Let’s be honest, AI is already capable of doing our jobs both faster and better than us. Which is why building a strong brand has never been more important. Your brand is your emotional link to your audience — the only thing AI will have difficulty competing with.

So if you aim to still have a thriving business five or ten years from now, it’s time to get really excited about your brand!

Brand strategy encompasses all aspects of your company’s public image (even if that company is just you), from your mission statement and values to your visual identity and messaging.

Developing a solid understanding of who you are and how you’re perceived as a business is essential for creating a strong, recognizable brand that resonates with your target audience.

So let’s take a look at five essential parts, with a question for each that a passionate, purpose-led entrepreneur like yourself will soon be able to navigate in your sleep. 😉

1. Brand Personality

Your brand personality is about the emotional connection you want to create with your audience. It encompasses everything from the values and traits your brand embodies to the emotions and feelings you want your audience to associate with your brand.

Developing a strong brand personality is crucial for building a loyal following and creating a deeper level of connection. Are you witty and dark? Happy go lucky? Cosmic and empowered? Calm and awe-inspiring?

Important: your brand personality — like every part of your brand — must be authentic. Insincere brands can be spotted from a mile away and will never last.

Question: What emotions and feelings do we want our audience to associate with our brand, and how can we communicate this effectively through our brand personality?

2. Brand Identity

Your brand identity is the visual and verbal representation of your company. It includes your logo, color scheme, typography, messaging, and other design elements that create a consistent image for your brand.

When developing your brand identity, it’s essential to consider your company’s values, mission, and target audience. Your brand identity should be unique and memorable, while also aligning with your company’s core values. The key here is consistency, across all platforms that you use.

If you feel like you’ve gotten this bit all wrong, perhaps it’s time you consider re-branding.

Question: What message does our brand identity convey, and how can we ensure it aligns with our brand personality and company values?

4. Brand Voice

Your brand voice is the tone and style you use when communicating. It includes everything from the language you use in your messaging to the personality and character of your brand. Developing a consistent and authentic brand voice is a game-changer for building trust and credibility.

Question: What tone and style of communication best represent our brand, and how can we ensure our brand voice is consistent across all channels and media?

5. Target Audience

Know thyself. But also know your target audience! Without understanding your customer’s or client’s innermost desires, demographics, values, interests, and pain points, how can you create messaging and visual elements that resonate with them and build a strong connection?

Hot tip: You should know and understand your audiences pain points, but (unless your target audience is truly in a place of self-hatred and harm), always start your communication speaking to their dreams and desires. It is way easier to appeal from a place of prosperity than a place of lack.

Question: Who is our ideal customer, and how can we tailor our brand messaging and visual identity to appeal to their desires?

6. Brand Positioning

Here’s a bit of a controversial idea: Your business is probably not unique.

But even the exact same business structure as yours, with exactly the same offers, will never consist of the same organic elements and stories that make up your brand. And in the end, if choosing between two seemingly equally awesome offers, your audience will go with the one that gives them the best emotional vibe.

So, it’s your job to share your story, develop a positioning statement that articulates your company’s value proposition and delivers a frigging awesome and inspiring vibe. (Uhm, I shouldn’t have to say this, but also make sure that you are living proof of the pudding you’re serving up!)

By doing that, you can stand out and create a confident brand identity that your target audience will trust, like, and maybe aven love.

Question: What is the emotional DNA of our brand, what is our story, how are our products or services awesome, and how can we communicate this effectively?

The Short version: There has never been a better time to get excited about your brand! A strong brand requires a brand personality that evokes an emotional connection with your audience, while a brand identity should convey your company’s values and be unique and memorable.

Your brand voice must be consistent and authentic to build trust and credibility, while understanding your target audience’s desires and pain points will help you tailor brand messaging and a visual identity that resonate with them.

Finally, your brand’s story and value proposition should be communicated effectively to create a confident brand identity that your target audience can trust, like, and maybe even come to love. So let’s get cracking!