Brand strategy for small business: a step-by-step guide
A brand strategy is the holistic approach to building a brand identity. It encompasses every element that goes into creating a well-developed brand: voice, tone, values, audience, purpose and more.
Creating a solid brand strategy is the most important thing to do when launching a new company. It underpins everything else you’ll do from here on out, so you need to get it right.
Getting started on brand strategy for small businesses can feel overwhelming but, as with everything in life, you can break it down into tiny steps and tackle it easily.
Grab a coffee and a comfy seat and let’s get to it.
Brand strategy and development
We can break strategy down into three main pillars:
Brand core values
Brand positioning
Brand persona
To determine each of these brand pillars, it’s a matter of asking yourself questions and interrogating your answers until you’re really clear on where you stand.
During this process, it’s okay to go back and revise your answers as you go. Your answer to one question may make you rethink your answer to a previous one – I encourage that kind of fluid thinking.
When you’ve finished, put your work away for a few days and give it some breathing room before going back to it (I find I often do my best work by not working).
Brand core values
The first step to building your brand strategy is to establish your core values. Core values are the beliefs you have about your brand and what’s important to you, and you rely on these to inform your actions.
Ask yourself:
What is my mission?
What is my purpose?
What is my vision?
What are my values?
How do these things guide the way I do business?
Core values example
I worked with Transition-HQ, a sustainability transition group, to define their core values. We came up with:
Truth of source: We trust science, traditional knowledge and evidence. We cut through the noise and look for the truth.
Integrity to course: We stay true to our values, commitments, relationships and plans. We believe in a better world for future generations.
Action and learning: We lead through research, education and ongoing development of ourselves and others.
Partnership in place: We seek to understand the unique environmental, social and economic requirements of each place we work in.
Trust: We know that the transition will be built on teamwork and high levels of trust.
Brand positioning
Before crafting your positioning statement, you have to be clear on who your target audience is and who your competitors are. This section may require a bit more research, so take your time.
Ask yourself:
Who, what, how?
Who do I serve?
What do I offer them?
How do I offer it to them?
How does this compare to other current offerings?
Who is my ideal customer or client?
How old are they?
What’s their gender identity?
Where do they live?
How much money do they have?
What problems do they have?
What are their fears and worries?
What is my brand position?
What do I do for clients? How do I make them look and feel?
How would my clients describe me?
How am I different to other brands?
How would they describe me?
Use your answers to write a brand strategy positioning statement, which is a description of your product or service and how you fit into your target market.
Positioning statement example
Coca-Cola’s positioning statement is great as it clarifies what they offer, who they offer it to and how they compare to competitors.
“For individuals looking for high-quality beverages, Coca-Cola offers a wide range of the most refreshing options — each creates a positive experience for customers when they enjoy a Coca-Cola brand drink. Unlike other beverage options, Coca-Cola products inspire happiness and make a positive difference in customers' lives, and the brand is intensely focused on the needs of consumers and customers.”
Here is also a good place to create a brand promise to help with your branding for marketing. A brand promise outlines the value or experience your customers can expect to receive every single time they interact with you.
Brand promise example
Nike is best known for its tagline ‘Just do it’, but its brand promise is more explicit.
“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”
Brand persona
Developing your brand persona will help you define your tone of voice, style, visual and communication guidelines.Think of your brand as a person and find out who they are and how they present themselves to your customers.
Ask yourself:
What is my brand persona?
What characteristics does it have?
What is its name?
What is its tone of voice?
How does it speak?
What kind of language does it use?
What does it wear?
Where does it live?
What is my brand voice?
Is it funny or serious?
Formal or casual?
Approachable or authoritative?
Cutesy or cool?
Childish or mature?
It might feel funny thinking about where your brand does its grocery shopping, but it will help guide your brand strategy and development.
In future, when faced with a quandary about branding for marketing or communications, you can just ask “What would Philomena do?” and let your brand lead the way.
Mission statement
Once you’re absolutely clear on your answers to all the above questions (yes, that means giving it a couple of days to percolate in your brain), you’ll need to write a mission statement and philosophy.
A mission statement defines what line of business you’re in and why your company exists. It should help keep you aligned to your purpose and goals, and remind you why you do what you do.
It’s also a short and sweet way to let customers know what you’re all about, and can be used as a kind of inspirational elevator pitch. It’s usually just a sentence or two long, so be concise.
Mission statement example
I worked with skincare brand Kardia Beauty to help craft a mission statement that clarifies their mission, values and goals succinctly.
“At the heart of Kardia Beauty is our luxurious, all-natural self-care range, created to inspire and empower today’s youth and celebrate their beauty from the inside out.”
Philosophy
To compose your own brand philosophy, you’ll need to consider your core principles, how they guide you, how that serves your customers and what your long-term goals and aspirations are.
Philosophy example
I paired that mission statement with a philosophy that dives into Kardia Beauty’s core values and guiding motivation.
“Kardia Beauty is a brand with heart. Led by love, compassion and positivity, we created our exceptional self-care range to empower today’s youth, help them build confidence and let their natural beauty shine from within.
Australian-made and inspired by nature, these luxurious products have been formulated using the highest-quality botanical ingredients so they’re gentle enough to protect and nurture young skin. Kardia is a Greek word meaning heart, and we hope you feel that in everything we do.”
Branding for marketing
Once this branding process is complete, put it into a clear document and make it accessible to your whole team. Hand over all the information and ideas to your marketing team (or switch over to your marketing hat) so they can start creating marketing materials.
Throughout your journey, you will use this info you’ve created to keep you on track and ensure your brand remains clear and authentic.
If you need a hand with any of this process, give me a buzz and we can work on it together.