Building a brand is hard. I’m not going to lie. It takes thought, time and effort. It also takes a definitive WHY, clear goals, and a roadmap to achieve those goals.
I know, you’re thinking “Wait! What? How does my WHY and my goals for my business relate to my branding? I am confused! I thought my brand was just my logo and tagline.”
When we talk about building a brand or “brand strategy”, we are ultimately talking about a long-term plan to develop a successful business in order to achieve specific goals. Things like creating a great product or service. Making x-amount of dollars. Creating security for our families. Yes? Well then, a well-defined and executed brand strategy affects all areas of a business and is directly connected to the “WHY” and goals of the business/owners.
When working with a client on their business goals and branding, we work through the following questions:
- What is your WHY? Why do you do what you do? What gets you out of bed every morning?
- What is the main goal you want to achieve for your business? Is your goal bigger than you? Is it a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)? – Click here for more info on BHAGs.
- What are your secondary goals?
- Are these a result of the main goal or are these steps to reach the main goal?
- What do you feel are your most URGENT needs to reach your business goals?
By working through these five areas before anything else, we will come away with very specific reasons why you do what you do and targets to hit. From there, we begin laying the roadmap to achieve those goals. Ultimately, this will give us a great start on a brand that connects with you, your employees, and your potential customers on an emotional level.