Learn Brand Strategy In 17 Minutes (2023 Crash Course)

What's up brand builder Stephen Houraghan here  at BrandMasterAcademy.com and in this video   we're diving into brand strategy 101 elements  deliverables and processes so you can understand   the engine that drives successful brands and  start developing strategies for your own brand   or your clients now building a brand is not about  logos colors or fonts it's about influencing the   perceptions of the audience to make a business  more appealing now the only way to do that   successfully is by developing a brand strategy and  the only way to do that is by having an effective   brand strategy framework now if there was ever  a time when having a nice logo and a slick   website was enough that time is long gone today  audiences want to feel connected to their brands   in a way that feels human and if they can't get  that from your brand they'll get it from another   brand if you want to build brand strategies that  connect then this brand strategy framework will   show you how so let's get stuck in but before we  dive into processes let's start first with some   brand strategy fundamentals and answer the  question what is brand strategy well brand   strategy is a long term plan for what a brand will  build its reputation on and the method they'll use   to build that reputation now if the strategy is  successful the brand will claim a position in   the mind of their audience about what that brand  means and the value and experience that it offers   and then a certain segment of that audience will  choose it over its competitors now when years gone   by it was commonplace for business owners to grab  themselves a quick logo bash together a website   and expect to find them on the express line to  success now although plenty of those wishful   thinking entrepreneurs still exist more and more  are beginning to realize that without a strategy   the brand might as well be hog tied and left for  dead in the desert for a brand to have any chance   of success some critical questions need to be  answered including why are we here who are we   here for where are we going what are we committed  to how are we different why should they care   what's our personality and what's our message now  a good looking brand identity system is great and   all but your looks will only get you so far  and if you've got nothing else to go on then   your audience is going to go elsewhere because  your looks aren't going to answer those questions   so why do you need a brand strategy well whether  you're building your own brand or a client's brand   this is a fundamental question that should  be given some time to be addressed and just   so everyone knows that this isn't a task to be  undertaken for shits and giggles let's dissect   the alternative for a second so let's suppose  you decided to take the quick and easy road of   grabbing a logo on a website then what how you  look doesn't tell your audience what they should   understand or remember about your brand which they  might need when making a decision which brand to   choose as consumers we want our problems to be  removed as quickly and as painlessly as possible   and this need for a solution doesn't draw us  to brands that look good it draws us to brands   that show understanding feel familiar address our  pain points and speak to us in a way that we would   expect a friend or an acquaintance to speak to  us to speak to us in a way that feels familiar   so in short if you're building a brand you're  building an entity to connect your business   to your audience through human engagement  and that is why your brand needs a strategy   branding has been defined in many different ways  from some big names that you should listen to   a brand is not what you say it is it's what they  say it is marty newmar your brand is what people   say about you when you're not in the room jeff  bezos branding is not the stuff you make but   the stories you tell seth godin but these quotes  are very high level so let's get into the weeds   a little bit more mark written is one of the most  well-known marketing professors in the world today   and here's his take tactics without strategy is  dumbing down our discipline if markers want to be   taken seriously they must end their preoccupation  with tactics and tools and focus on their strategy   devised by thoroughly researching segmenting and  targeting their market now while mark whitson   comes from a traditional marketing background  and works with the likes of unilever his arch   nemesis on the other hand gary v is on the other  end of the spectrum as a self-taught specialist   now the reality is both are specialists in their  own right and they have huge audiences of business   owners who are watching listening and learning and  are going out in search of strategists to help so   what is a brand strategist and what do they do  well traditionally brand strategists have been   luxury experts who've been reserved for branding  giants such as nike apple unilever and png but   today as more entrepreneurs are listening to  influencers the likes of gary vaynerchuk and   richard branson really pushing branding and brand  strategy the demand for these experts and the   strategic direction that they offer has really  increased significantly so what exactly does   a brand strategist do well in short they devise  a plan of brand expression that will ultimately   help to shape the perceptions in the mind of  the intended audience and those perceptions   will be about what the brand and the business  means to them and the experience that it offers   now if they're successful the audience will feel  something for the brand they'll feel an attachment   or a connection or an understanding to the brand  and a desire or an affinity towards that brand   that they wouldn't have otherwise felt without  carefully positioned structured and personalized   brand messages now the deliverables of a visual  brand versus a brand strategy are best compared   with an analogy let's say you wanted to go on a  really long hike across multiple foreign countries   and dangerous terrain now you go to a specialist  hiking consultant to get you fitted for your trip   with hiking gear boots wet weather gear thermal  wear gloves backpack etc and then point you in   the general direction of where you want to go  now would you feel confident in heading off in   the direction that he pointed no if on the other  hand he sat you down with a detailed road map   navigating the route outlining the roads to use  the areas to avoid the most efficient times to   travel and the best survival techniques to use on  your journey how would you feel in comparison well   i'd imagine you'd feel a little more confident  that you're gonna get to where you want to go   rather than just being pointed in the general  direction now the deliverables of a visual brand   are relatively straightforward and can  include many different visual elements such as   the logo image style graphics illustrations  a brand style guide a website digital assets   brochures business cards and environmental design  when it comes to brand strategy on the other hand   it's all about mapping out a plan of brand  expression that the brand manager can follow   to shape the perceptions of the brand in the mind  of the audience to that effect the brand strategy   should include a detailed audience persona  or multiple personas competitive analysis   differentiation and positioning strategy a human  brand persona and personality a brand voice   a communication framework brand message brand  storytelling framework and a marketing strategy   now just like the hiker heading out on a journey  into the unknown the brand manager will feel   much better equipped to make it to the intended  destination if they have a strategic roadmap   and conviction in their direction to go with their  branding gear now whether you're developing a   brand strategy for your own brand or for a client  you need a clearly defined framework to build an   effective one developing any kind of strategic  element at the wrong point in time or overlooking   any of the required considerations will likely  result in a misaligned brand or in other words   like a compass that doesn't work building a  brand is much like building a house it requires   certain building blocks to be placed in a certain  order to ensure a strong foundational stability   and that's exactly what i want to show you in this  process i want to show you a strong brand strategy   framework that you'll be able to follow for  your brand or for your clients step one uncover   your brand core now the first step of the brand  strategy framework heavily involves the business   and the brand leaders as it extracts the meaning  of their brand from their perspective now through   a discovery and a collaboration setup possibly a  workshop this step uncovers why the brand exists   where it's going what it's committed to and how it  will behave step two develop your buyer personas   now although the term know your audience is not  uncommon few brands are built with the level of   understanding that's really needed to get into  the heads and the hearts of that group of people   so much of the brand stems from the detail of who  the audience is and their segments so it's vitally   important to take the time and attention that is  really needed to truly understand them step number   three weigh up the competitive brands now your  target market already has options and solutions   in the market through your competitors and if you  simply turn up offering the same thing you'll be   at a distinct disadvantage to the competition who  already has a brand presence and brand awareness   so this step is all about uncovering what  your competitors are offering or in other   words what your audience already has on offer  to them in the marketplace step four forge   your differentiation strategy now the clarity of  your competitive landscape through your audience's   research and your competitor analysis provides you  with a bird's eye view of the market conditions   from here you can begin to identify gaps left open  by your competitors and get to work on developing   out those gaps into fully fledged positioning  ideas step number five define your strategic   market position now once the differentiation  strategy and the target market has been aligned   to confirm that the market is big enough for you  to serve with your unique idea you can begin to   clarify your position what do you do who do you  do it for the difference from the existing options   and the added benefit of value to the audience  are all considerations that need to be ironed out   to clearly define your positioning strategy step  number six align your brand archetype now when you   know who the audience is and the desires they have  you can begin to uncover their personality type   using a scientific framework called archetypes  developed by psychiatrist carl jung in the early   20th century this framework provides a tool for  brand builders to first understand the personality   of their audience and then develop a personality  framework most likely to appeal to who they are   step number seven shape your brand personality  strategy now while your brand archetype sets in   place the foundation for your broader personality  it's only a framework and a starting point to   truly bring your brand to life so it feels to  your audience like a real person that they can   connect with you need to draw it the realism so  attitudes on the industry opinions on the wider   world and broader beliefs they all help to add  detail and believability to your brand personality   step number eight find your brand voice and tone  now one of the most effective tools of expression   for any brand is the tone of voice in which its  message is delivered the characteristics defined   in the personality development can be further  enhanced by a tone of voice that's really designed   to carry those characteristics through to the  written and the verbal word an audience that   reads or hears language or a tone that feels  familiar will be far more open to the message   that the voice is delivering step number  nine define your brand messaging framework   they're armed with a human brand persona and an  intimate knowledge of who the audience is and what   they want a brand message can be created to land  in the hearts and minds of who that audience is   through an understanding of their challenges their  pain points their hopes dreams desires fears the   brand message should be well equipped to resonate  on a deep human level step number 10 craft your   storytelling framework now every audience is  always thinking to themselves well what's in   it for me what is this brand going to give me  and if you're able to craft a story that aligns   with the journey that they're on where they're  coming from where they're going to the challenges   that they face along the way then they're going  to be completely tuned in to the message that you   have to deliver so really understand your  audience and the journey that they're on   and craft a storytelling framework that's able  to deliver a small slice of the story that your   brand is telling that aligns with who they are  step number 11 design your brand identity system   now this step is where branding crosses  from strategy development side to the   visual identity side the difference here however  is that the designer is armed with such an array   of strategic information and direction and they  enjoy a vantage point that is not available to   non-strategic designers which translates to a  visual identity with an edge and step number 12   define your marketing plan so it's only now at  step 12 are we getting to the marketing strategy   we've developed the brand to know who we are  why we're here why we're different and what   should matter to our audience we've also defined  the method and the manner that we'll use to get   that message into the market and now it's time to  define the platforms and the channels to use to   get that message out there this again is all about  understanding your audience where they congregate   and where they're most likely to be open to  your brand messaging now once the brand strategy   and the subsequent visual identity has been  developed the brand is ready to be introduced   to the world now although the brand has the gear  and the strategic roadmap needed for navigation   it's only now starting out on that journey rome  wasn't built in a day and neither are brands from   its launch the brand manager must ensure that  they follow the strategic roadmap consistently   along the road to brand's success they must aim to  rendezvous at each checkpoint which are the three   a's of brand growth the first a is brand awareness  now the first task is to put the brand on the map   and into the consciousness and subconsciousness  of the intended audience so it stands a chance   in the consideration phase of the buyer's journey  the more awareness the more consideration in that   buying decision the second a is adoption now  with awareness established the brand must work   hard through their sales and their onboarding  sequences and nurturing process to really convert   that awareness into adoption generating one-off  business is not easy generating repeat business   requires finesse and the third a is advocacy now  brand advocacy is widely considered as the holy   grail of branding because it turns customers into  walking talking tweeting vlogging mini marketing   machines and the evidence of the impact of social  proof is well documented in fact social proof is   one of the foundational principles of influence  defined by renowned psychologist and author robert   kieldini in his book influence the psychology  of persuasion in his book kieldini says the   tendency is to see an action as more appropriate  when others are doing it in other words a happy   customer singing your praises is pure gold and  brands that go all out to achieve brand advocacy   reap the rewards now look building brands doesn't  happen on the illustrator over a cup of coffee   they're built over time with careful consideration  and consistent application of a strategic plan   and this plan is the deliverable of brand  strategy and without one brand managers are   aimless wanderers so take the time to define  the brand strategy for your brand understand   who the audience is why your brand is going to be  different from your competitors and then devise a   plan and a method to get that communication out  there in a way that your audience is going to   resonate with it if you want to learn more about  the elements of brand strategy then this video   will help you out until next time brian like  a master and i'll see you in the next video [Music]

Channel: Brand Master Academy

Views: 313,586

Keywords: brand strategy, Brand strategy 101, Brand strategy fundamentals, Brand strategy framework, Brand strategy process, Brand strategy course, Brand strategy tutorial, Learn brand strategy, Branding 101, Brand strategy workshop, Brand strategy presentation, Brand strategy elements, Brand strategy, Brand design, Branding, Marketing, Stephen houraghan, Brand master secrets, Brand master academy, learn brand strategy, brand strategy framework, brand strategy process

Id: VrwBu8DYWkE

Length: 17min 0sec (1020 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 16 2021