muss angepasst werden? Wo hat man die ersten Erfolge gefeiert? Wo gibt es negatives Feedback? Eine Strategie muss immer flexibel sein und auf die ?u?eren Einflüsse reagieren k?nnen.
The sixth and final step to creating a successful brand strategy is to collaborate with your team and other stakeholders. As a brand strategist, you are not working in isolation, but as part of a multidisciplinary and cross-functional team that includes designers, marketers, developers, managers, etc. You need to communicate, coordinate, and cooperate with your team members and other stakeholders, and share your insights, ideas, and feedback. You also need to listen, learn, and respect the perspectives, opinions, and expertise of others, and seek input and support when needed. By collaborating with your team, you can help your team foster a positive and productive brand culture.
You never want to find yourself on an island when doing research. People naturally view the world through their own experiences. Collaborate with multiple people from your team to get the full picture and consumer experience.
The entire team must understand the brand's values, its unique selling points, its target audience and its competitors. It is super important to know the brand universe and for each person on the team to understand it and transfer it to any action within the work.
Brand is the most important part of marketing but marketers overthink it- there are too many agencies and experts spouting jargon and trying to intellectualise what is essentially a feeling or image people get when they see your product. Some of the most enduring brands are built on simplicity - if people either love or hate your brand you’re probably getting your branding correct- it should evoke a reaction.Secondly it should explicitly communicate how it solves a problem or makes you feel - also no amount of branding can fix a flawed product or service eg WeWork. Apple is a great brand but it’s products are also great