How To Develop Brand Strategy – Before You Design Your Logo

So you’ve decided to start a new business, and you’re dreaming up all of the possibilities that this new (or maybe even very old) idea could go. You may have the service, product or experience in motion, but you have a hundred “next steps” you could take to make this idea the reality you wish it to be. Oftentimes, one of the first steps that new business owners decide they need is a logo. This is a pretty reasonable assumption considering every successful business has one, and websites like Fiver, Upwork and Canva have made basic logo design more accessible than ever. However, as a Brand Designer I’m here to tell you that putting a logo before strategy is quite like that old saying….you know, the horse and cart one. 

Don’t get me wrong, if you have a vision for your logo that you are lit up by and feel confident about, keep that vision strong in your minds eye *while* you learn more about how starting with strategy will give you a powerful foundation upon which you can build your visual identity from (and it may even influence how your logo evolves). Your logo is really just one component of your brand identity, and your brand identity is an extension of your strategy. So, when clients come to me and ask, “Can you design me a logo?”, I like to explain how my work as a Brand Designer goes much deeper and is much more extensive than the quick turnaround logo design is, as often depicted. As someone who has worked with many business owners and is one myself, I can guarantee that having a solid strategy from the beginning will set you up with clarity, confidence and longevity.

WHAT IS BRAND STRATEGY?

So, what exactly is brand strategy and how can you apply it to your business? Through establishing your brand strategy, you’ll get down to the who, what, why, where and how, so that you have a clear purpose and a solid map whenever you have to make a decision. What are you selling, who are you selling to, why, where and how are you selling it? What problems are you solving and how do you want to be perceived? Why does your business exist beyond money?

With strategy, you no longer have to throw spaghetti at the walls to see what sticks. While your brand identity is the puzzle piece that helps your brand be visually recognizable, strategy is how you establish consistency across all platforms, how you build relationships with your buyers, and how you set yourself apart to stand out amongst the crowd. In other words, strategy is how you become irresistible and magnetic so people want to buy from you because, think about it- no one is buying from you because they like your logo, right? The logo may initially be something that helps attract them, but it’s your why, your voice, your story, your creativity and your consistency that makes people like you enough to trust you with their time and energy. 

If you’re ready to work on a little DIY brand strategy session, get yourself in a grounded place, grab your pen, paper, palo santo and bevvy (we like a voibe), and work through these questions below.

I’ve based this off of the strategy session that I provide my clients, and broken it up in different sections to help you understand the different angles and facets that contribute to strategy.

BRAND STRATEGY GUIDANCE

MISSION

Start with your “Why?”. 

• Why did you start pursuing this business? 
  // What was your initial “why” and what fueled you to take action?

• What is the purpose behind your business? 
  // To help educate people? To create a unique product? What problem are you solving?

• What do you provide? 
  // A product, service, or creative entertainment?

• What are your core values? 
  // Integrity, transparency, authenticity, fun, empowerment?

From here, draft a mission statement.

A mission statement is a short summary of your company’s purpose. The core of what you’re offering, who you’re selling to, and why you do it.

Ex. To provide a collective space where reliable healthcare practitioners support patients using thoughtful, evidence-based integrative medicine for a healing journey as unique as the individual.

VISION & OBJECTIVES

Where is your business heading?

• What are the core goals of your business?
  // Growth, impact, freedom? When you dream, where do you see your life and your business?

• What does your business strive for?
  // Consistency, alignment with your values, commitment to improvement?

Craft your vision statement: a vision or objective of what the company wants to create on a large scale, or how the company wants its community, clients, or the world to be impacted as a result of the company’s services.

Ex. Alive integrative Medicine aims to be a space that provides many different accessible routes an individual may take on their unique, personal healing journey, while rooted in a supportive community for practitioners and patients alike.

COMPETITION

Knowing your competition is how you become informed about how to position yourself within your current market or niche.

• Who are some examples of your primary competitors?
  // Do some market research!

• What sets you apart from those competitors?
  // Where does your originality lie?

• What are you competitors showing you about your ideal client?
  // Analyze what people actually want and need through your competition

Craft a value proposition: a straightforward explanation of the specific solution your business provides and the benefits your ideal customers will receive when they choose you over your competition.

Ex. Truly integrative and supportive healthcare. Inclusive, thorough and open-minded practitioners that guide you to deeper wellbeing, all under one roof.

POSITIONING

How do you want to exist in the minds of your customers?

• What do you want people to know that you do, and how you do it?
  // an experienced wellness practitioner with a specialty? A one-of-a-kind creator with a specific style?

• Who are you trying to target with your products and brand purpose?
  // Who would you like to be serving in the future? Who is your dream client or ideal customer?

• Why should people choose you?
  // Do you have the best customer service or product quality? Is your service super convenient, empowering or relaxing? Are you the first of your kind?

Craft your positioning statement:  a description of the offer you provide and a clear answer to why your target market should choose you. 

Ex. Alive Integrative Medicine is a collective of professional and genuine healthcare providers serving people in the Eugene area that are committed to their health. Patients looking for open-minded, integrative care ranging from holistic and alternative to traditional forms of medicine will  be guided in their individual health journey with consistency, honesty and respect.

MARKETING

How will you be putting your offer out into the world?

• Where will you be reaching your clients and customers?
  // Social media, print publications, digital or printed advertisements, etc

• How will you create personification within your marketing?
  // No one likes a corporate robot selling to them. How will you bring some humanness into your business’s voice? What will your brand voice be across all platforms?

• What do you want the look and feel to be across all of your platforms?
  // Dark and moody? Bright and cheery? Neutral and chic?

WHAT’S NEXT

Now that you’ve looked at your business from several very important angles, it’s time to put everything into action! Understanding your mission, proposition, positioning, competition, values, goals and marketing are the crucial components of brand strategy that go into deciding your brand identity and beyond. You can use this guide as the roadmap to help you stay consistent across all platforms, build trust amongst your dream clients, develop your storytelling, identify problem areas in your offer and to improve your customer experience.

I know many people have started businesses without brand strategy and this is something you can implement at any time, but starting with a clear understanding of what your brand strategy goals are will undoubtedly support you in unquantifiable ways, starting with your mindset. 

As mentioned before, this brand strategy guidance is based off of the comprehensive strategy session I provide my clients. If you want to save hours of endless googling for further research, avoid the trial and error of DIY and work with a professional brand designer to help develop your strategy and identity, fill out my client application to book a free design consultation! 

Otherwise, if you like to nerd out on business tools and efficiency hacks like me, check out this post where I share some of my productivity tips!

I hope this post has helped you begin your brand strategy journey~

xo
Sammi Lee

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