Why Branding should be part of your Business Strategy
Brand strategy has always been an integral part of any business, whether it is large or small, retail or B2B. Branding can manifest in many things; from a seemingly insignificant ‘We’re Open” signboard, to extensive media campaigns making waves across all your local and international newsrooms. With today’s social technologies, it can also be the voice that speaks directly to your customers as their personal friend.
Simply put, branding is your business’ persona to people who matters most to your brand. Developing this persona is your branding strategy. And it is time to marry business and branding strategies together. Here’s why.
1. Branding helps you grow strategically
The purpose of embarking on a brand strategy is to help a brand grow strategically. As a strategic marketing agency, we align branding with business strategies to build meaningful, impactful brands. Our aim is to transform businesses, drive revenue and power companies’ future success. Without understanding our clients’ business strategies, blueprints and objectives, our branding campaigns will be directionless and cannot yield impressive results that help businesses grow in the way they envision.
On the flip side, when the two strategies (business and branding) are being mapped together and geared towards a business’ growth goals, branding becomes a worthy investment. This is because a brand that aligns with the business plan ensures these strategic goals become a reality. You will then be able to recognise and quantify the returns of investment from branding.
2. Branding builds authentic connections
In order to build authentic connections with your customers, partners, and stakeholders, a brand has to be consistent across all ‘faces’. This means from positioning to messaging to designing a new website, all branding tools must be able to deliver the same brand experience. A business strategy comes into the picture as it acts as an overall manual for various branding components to align with.
By having meaningful conversations and relationship with your stakeholders, you will be able to differentiate your brand from the crowd and clutter. Not only will that draw you more customers and increase sales, a brand image established on firm business foundation will also attract the industry’s top talents. Hiring employees who are dedicated, loyal, and committed to your company’s aspirations is most definitely in the little black book of growing a successful business.
3. Aligning branding with business ensures long-term success
Every business owner does not only want short bursts of success, but a strategy that ensures continuous prosperity and growth for the company. Defining a clear business plan makes it easier to create a branding road map that is tailored towards your brand’s short and long-term goals.
As the company’s business strategies shift and change over time to sustain growth, maintain share and combat new competition, branding strategies evolve as well. Ultimately, both business and branding teams have to work together to present a cohesive brand and a corporate narrative that communicates who you are from the inside out.
Start breaking down silos and working as one business unit
Having a well-integrated branding and marketing strategy which is consistent across your business can help propel your brand forward. This can only be done when you establish a shared understanding about how you define your brand and what it means to the business across all working teams. With alignment around what makes your brand tick and the business model and ethos that shape operations, your brand will then be able to reach its full potential.
