Determining how to build a solid brand strategy is an essential component of every great business plan, especially for small business owners. If a business plan is a system to help guide entrepreneurs on how to navigate the current marketplace and develop a method for generating annual revenue, then a brand strategy is the intentional planning of how your company will grow and develop its image over time. Developing a brand strategy will help you identify the core philosophy and reason your company’s existence, what it stands for, and how it connects with and serves its customers. When done right, the finished product is a scalable, repeatable strategy that will position your small business for growth year after year. To help make the creation of a great brand strategy more approachable, we’ve answered what we’ve found to be some frequently asked questions on the topic:
Well, do you know? Are you monitoring customer feedback in a meaningful way that empowers your brand with the knowledge of customer experiences? If you can’t confidently speak on behalf of your clientele, then it might be worth having the conversation at your next meeting with your marketing team. Survey Monkey or Google Forms are great tools for getting feedback from your current clients.
Every time a customer interacts with one of your employees, they are having and experience with your brand. So, it’s crucial that your employees are all on the same page in regards to your brand strategy. Internal company audits can be incredibly useful for gaining insight into how your employees view your small business’s brand, what they currently know about your brand, and for identifying patterns in customer interactions.
Hopefully, your brand is unique in some form or fashion. Today’s world of commerce is not kind to those who serve average products to the “average Joes”. If your small business brand is going to be transferable new media markets, you’ll need to identify your niche, or your unique value proposition. Once you’ve identified what makes your brand stand out, your brand’s messaging acts as a megaphone to let your customers know who you are and why you’re worth considering.
This one is pretty simple, is my brand messaging and image consistent? A quick evaluation of your current marketing materials will show you how successful your small business has been in keeping a consistent message for your current and potential customers.
Here at Deksia, the “Big Idea” serves as your brand’s guiding principle, your implicit brand promise, your competitive advantage, and more. The Big Idea will guide you in every aspect of your brand strategy, from new website development to customer interfacing. So, what is your brand’s Big Idea? When you know that, you know what to reference when you ask yourself, “is my small business represented the way I want it to be?”.
It all starts with a noncommittal 15 min conversation.
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