Let’s face it, the old approach to business just doesn’t cut the mustard anymore. Your customers’ expectations have changed and the old forms of marketing aren’t as effective as they once were. Modern day consumers prefer brands to which they feel a connection, and this kind of ‘connection’ is difficult to cultivate without a well-thought-out brand strategy.

Illustration by Just The Skills

Your business plan and brand strategy should be treated like the symbiotic organisms they are, both working together to create a mutually beneficial outcome. In other words, your business plan must inform your brand strategy, so that your brand strategy can help execute your business plan. After all, they both serve the same goal: to strengthen and grow your business. 

How to align your business and brand strategy goals

So how do you make sure your brand strategy is aligned with your business goals? Here are a few ways to go about it:

1. Identify the heart of your brand

Every brand should be built on a set of core principles and aspirations. What type of company do you want to be? How do you want to be perceived by your customers? I like to think of it like this: if your brand were a person, and that person stepped out of the room for a moment, what would the other people say about them?

Once you’ve identified the heart of your brand, it’s important to ensure that your business activities reflect it. Be authentic. This is vital, because a misaligned brand strategy takes its toll, not only on your bottom line, but on your brand as a whole.

2. Define your competitive advantage

It goes without saying that just about every market is full of tough competition. It’s becoming more and more difficult to get noticed, with some brands going to extreme measures to stand out. Take for example Nivea sunscreen. They built a seagull drone that “poops” sunscreen onto kids on the beach. Yes, you heard me. A seagull drone that poops sunscreen! Have you ever?! Here’s the proof.

But don’t worry, it’s not necessary to do anything quite as obscure! 😅 With a watertight brand strategy, you can effectively present your competitive advantage to your customers, and remind them of the unique value your brand provides. If you communicate your competitive advantage consistently and cohesively, when a customer walks down a shopping aisle or browses the web, they’ll remember your brand and what it is that makes you so much better! 

3. Price your product or service

Determining what you charge your customers is much more complicated than simply slapping on a price tag. We all know that a product’s price is not simply the sum of its parts; if that were the case, a pair of Lululemon leggings would cost the same as a metre or two of fabric (and that is far from true 😳). 

So why are we willing to cough up more for certain products? It’s not simply because “we like them”. It’s because their brand strategy is designed to make us believe that the product is worth paying a premium for. Whether or not the price is justified is beside the point. An effective brand strategy sidesteps that question. 

4. Know your customers

The groups into which we humans align ourselves are becoming more and more niche, each with their own likes, dislikes, and identities. It’s simply impossible to appeal to everyone (unless you’re Morgan Freeman of course. I mean, who doesn’t like Morgan Freeman?) 

So instead of trying to create a brand that everyone loves, rather identify the specific group you’d like to target and create your brand strategy around them. With a clearly-defined target market, your brand team will know who to appeal to, and your sales team will know who to schmooze 😉.

(For a more detailed description of how to find your target market, check out the “buyer personas” section of our Marketing Manager’s 10 Step Guide to Website Design).

Illustration by Markus Mentu

5. Refine your brand messaging

Now that you’ve defined your target market, it’s time to get their attention by creating a brand strategy that speaks directly to them. This is more important than ever, as more and more often, people are favouring brands whose values align with their own. And what’s the best way to communicate your values? By telling a powerful brand story. 

Your brand messaging is communicated by everything, all the way from the obvious items like your slogan, to the seemingly inconsequential cookie notice on your website. To create loyal customers, you must ensure that your brand messaging accurately reflects your brand values, and that it is consistent with your business activities.

(Ready to apply your brand messaging to your website? Need a great agency to get it right? Check out the 4 Things to help you pick the right website design agency.)

6. Measure your results

Contrary to popular belief, branding is not solely about visuals. It is (or at least, it should be) based on hard data. This data must be gleaned, not only from your sales or conversion numbers, but also from customer feedback. Your customers are, after all, your North Star. So if they’re 100% satisfied with everything about your brand and your sales numbers reflect that, then all’s well. However (and let’s come back down to Earth here), even the most beloved brands in the world constantly tweak their brand strategy and adapt based on real-world results and customer feedback. 

Illustration by Rami Niemi

Business plan + brand strategy = success!

Building a brand “yin” to accompany your business “yang” doesn’t happen overnight; it’s an ever-evolving process, but it’s one that’s certainly worth the effort. I hope this post has given you insight into some of the ways your brand strategy and business plan can work together.

Of course, we know it’s not always possible to build a brand from scratch, especially if you don’t have the time or resources. If you’re looking to bring in an agency for reinforcements, we’re always happy to talk shop. Otherwise, check out The Marketing Manager’s 10 Step Guide to Website Design for some tips on how to get started.