Brand strategy doesn’t need to be complicated.

It’s easy if you’re an SME owner or marketer facing the constant day in day out pressure of needing to generate sales now, to think brand strategy is this big, lofty thing reserved for the Nikes, Apples or McDonalds of the world.

Something that costs you a fortune, takes six months of jargon-filled workshops and ‘deep-dive sessions’ only to get to a 90-page document no one ever reads and then lives out its life stored on some shared drive in a murky corner somewhere.

So it tends to take a very back seat (can you have a ‘very’ back seat?).

But that’s not the truth of it: Sure, it can get turned into this behemoth of a thing. But even then, when it comes down to it, brand strategy is simply getting clear on who you are, who you help, and why it matters.

That’s it.

And when it’s thought of like that, brand strategy starts to sound a lot simpler – it’s not about unnecessary fluff, it’s about undiluted focus. And every business needs undiluted focus if they’re going to thrive and grow.

Control the controllable

Brand strategy using a checklist | Foundry12There are so many things you’re up against that you can’t control. Like competitor activity, the economic climate, legislation, or your product features and spec being copied.

But your brand, and your brand strategy, is something you can control. The point of a brand is to stand out, to create differentiation, to give people reasons to choose you and buy into what you’re selling. Without a brand a business is a nameless, faceless commodity. It’s your brand that:

    • Creates protection for your business
    • Builds preference
    • Drives future sales
    • Supports short term sales (would you buy now from a brand you know or one you don’t)

It’s your competitive advantage. So marketing your business without having established a brand strategy that guides all your activity, and thinking that’s for the big boys only, is like handing future sales to your competitors.

Simple approach

The way Foundry12 approach brand strategy is to keep it simple, intentionally no-nonsense and nicely straightforward. We could do it all in an overly complicated way but we don’t want to. That’s not what we’re about. And that’s not what you want either.

We do want to get to the truth of what makes you, you though. Who your customers are, and how we can put you in front of them in a way that helps you sell more.

First off, we start by asking questions that strip everything back to basics and get down to the fundamentals of your business. No jargon, no waffle, just questions like:

    • What do your customers ‘really’ care about?
    • What do you want to be known for?
    • What are you better at than your competitors?
    • What makes you different from the competition – beyond your price or product features?

We’re not afraid to keep asking ‘why?’ though. Because very often, the first answer might not be the real answer. You need to dig a little bit more, really get under the skin. And find the bits of your business that matter most to your customers.

Your brand strategy becomes clear

Brand strategy | Foundry12Once we get clarity on the three C’s of company, customer, competition, the answers help set the foundations for how we can start to build your brand together in such a way that what you say, and how you say it, can only be owned by you.

We’ll have established who you are as a business, who your customers are, and how you compare to your competitors. Which informs where you need to be present and what you say.

Your brand becomes a reflection of what matters most – not just to you, but to the people you’re trying to reach. That starts to set you apart from all your ‘saying the same old stuff as everyone else’ competitors.

And when that happens, something shifts. Suddenly:

  • Your website copy clicks.
  • Your sales pitch stops sounding ‘heard it all before’.
  • Your marketing communications become distinctive and more memorable.
  • You stop trying to speak to everyone and start attracting the right people.

Brand building confidence

Because here’s the thing: clarity cuts through. And clarity gives you confidence.

When you know what you stand for – and how to communicate it – you stop second-guessing every decision or jumping from one idea to another. Your marketing becomes more consistent. Your audience starts to recognise and trust your brand. And in an environment where most of your target customers (real people, not faceless organisations) forget what they’ve seen a minute ago, that’s powerful.

So your brand strategy doesn’t have to be complicated.

It just has to be clear.

Helping you get there

If you’re an SME and you’ve been wrestling with your messaging, not quite sure how to bring everything together in a way that says ‘this is us’ – stop struggling and start building a brand that works for you. Because when people get what you’re about, they’re more likely to buy from you.

We’re happy to chat and we’re ready to help you get there. Talk to us, it’s what we do.

And let’s make your business matter, to those that matter to you.

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From Promotion to Emotion: Connecting B2B Customers to Brands