What Elements Do the Best Brand Strategy Examples Have in Common?

Businesses can easily spend tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars per year building their brand.

Are you getting ready to work on branding or rebranding for your company? Do you want to get the most bang for your buck and ensure you’re spending your money on the right things?

The brand-building process definitely isn’t easy, and there’s a lot that can go wrong throughout the process. You can avoid a lot of mistakes, though, if you do some research beforehand.

Read on to learn more about what the best brand strategy examples have in common and how you can take your branding or rebranding strategies to the next level.

What Is a Brand Strategy?

Before we dive into the basics of what makes a great brand strategy, let’s first make sure everyone’s on the same page when it comes to the definition of branding.

In short, a brand strategy is a long-term, specific plan for your business that helps to describe the company’s character and what sets it apart from others.

Branding goes far beyond the products or services you offer, your logo, or your business’s name. It’s the intangible parts of your business and marketing approach that help it stand out from the crowd. 

Benefits of a Strong Brand Strategy

There are plenty of benefits that come with taking the time to develop a strong brand strategy. They include the following:

  • Brand recognition and sales numbers can increase
  • Customers know exactly what you deliver
  • Customers can more easily start a dialogue with you
  • Customer acquisition becomes easier
  • Higher pricing becomes an option because people are willing to pay more for what you’re selling

All of these things can result in a significant boost to your company’s bottom line. They can help you make more sales and build a loyal customer base.

Essentials of a Great Brand Building Strategy

Every business has a slightly different approach when it comes to branding. In general, though, they tend to follow the same basic structure and set of rules. Here are some that you ought to keep in mind:

Purpose

A big part of branding is figuring out why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Why are you selling a particular product or service? What does it have to offer your target audience? What problem does it solve for them?

If you have a strong purpose behind everything your business does, it’ll be easier for you to connect with your target customer and get them interested in what you have to offer.

Consistency

Consistency is essential if you want to build a strong brand strategy.

Think about your favorite brands. You remember them and are interested in buying from them because they’re consistent in their approach. You always know what you can expect from them, in terms of their advertisements and the quality of their products or services.

If you want to create a solid brand strategy for your business, you need to maintain a sense of consistency in all that you do and say.

Emotion

The best, most successful brands know how to evoke emotion from their target audience, especially when it comes to their marketing and advertising approach. If you get someone who’s viewing your ad to feel a certain way (happy, hopeful, nostalgic, empowered, etc.) and connect with the brand on a deeper level, the chances of them becoming a customer (and, better yet, a loyal customer) increase in a dramatic way.

Flexibility

It’s true that you need to be consistent in your branding if you want to develop a solid reputation and get people to take your company seriously. At the same time, though, you also need to be flexible.

At first, this might seem counterintuitive. Think about it, though. If you’re always sharing the exact same advertisements, people are eventually going to get bored.

You need to find ways to shake up your business and keep people interested while still sticking true to the same values and purpose that motivated you in the first place.

Employee Involvement

It’s crucial that your employees are involved and aware of the company’s brand position. They need to make sure that all of their interactions with customers align with the message you’re delivering with your branding materials.

If you brand your business as being a positive, upbeat place but have bored, monotone customer service reps taking calls, it’s going to be harder for you to develop that sense of loyalty that you’ve been hoping for.

Loyalty

Speaking of loyalty, another part of building a strong brand strategy is rewarding customers for their loyalty.

If you have people who have been sticking by your side for a long time, find a way to say thank you. It could be sending a personalized thank-you note or offering them a discount on their next purchase.

Brands that show their customers that they appreciate them are much more likely to stick around than brands that don’t seem to care one way or the other.

Awareness of the Competition

Finally, you need to be aware of your competition. Paying attention to what they’re doing well, as well as the gaps that currently exist in their branding strategy can help you bring in more customers and address their needs in a more direct way. Successful brands focus on improving themselves, but they also keep an eye on what their competitors are doing.

Brand Strategy Examples to Emulate

If you’re still feeling a bit confused about what a good branding strategy looks like, some examples might help. Listed below are some examples of successful branding strategies from other businesses that you may want to emulate when promoting your own company:

Dia

The plus-size clothing brand Dia does a great job of reaching their target audience and making them feel seen and heard. In their advertisements, Dia makes it clear who they’re here to serve (those who are size 14 and up) lets viewers know what exactly they can expect from them (clothes picked out by stylists and delivered right to their door).

