What’s the Difference Between Brand Strategy & Brand Identity?
When it comes to branding, I’m sure you’ve heard your fair share of industry terms, two of the most common being brand strategy and brand identity. So, what’s the difference between the two, and why are both of them important?
To keep it short and sweet, think of it this way: your brand strategy is the foundation of your “brand house,” and your brand identity is the house itself - the floors, wall colors, and obviously, that Crate & Barrel couch you dream of on the daily. Here’s how we blend these together to create a strong and connected brand.
Your Foundation: Brand Strategy
Brand strategy is foundational to creating an amazing brand. Why? Because it provides an all-encompassing guide to your business. Your brand strategy is the connection between you and your audience, helping you identify key questions about your business before focusing on visual aspects like your color palette, logo, etc., because it really doesn’t matter what shade of green your logo has if you don’t even know who you’re marketing to, right?
Think about how many times someone has asked you what you do and who you do it for, and you’re frantically trying to pull something out of your brain that sounds coherent. This is a perfect example of why brand strategy is so essential. Not only does it help your audience easily connect to you, but it fuels your own confidence in knowing your brand inside and out.
What’s in a brand strategy?
Think of your brand strategy as a playbook, one that you can refer back to as the holy grail of the why, how, and what of your brand. Your brand strategy also isn’t just a checklist of info, it’s a framework for defining who you are as a brand, what you stand for, and how you communicate with your audience.
Remember when I said your brand strategy is the connection between you and your audience (if not, see 2 paragraphs up)! Your brand strategy also defines who your target audience is, your ideal client personas (ICPs), brand values, and your unique position within the competitive landscape, otherwise known as your unique selling point (USP).
If you’re still tripping over these acronyms, let me simplify it into four questions - ask yourself:
What is my mission and vision for my business?
Who am I targeting?
What makes my business unique?
How do I want to communicate with my audience?
Your Delivery: Brand Identity
Ok, so now you get it: strategy before identity, always. Usually, when people mention branding, they’re talking about brand identity - the colors, fonts, tone, package design, and all of the visual aspects of your brand. By having a strong brand foundation, you’re able to design in a way that connects effortlessly with your audience.
Brand identity is weaving together your personal brand story, your mission and vision for your business, and your audience’s preferences to build a visual identity that is utterly unique to you!
With a solid brand strategy in place, creating your visual identity is seamless. If you’ve been picking logos or social graphics because they “look cool”, I have to stop you right there!
Look, we’re all guilty of it, but building a brand with bad-ass unique visuals is a surefire way to have clients come out of the woodwork to work with you. Why? Because your establishing repetition and connection.
Sadly, we now have an attention span shorter than a goldfish, so how do you stand out in the crowd?
Consistent branding is the first step in breaking through the noise. Did you know it takes around 7 times for a potential customer to hear or see your content before choosing to act on it? Consistent branding helps these leads recognize your business, pay attention to your messaging, and ultimately establish trust and take action.
Wondering What to Do Next?
I can chat about branding all day long, but I think we need some action. If you’ve been putting off brand work because you don’t know where to start, here is your guide:
IF YOU’RE BROKE
Start with taking a deep dive into your business. Oftentimes, I find that the clients that get overwhelmed with branding are the ones that don’t have clear messaging. Who are you doing this for? What is your why behind the business? This should help you find some clarity and feel more confident moving forward.
IF YOU NEED A LITTLE SOMETHIN’
Sometimes, the mountain is you (for any fellow anxious business owners, this is a must-read). It can be hard to get out of your own head, and oftentimes, an outside perspective can give you that push to take the next step, with some guard rails to guide you forward. This is also where my brand audit comes in handy! A one-on-one audit and guidelines to help you build a bad-ass brand.
IF YOU HAVE THAT MONEY HUNNY
First, love this for you! Investing in your businesses is hard but so worthwhile. Finding a brand designer who feels like a true partner and your biggest cheerleader can be tough. I might know someone!
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