3 Keys to a Successful Brand: Strategy

Over the next three posts, I want to talk about the 3 Keys to a Successful Brand. I want to spend some time delving deep into the dynamics of branding. I don’t want to assume my audience is familiar with all that branding is, so I am going to inundate all of my outlets (i.e. emails, social media, blog, etc) with everything I know about branding. Let’s talk about KEY #1: Strategy.

Strategy is the art of planning direct actions that will help you achieve a desired result. Building a brand without strategy is like building a house without blueprints. You can pour the foundation, build some walls, add some windows, put a roof on it, but you will still end up with a house that isn’t sustainable.

This is what I see with new entrepreneurs…and I want to only reference Kingdom women here. I see women hitting the market with no strategy. They DIY their own website, come up with some random offers or copied someone else’s model, program, service, and then launched themselves out on social media and expected someone to think they were an authentic brand. 0_0

Can I share something with you? We can sense a fraud. We can sense when you are not put together. We can sense when you don’t really know what you are talking about. We can sense when your brand is disconnected and you are not sure who you should be talking to. We can sense that. This is also why you see Kingdom women out here going through 3-4 “rebrands” all in the same season.

Let me start by saying, I know this because I also did this in the beginning stages of my brand. I went through 3 re-brands before I got to the place I am now and if I would have simply did the inner work to figure out what God was doing IN ME and THROUGH ME, I would have shortened the learning curve.

When you are in the beginning stages of developing your brand, real brand strategy begins with the development of your brand name, tagline, target audience, brand statement, market positioning, brand voice & messaging, color palette, etc. There are so many elements that are foundational to your brand development.

Brand Strategy also includes the development & planning of your:

• Marketing Strategy

• Social Media Strategy

• Product/Service Ladder Strategy

• Profit & Income Strategy

• Launch Strategy

• and more

So, for those who are ready to start this process, start small. I highly recommend the following 5 actions:

1. Discover your brand archetype. Take my Brand Archetype Discovery Quiz here. The brand archetype, especially for personal brands, helps you to get to know YOU better. As a personal brand, it will take on your personality but you want to make sure that it is also the personality of your target audience.

2. Discover your target audience and begin to drill down on all the psychology around your target audience such as who they are, what they like, where they live, how much money they make, where they hang out, what are their pain points (in reference to what you are offering), what do they read, & how do they search for solutions to their pain points as well as what keywords they use, at what point in their journey do they need your solution, what beliefs hold them back from purchasing, etc. The more you know about your audience, the more you can target them.

3. Write out your purpose, mission, vision, & values. Why do you want to be in business? Why do you want to serve this audience? What is God revealing to you about your life?

4. Discover completely what makes you unique. Matter of fact, research other “competitors” who are doing something similar and write out all the specifics of what makes you unique in the market. Just to note, there is no such thing as competition in the Kingdom of God because technically, YOU are the only one who can do what YOU ARE DOING, but researching your “competitors” (let’s call them peers from now on) will help you appreciate what you have to offer to the market. You should know why God made you different and be able to articulate that.

5. Write down the kind of experience you want your customers/clients to have when they engage your brand. Go as deep and big and wide as you can whether it is when they engage your social media posts, your website, or even receive your product or service.

So, if you can articulate all of these 5 points, you are well on your way to building a brand that is consistent with what you are looking to market and authentic to you. Let’s do this right, take it slow, process what you are trying to do & then you will be able to develop some blueprints and build your sustainable brand brick by brick.

Remember, all great things take time.

I hope this blog blessed your life.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

- Quiana J. Speaks

Are you ready to dive deep into the strategy of your brand? I want to invite you to a :60 Brand Strategy session if you want help with this. In this Brand Strategy Sesh, we will strategically discuss your brand identity. You will leave with actionable steps and clarity with your brand. Hope to see you on the other side.

Interested? Click HERE to book your :60 Brand Strategy Sesh today.