10 Pillars of Brand Strategy - Brand Strategy Process

Before we get into the 10 pillars of brand strategy…

What is Brand Strategy?

Brand Strategy is about uncovering the very essence of your brand. Every brand you can think of has a brand strategy. In fact, they will have multiple strategies created to help them achieve their long-term goals. The strategy process is a detailed plan of how you will achieve those goals.

The brand strategy process asks you important questions such as: Who are you? What do you specialise in? How do you stand out from the competition? What will your customers say about you?

After reading this article, you’ll know for sure that you need a strategy in place before you even begin to think about design and any visuals.

What good is a product/service if you don’t know how or who to sell it to? Let’s take a look at the 10 pillars of brand strategy below.

01. Mission Statement

This outlines who you are and what your are offering. You should keep this down to one simple sentence. Think about what you would say when introducing your company on Dragon’s Den.

02. Reasoning

What is your purpose for creating the brand? Why are you doing it and why do we need it? This is where you can tell the story of how it all began. Allow this piece to be full of emotion and personality. Your customers want to connect with you and this will help make a purchasing decision later down the line.

03. Unique Selling Point (USP)

I’m sure you’ve heard the term USP before. A USP is your Unique Selling Point. What makes you different from everyone else? Why will customers choose you over another well known rival brand? This is your differentiator. Make it compelling, authentic and valuable.

04. Morals and Values

We all have morals and we all have values. It’s crucial to get this across through your brand messaging. What do you stand for and value most in business? What do you place most importance on? This could be the relationships you build with your customers or suppliers and the materials (think environmentally friendly) you use. Be aware of global affairs and how your business has an impact. A great brand is built on strong morals and values so make sure you uphold these at all times.

“A brand is not what you say it is, it’s what they say it is.”

– The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier

05. Brand Attributes

These are key words that are borne out of the process of discovering your mission, reasoning, morals and USP. These words will be what you want people to say about your brand.

06. Target Audience

What research have you done regarding target audience? What problems do they have and how can you solve them? Do you have an ideal customer in mind? Create an ideal customer profile to market to. This narrows your focus and gives your messages clarity.

07. Tone of Voice

The tone of voice is very important when communicating with your audience. You can add humour or stick to the facts. Your personality should shine through when your audience experiences your products and brand. Don’t try to fake it, it is easily spotted.

08. Brand Positioning

Defines who you are and what makes you unique. We clarify the benefits and advantages of choosing your brand over its competitors. How do you stand out from the rest? Your unique service offering should help solve the major pain-point(s) of your customers.

09. Value Proposition

What is the main service you offer that will attract your customers? A strong value proposition will help make customers choose you ahead of other brands.

10. Services

What are the main services you are offering? You need to give your target audience what they want and ensure it is specific to solving their problems idenitfied during your target audience research.

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10 Pillars of Brand Strategy – Brand Strategy Process