Dia has a sense of consistency across the board in the way they target their customers and separates themselves from other clothing retailers that, in a way that can be frustrating for a plus-size woman, only seem to cater to those in smaller bodies. 

Molekule

Molekule, an air purifier retailer, is another great example of a company that separates itself from the competition. Molekule offers sleek, modern branding and makes it clear that their target customer is someone who values both style and function. The company’s ads and website are consistent in terms of text and language, all of which make it easier for folks to develop a sense of loyalty to them.

Lush

With high-quality handmade products made in ethical and sustainable ways, Lush has built a strong following by appealing to those who love cosmetics and skincare but also want to feel that their purchases are making a difference.

Thirteen percent of consumers are more likely to buy a product if they feel that they’re having a positive impact on the world around them. When you combine this feeling that Lush creates with the fun names of their products and the one-of-a-kind retail experience they offer, it’s clear that the brand is here to stay.

T-Mobile

When they think about cell phones and cell phone plans, many people’s thoughts automatically drift to T-Mobile.

The company addresses one of cell phone users’ biggest pain points (network size) in every advertisement and has distinct branding that easily separates them from other mobile providers. We can all recognize that bright shade of pink anywhere, right?

Remember, color is one of the most important things to consider when building a brand. After all, it can improve brand recognition by up to 80 percent.

Change the Way You Brand Build

Now that you know what most great branding strategies have in common and have some examples to follow, let’s focus on your own brand. Follow these steps to level up your brand-building approach and ensure you see success from your efforts:

Think About Your Business Strategy

Start by assessing your business strategy. Think about the goals you have for your company and the type of message you hope to deliver with your products, services, and promotional materials. If you get really clear on the type of company you run, you’ll have a much easier time figuring out ways to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Identify and Research Your Target Customer

It’s also important to have a clear understanding of your target customer. Think carefully about the type of person you want to target.

How old are they? What is their gender? What is their income level?

Do lots of research to learn as much as you can about your target customer. The more you know, the easier it’ll be to figure out where to place your energy when it comes to advertising and how to appeal to what interests them the most.

Establish Your Brand Positioning

Next, develop and establish your brand positioning. How does your brand differ from others in the industry? Why should your target customer choose to work with you over another company?

Take some time to write up a positioning statement that describes your company and explains, in just a few sentences, what separates you from the pack. Be sure to include a sentence or two explaining what you have to promise your customers, too.

Establish Your Messaging Strategy

After this, you need to think about how you’re going to get the message out about your business. What kind of slogans and wording are you going to use to get people’s attention, appeal to their emotions, and encourage them to learn more about what you’re selling?

Create Logos and Taglines

At this point, you’ll be ready to create (or recreate, if you’re in the process of rebranding) your company’s logo and taglines. When creating a logo, think carefully about the colors and fonts you’re using. Making the right decisions here will help to increase brand recognition and ensure people are able to establish positive associations with your business and your products or services.

Start Planning Content

Now, start thinking about your content. What kind of content are you going to create to promote your brand and help people learn more about you?

Are you going to publish blog posts? Videos? Infographics?

There are tons of options out there, so go back to your target customer and think about what’s most likely to appeal to them.

Improve Your Online Presence

Once you know the type of content you want to create, you should also take a look at your online presence. If you already have a website, does it reflect the purpose and goals of your business? If you’re creating a website from scratch, what kinds of colors, fonts, and layouts can use to make sure it aligns with your brand?

Assess and Refine

Your brand strategy isn’t going to be perfect right out of the gate. It’s going to take time for you to streamline it and make sure it reflects your business in the best way. Don’t be afraid to reassess and refine as you go.

Ask for Help When Needed

Don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional, either. As the folks at the branding company Mekanic have pointed out, the branding process can be difficult, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. instead of trying to tackle everything on your own, consider working with an expert to save time and ensure you’re making moves that are appropriate for your business and your goals.

Time to Put Your Branding Strategy First

Now that you know more about what makes a great branding strategy and have some solid brand strategy examples to emulate, it’s time to get to work.

Follow the guidelines outlined above as you begin planning out your company’s branding or rebranding strategy. It’s true that it’ll take a lot of time and effort to get things exactly as you want them. It’ll be easier if you keep these tips in mind, though.

If you need more branding or marketing advice, we have lots of other resources on our blog that can help. Check them out today! 

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.