In our recent blog posts, we have discussed the work that brand strategists do, the skills they possess and the tools they use to deliver their strategic solutions. Now, we want to turn our attention to the benefits for small business owners when they decide to work with a brand strategist. 

Substance Over Style

The brand strategy development process is designed to uncover and highlight value already in your business, while also revealing new ways to increase that value. No matter the size or industry of the business, a sound brand strategy equips the brand’s leadership and everyone associated with the brand with the roadmap to share the brand’s value with the world. It turns your biggest asset into your biggest advantage. 

Businesses are rightly looking for opportunities that create excellent return on investment. Brand strategy may seem like a luxury until we investigate how much of a positive and profitable difference it can make for your business. So, let’s examine a few specific ways a brand strategy yields tangible and intangible benefits of partnering with a brand strategist:

Brand Ownership

Everyone may have a brand, whether purposefully cultivated or not, but not everyone owns their brand. Brand Ownership is the confidence and understanding that allows business leaders to become brand leaders– walking, talking examples of the brand’s essential character and qualities. 

Brand ownership, when extended to other stakeholders in the business, enables supporters to become brand advocates and empowers employees to embody the brand. Brand expert Stephen Houraghan says that business owners who become brand owners “want to understand their brand and take the reins so they feel they have control over their brand’s success.”

 Simply put, working with a brand strategist helps create and cultivate brand ownership, which yields better leadership. Leaders who own brands are able to lead through any circumstance and steer their organizations to new heights. They are able to make thoughtful decisions that serve the brand’s interest. This is not possible without the systems and structures that brand strategy provides.

Brand Clarity, Consistency & Alignment

Working with a brand strategist helps to deliver a clear, consistent brand, which is proven to be of value for everyone that encounters the brand. Leaders are clear on what they are building and which opportunities make sense given the direction they are moving towards. 

Clients/customers highly value a consistent brand experience and statistics show it is valuable for brands as well. In fact, according to a 2019 Lucidpress study, consistent presentation of a brand has seen to increase revenue by 33 percent. 

Brand strategy enables you to market and sell your brand with more confidence that you are getting the right message to the right audience in the right setting. This helps you cut through the noise and develop a message and position that is easily identifiable,differentiated, and valuable. In addition, an aligned brand allows you to develop new products, services, and partnerships that align with your brand. Businesses can avoid opportunities that are misaligned and more easily identify things that do align. 

Energized Staff and Customers

Contrary to some popular opinions, brands are developed from the inside out. I recently heard a great quote that said: “A rebrand should be a sign of change, not just a change of sign.” This is so very true. A strategically developed brand can and should represent more than just a fresh coat of paint, but rather indicative of substantial changes within the business. 

When your brand goes from strategy to implementation, it changes the perceived culture for all of the brand’s stakeholders. A brand that is clear in what it stands for internally and what it expresses externally, is more likely to have a workforce that is excited to work there. The brand is something they can connect with and rally around. Moreover, the clarity a strategic brand provides will attract more of the right type of new employees who believe in the brand’s vision and culture. 

Similarly, a strategic brand can achieve an elevated stature in the minds of your customers and the marketplace in general. It provides customers with something they can feel drawn to and engage with on a personal, emotional level. Customers have more they can believe in, and the shared vision and values that emerge from a strategic brand gives them something tangible to resonate with. The essence of branding is in defining and establishing relationships, and brand strategy helps create a pathway for brands to enhance and deepen all of its relationships with all of its stakeholders, both internal and external. 

Conclusion

There are many benefits to working with a branding firm or freelancer to provide brand strategy services for your business. Certainly there are more than we were able to share here, and we’d love to know what other potential benefits this post sparked for you. We believe every business can benefit from a brand strategist at some point in its lifespan.

As our business (and the branding industry itself) continues to evolve, Enthuse Creative is committed to bringing a strategic approach to the branding work we do. We are here to assist you with developing a strategic brand. Please consider reaching out for a free consultation.