A potential client once asked a really good question as he was reviewing his proposal from Katie: what is not included in the scope of the brand strategy work we will be doing together? Not only is this is a great way to be clear with collaboration in an area of your business that you are less knowledgeable about, but it also helps you understand more precisely what something is by defining what it is not.
Today on the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast, host and Food Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva explains 3 things that brand strategy does NOT cover.
1. Brand Strategy Is Not an In-Depth Business Plan
While figuring out things like your ideal consumer definition, the competitive landscape your company operates in, and finding your point of difference that sets you apart from your competition are parts of a business plan, there’s a lot more work to be done that’s not covered here.
A proper business plan covers a lot more, including your financial, management, and sales strategies, as well as your growth hypothesis. Although these things are interconnected with your brand strategy, you need to plan for them outside of the work you do on your brand strategy work.
2. Brand Strategy Is Not Graphic Design or Copywriting
Brand strategy is the work you do to inform graphic design, copywriting, or visual branding decisions. While some people who call themselves brand strategists also do this work, you want to make sure that you’re hiring someone with the expertise to do the strategy work you need.
Good brand strategy work helps you (or the people you hire) execute on marketing and branding materials so much better because it gives you clear goals and a rubric for whether or not your copy and imagery are doing their job. “Graphic designers, copywriters, and marketing strategists love having deliverables from brand strategy work because it makes their job so much easier,” Katie says, “it allows them to understand the sandbox they’re playing in and get strategic a lot faster.”
Brand strategy is not copywriting, graphic design, or marketing strategy, but it does give you the inputs to do those things well.
3. Brand Strategy Is Not a Feasibility Study
While finding your point of difference is a key part of any brand strategy work you do, it’s not a feasibility study guaranteeing the validity of your concept. We make some assumptions based on primary and secondary research—data you’ve collected for yourself and data from other sources—but we need to be ready to adjust and optimize based on how things are working in the market. You need to have a plan in place to test your assumptions and learn over time.
The prospective client Katie spoke with saw that brand strategy was something that needed to happen as early as possible, and ended up working with Katie to navigate a successful launch.
If you are ready to get started, there are a number of ways to work with Katie, including on-demand content, small group programs, and one-on-one coaching, or the Mastermind group if you’ve already done the brand strategy work but need to refine and share tips with others in the stage of business who want to get to the next level. No matter what, we’re excited to help you on your journey and change food for the better.
Now, let’s go shake up shopping carts!
Quotes:
“Brand strategy is like setting your North Star—your guide and glue that connects everything you do on the front and back end of your business.” – Katie Mleziva
“In my work with brands, we recognize key messages at the brand level, which you can then use to write copy yourself or share it with another partner.” – Katie Mleziva
“Graphic designers, copywriters, and marketing strategists love having deliverables from brand strategy work because it makes their job so much easier, it allows them to understand the sandbox they’re playing in and get strategic a lot faster.” – Katie Mleziva
In This Episode:
- A question a prospective client asked Katie that she finds helpful for any collaboration.
- Why knowing what something is not helps you better understand what it is.
- Why brand strategy is not an in-depth business plan.
- The other business decisions you need to make outside of your brand strategy.
- Why brand strategy informs graphic design, copywriting, and marketing strategy.
- How brand strategy helps in these areas of your business.
- Why brand strategy is not a feasibility study.
- Why every brand needs to learn and change over time.
- How to work with Katie on your brand strategy.
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