All About Brand Strategy
It seems like every creative agency in America has published a blog post about how your brand is more than just a logo…
Consider us one of them! 🙃
The difference between us and them?
We break it down in super simple and easy-to-understand non-designer lingo so that you can not only follow along with us, but also feel like a well researched partner when you do eventually dive into working with Wonder & Co. Creative.
SO Here’s the run-down↓
A brand is more than just a logo. WHY? HOW?
The difference between one water bottle company and another is a brand.
Think about it.
Each and every bottled water company is selling a nearly identical product, yet you’re still going to be drawn to one more than the other. Maybe it’s because that one water bottle has earth friendly minimalist packaging, or the other has bright blue lettering across the front of the bottle that catches your eye. Perhaps you see a bunch of unfamiliar brands, and reach for the one you’re familiar with. That right there, my friend, is the impact of branding. Whether you know it or not, a brand had an effect on you and altered your decision in the moment. And we promise you, it was more than just the logo that did the convincing.
If you want a more Merriam Webster explanation - a brand consists of all the tangible and intangible expressive elements that represent a company. It’s the entire experience your customers have with your company.
A logo, fonts, colors, packaging design, product names, atmosphere and even the words customers use to describe your company are all part of your brand. They all affect the way you are perceived in the public eye.
Okay, so what is a logo and why is it so important then?
We knew you’d ask!
A logo is a visual identifier for your business.
It’s like Pictionary, IRL, and it’s the most simple and efficient way there is to let a customer know that your business provided a particular service or product.
That little graphic mark is what helps customers recognize you wherever you may go.
The key word here being, recognize. Recognition comes with a reputation, and if that reputation is good, then the recognition gets a green light to GROW.
BUT, your logo can’t do all the heavy lifting all of the time. That’s where your brand comes in.
Got it, more than just a logo. So how do I develop a brand?
You’re really on a roll! What a great question!
Now this is where it can get a bit tricky for some folks. If a logo breeds recognition, then why do I need all that other stuff you’ve been talking about?
Well, when you get to advertising your services, you need to say something, and your logo can’t say it all. On social media, in a broadcast spot, in a mailer or email, you can’t just keep sharing your logo + “buy this” messaging, right?
You need fonts and colors and images, a tone of voice and something of value to say. You need the design and the copywriting - the visuals and the voice. If you’re going to capitalize on the reputation folks are associating with your name and logo, then you’ll want pretty much everything you do and make to look and sound like it belongs to your business, your mission, your brand.
We’ll use two processes to create your brand: strategy and visual identity.
Visual identity is made up of the colors, fonts, icons, illustrations, patterns, pictures and videos that will make your brand recognizable to your customers, beyond your logo.
But before we can design for your brand, we need to think about your brand. The very fun, oh so exciting STRATEGY & COPYWRITING PHASE!
Since it’s lunch time and I’m hungry, let’s think of brand strategy as a recipe for your business' success.
If we’re continuing with this cooking metaphor, then to start your brand strategy, we’ll take stock of what already exists in our business pantry — what's our current tone of voice like, where and how are customers interacting with our brand, who are your best customers and what’s on their mind?
We’ll conduct some research to see what the competition is cooking, so that we can position you as the next Master Chef — what are they making or selling and how are they talking about it?
We’ll identify the highest quality ingredients for your brand recipe — what are you making or selling and how can you talk about it differently?
We’ll discover a winning combination of flavors — like your brand’s personality and tone of voice - your unique position in the market!
And then, voila! You have a brand! Well, sort of. We still have to handle those visuals.
This metaphor really fell apart in the last bullet, but we have faith that you’re still tracking with us.
To put it simply (sort of) brand strategy is a well-researched, long-term plan for your business that tackles both the visuals and the words. It informs the look and feel of all of the aspects of your business that a consumer interacts with. It helps you emotionally connect with your customers and ultimately results in the recognition and preference of your brand over the competition’s. Also known as more money in your pocket.
Brand strategy ensures that you:
⚡ Communicate clearly, confidently and effectively
⚡ Understand and connect with your ideal customers
⚡ Stand out in a highly saturated market
⚡ Attract a community of employees and customers that align with your unique philosophy
Brand strategy & copywriting, can include your mission and core values, audience persona, competitive analysis, value proposition, tagline, messaging guidelines and brand personality… just to name a few!
Still have a question about brand strategy? Well, lucky you, we could talk about this stuff all day.
Give that button a click and we’ll be in touch to set up an intro call.
What do you have to lose, huh?
