Confessions of a Brand Strategist

One reason why I love my job as a brand strategist is because I do a little bit of everything.

The basic recipe for a brand strategist is: one part researcher, one part data-detective, one part focus-group-moderator, one part idea connector/generator, a dash of creative and a pinch of a psychology on top.

I often am asked to pull together trends for clients...but over the last three years, I have found a few trends among my clients...which has led to a few confessions!

If you have ever entertained the idea of hiring a brand strategist for your business, read on. You'll discover what we're really thinking below.

Confession #1: We LOVE data and you can never provide too much of it. The good, the bad, and the ugly — we want it all.

I often start a branding project by conducting stakeholder interviews. I ask clients for recommendations on the people on the inside of their company (and on the outside) that can tell me the most about their brand. I’ve found that sometimes clients only want you to talk to the happiest people (which is delightful) but often, there is something to be learned from the naysayers as well. So clients, don’t hold back! Feel free to give your strategist the good, the bad, the fantastic, the ugly — all of it. They will be able to unearth the truth from all the opinions. And the more well-rounded data they have, the more they can find your brand's truth — why it exists, and how to connect it to your ideal audience. Sometimes those naysayers have some pretty insightful things to say, too! They may just help pivot the brand into a positive new direction.

Confession #2: Be brutally honest with us, and don't be afraid to set high goals.

Sometimes clients struggle with articulating their goals, their needs, what’s working and what’s not with their current marketing. Which is completely fine — that’s what a brand strategist can help with. But feel free to be completely honest with us — what areas do you want to see growth in? Maybe you’re struggling with sales or with generating a higher click-through rate on emails or you want more leads from social media. Don't hold back -- feel free to tell us what you want to improve and don’t be afraid to set high goals. Building a brand identity and messaging around internal business goals makes the brand stronger, and ties it to trackable metrics for long-term growth.

Confession #3: It's ok if you haven't been tracking any metrics lately...your secret is safe with us!

Metrics in advertising are key. But...if you haven't been paying attention to your metics lately, don't worry! Your strategist can dig in and will tell you what's working, what's not, and which metrics to watch. But ultimately it’s up to clients to pay attention to this, especially if you aren’t retaining an agency or consultant long term. If you’re a single business owner, check in on your Google Analytics every two weeks -- especially if you are running campaigns. For larger companies, hold your advertising team accountable for what specific campaigns are driving traction in your analytics. Keeping a close eye on which tactics, campaigns and webpages are working (and what isn't) makes it easier to make quick adjustments if necessary.

Confession #4: Be open to change.

This is often the scariest part of the branding process for clients. They realize that revamping the brand may change an identity that’s closely tied to personal identities. But here’s the thing -- your brand strategist isn’t going to change a brand just for the sake of change, they’ll change it to make it stronger and more impactful. I’ve worked with brands that are often hesitant to leap into a new brand identity, because fear of change holds them back. Know that you can trust your brand strategist to guide the brand in the client's best interest -- with a strong, data-backed recommendation. Many times, clients find that a fresh new start invigorates their brand and generates growth from a new, perhaps even an untapped audience — they just need to let go of the past and step into the future.

So. There you have it -- a few brand strategy confessions spilled in the hopes of generating even stronger brand relationships. If any of these sparked a few new thoughts for you, shoot me an email!

I’d love to help explore ways to help your brand evolve.