Brand strategy & identity the basis of a strong brand
With an effective brand strategy and identity, you show who you are as a brand, what you look like and what drives you, but also what you mean to your (potential) target group(s) and how you distinguish yourself from your competitor(s).
How do you create a brand strategy that really works for your brand and for the target group you want to reach? Then quickly continue reading...
Building brands that last
If you’ve already taken a look around our site, you’ve probably discovered that at GI we like to build brands that last. Brands that really know who they are and where they are going. However, if you’re in the middle of it, such a process often is a difficult one. Rings a bell? That’s where we come in! We are happy to (quickly!) dive into your industry, target group and marketing chain in order to understand them and discover what makes your brand stand out! From there, the process of creating a strong brand strategy starts.
A brand strategy with clear frameworks and a clear proposition
At GI, we’re all about getting things done (or, as granny would say: “Don’t talk dear, act!”). The goal is to leave the building with a one-page strategy. So, with us there's no vagueness hiding behind rhetoric, but practical plans in which everything falls into place. Of course, there are a few steps before we get there. We first map out the personas: who are we targeting, what are their needs and pain points and how can we reach them? (Note that we think from the outside in, instead of the other way around.) We look at what the target group wants to hear, not what we want to say. How does your brand fulfill the wishes of the target group? What is the brand essence and in what way does this distinguish your brand from the competition? To further crystallize this, we reduce the brand to one sentence, one proposition or one word. We also position the brand in the market and determine which preconditions are needed to strengthen that position.
Mapping the customer journey
Now that we know what drives your brand and what it stands for, it’s important to work out the customer journey: which steps does your target group go through in the process of becoming a customer, when requesting a sample or when they become part of your Marketing Automation flow? This gives clear insight into where you’re able to offer added value to claim your position as your target groups favorite pick. A brand is an all-encompassing experience that must match on all touch points in the customer journey, whether those are online or offline. This is only possible if your content connects to the needs of your target group and fits your brand (and the proposition that goes with it!). That’s why, at GI, we develop a clear brand identity based upon the strategy, which revolves around strong concepting and effective design. This is the foundation for the development of high-end content based on the brand strategy and concept, so they seamlessly fit together. In this way, we ensure that the brand strategy and the associated customer journey don’t remain floaty, but are clearly identified
Starting on the inside is winning on the outside
The moment has come: your brand strategy is in place and your brand has been visually developed. Next? Our advice: involve your own people before you start communicating to the outside world. That’s the way your brand comes to life, the way to transfer the enthusiasm to all your colleagues and to make sure the brand message comes from the entire organization. Think about, for instance, the colleague from customer service, who answers the phone with the same drive as the sales manager who is given the right tools to create loyal customers. They all help to tell the story of your brand at the right moment in the customer journey. So, think about an internal campaign to get everyone on the same page before you get the story out!
Eager to get started with your brand strategy and brand identity?
Our strategists and designers would be happy to help you with that. So, contact us soon so we can dig into your dilemma. (Beware however, once we've sunk our teeth into it we won't let go until we’ve discovered what differentiates your brand from the rest. Only then can you really start building a brand.)
Cases that include brand strategy & identity development: