Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought- “I should try to be more witty with my brand strategy!”

Somewhere along the line the notion that being a witty extrovert is the claim to fame as a business owner.

IG Reels has certainty driven that home- shoutout to all you witty creatives rocking your reels- you go! 

But I’m here to tell ya there’s a lot more to brand strategy than a few witty one-liners!

Let’s dive into what brand strategy reallyyyyy is and why it is SO important when it comes to booking clients and making more sales.

What is Brand Strategy?

Your brand strategy is made of 4 key components: Your expertise, your heart, your messaging,

and your signature experience.

Before we dive into more about the 4 components of brand strategy, let’s clear up some common term confusion.

Your brand strategy is not the same thing as:

Brand Identity

While brand identity is closely tied with brand strategy but has more to do with the visual aspects of the brand i.e: the colors, typography, textures, and overall aesthetic. The strategy which we will dive into in a minute is what influences all of the imagery of the brand identity.

Marketing Strategy

Marketing strategy is all about the tactics and specific methods a business uses to PUSH their offer out to prospective clients /customers.

Easy way to remember the difference brand and marketing strategy?

A marketing strategy is used to push offers out to an existing audience. Brand strategy is like a siren’s song, it’s how a business PULLS an audience in the first place!

Your expertise

Brand strategy is all about the human aspects of your brand: where credibility and reliability meet. This is where your expertise comes into play.

Oftentimes we get intimidated by the term “expert.”

We automatically think an expert is someone who has 30+ years of experience in a specific field.

But I’m not necessarily referring to expertise in the traditional sense here. I’m referring to the culmination of skills that are uniquely yours. I’m talking about your personal experience in your field- the knowledge that you have collected in your personal AND professional life.

Everyone has a different combination of skills

that qualify them as an expert in their business.

I’m asking you to share yours. 

Have you combined your lifelong love of the outdoors with your self-taught photography skills to provide beautiful elopements services?

Maybe you coupled your fascination with the ocean with your degree in fine arts to create heartfelt seascape paintings that tell a story?

We are each a collage of our experiences and our expertise develops more and more through each one. Of course true mastery in an industry comes from lots of deliberate practice but the important thing to remember is that you will have more knowledge of your product or service than the clients and customers you are reaching. 

Showing that you are confident in your skills and experience goes a long way to improving how people view your brand.

Your heart

Next up in the brand strategy umbrella is your brand’s heart. By that I mean your light, your fire, your passion…your driving WHY in your business. Why did you start in the first place? When you dream about your dear business and the possibilities of making a full time living creating, what is your motivation?

When it comes to brand strategy our heart is made up of our:

• Mission as a business
• Vision for our clients/customers
• Our greater purpose with our craft
• Our values as a human

If you’ve struggled to make sales or book clients you’ve probably wondered: “how can I compete or stand out when SOOOO many others are promoting a similar offer?”

Psssst here’s a secret… it’s far less about the offer (like wedding photography or abstract prints) it’s about you as a person. As a human behind the brand. Your audience follows along with you because you present your skill/offer in a way that is unique compared to others in your industry.

A recent study in Harvard Business Review actually found that 64% of consumers cite shared values as the primary reason they have a relationship with a brand. Not necessarily what that brand has to offer them… but what they can read or watch and go:

 “Yes! I feel the SAME way!”

As creatives and artists we sometimes forget to share more than our work…we think  our audience doesn’t care if we’ve been reading this book lately and can’t put it down (cough…Outlander By Diana Gabaldon)…or if we’ve picked a new hobby, or feel strongly about a particular cause…

When in fact, they absolutely do!

By showing our heart we become relatable as a brand. Thus improving our brand strategy.

Your messaging

Ooo this is one of my favorite parts (said the copywriter…I guess that’s no surprise). Brand strategy is not complete without consistent messaging.

Messaging is that recognizable element of your brand that sets it apart from everyone else. 

What is included under “messaging”? (I know…sounds fancy and jargony). Well, it’s things like your brand’s:

• Voice (The language you use in your business and the way you use it).
• Tone (How you sound when you write and speak ex: bubbly, reserved, witty, friendly, bold etc).
• Overall personality (As a small business owner your brand’s personality is almost always in line with your own personality).
• Unique value proposition (what makes your offer/brand desirable).
• Brand positioning (where you stand in the market and who you’re targeting).

Figure out how you can hone your own brand messaging here!

“To develop an authentic brand position understand what moves your business and why people connect to it”

-Alex Antolino, Creative Director at Typeform

Think of your messaging as the pillars of your brand strategy, aka: it will stay consistent across all of your platforms and serve as the foundation for your brand to grow upon.

How do you know if you’re doing messaging right? 

Well… if you feel like you’re repeating yourself a lot, that’s a good indication!

It takes someone 5-7 times to interact with your messaging to remember your brand. Meaning if they aren’t hearing the same kinds of messages written in the same tone of voice, with the same personality behind it each of those times they are interacting with your brand. It won’t stick with them.

The thing about messaging is you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you share on social media or make a sales pitch. You may have said a particular phrase a hundred times….but a prospective client or customer may have only heard it a few times.

Messaging is essential for effective brand strategy!

Your signature experience

The extra fun part of brand strategy!! Creating a one of a kind brand experience for your clients and customers.

A signature experience starts with having a signature offer. You can get a head start of this component of your brand strategy with my free workbook The Signature Offer Outline here.

Your signature offer combines your expertise, your interests in your field, and the needs of your market. The experience is created around that offer in how it is talked about, fulfilled, and delivered.

Now you might be thinking…”isn’t a client/customer experience part of marketing strategy and less brand strategy?”

(Fast learner you are!)

Yes, a client/customer experience is part of marketing strategy in terms of how it is promoted (via content, ads, testimonials etc.) But what the experience includes falls under the brand strategy umbrella.

How you infuse the personality, the heart, the mission, the messaging, and your expertise into the experience is what is important for brand strategy.

Think about the greater purpose of your offer, the transformation, the feeling the client or customer should get working with you.

In terms of brand strategy it is all about enticing a prospective audience with a unique experience that is simple to understand, and exciting to share.

To sum it all up…

Wheeeww, that was a lot wasn’t it? Brand strategy can be a little overwhelming when you think about how much goes into it. Brand strategy is the combination of:

• Expertise (skills and unique background).
• Heart (the values and passion you eagerly share with others).
• Messaging (pillars that support your brand and keep it consistent).
• Your one of a kind, signature experience!

Everything you use to PULL your audience in (like a Siren singing it’s song)!

For some artists, being witty on Instagram reel comes naturally as it’s part of their personality. It fits easily into their brand strategy. But brand strategy is not a one size fits all scenario.

Nope, your brand strategy is unique to you and is a way for you to tell your unique story. Don’t force yourself into a box when it comes to sharing your brand….if dancing on and pointing on video doesn’t feel natural then maybe a method that feels right up your alley (but that’s a post for another day 🙂

Until next time!

Don’t forget to pick up the Signature Offer Outline workbook to help you develop a standout and profitable offer for your brand.