Brand strategy development: How it helps establish emotional connections and creates loyal customers

You’ve created an amazing product and now you want to sell it. However today, as a business, you’re not just selling that product, but the experience that goes with it. 

With so much choice on the market today, consumers are overwhelmed.  They want a way to differentiate between products, they want to understand the product’s value and feel like they’re making the right choice. In fact, a survey carried out on behalf of Google Cloud found that 82 percent of shoppers want a business’s values to align with their own. That is all down to branding.

Brand strategy development is all about communicating your vision, and telling the story of your business in a more personal way to create an emotional connection with your shopper. It’s a way to stand out and help a consumer choose you and affects everything from the message you communicate to the experience you deliver. 

Developing your brand identity involves more than simply designing a logo or crafting a catchy tagline (although those are important elements). It involves defining who you are and what you represent. This process requires research and strategic planning, as well as the creativity to effectively convey your values through your logo, brand voice, visual design, and storytelling.

Your brand is your identity and personality. It is how consumers see you. Get your brand right and you can build trust with your business, make it easier to communicate through marketing, and build customer loyalty.

Connect people with your products

What is branding? According to the Cambridge dictionary, branding refers to the process of associating a product with a specific name, symbol, or other characteristics to make it recognizable and desirable for consumers to purchase.

This is true. Making an impression on customers through an innovative name, memorable logo, stylish design, and effective packaging is important. However, branding is more than just a company’s visual identity. More than ever, all the different components of a business are essential in building a compelling brand strategy.

You cannot establish a brand without defining your core values. These values are the principles that shape your brand and the purpose of your business, often influenced by the company's founder or leader. Additionally, customer service and customer success play a crucial role in how you directly communicate with your audience as part of your brand.

Other core elements of branding include your strategic positioning statement, customer profile, brand promise, and defining the tone and voice to ensure consistent messaging. All of these elements combine to create a brand that is set to engage the focus client. 60 percent of consumers say that they have taken an action, whether positive or negative, depending on a brand’s actions. This is why a sense of direction and purpose is so important.

How does effective branding connect people to your products?

Let's start by discussing what branding is. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, branding is defined as the process of associating a product with a specific name, symbol, or characteristics to make it recognizable and desirable for consumers to purchase.

This is true. Making an impression on customers through an innovative name, memorable logo, stylish design and effective packaging is important. However, branding is more than just a company’s visual identity. All of the different components of a business are essential in building a compelling brand strategy.

You can’t build a brand without setting out your core values. These are the beliefs that inform your brand, your business’ raison d'etre. Other key elements can include your mission and vision statement, defining your personality and then ensuring it is communicated consistently by setting out your brand tone of voice. It is the promise you make to consumers, the value you offer and even customer service - focusing on the experiences people have with your brand.

Why is it important? People often ask, how does effective branding typically benefit businesses? Is a brand strategy a must-have or just a nice-to-have? Others believe that they have a good idea of what their brand stands for without having to write it down. But there is no replacement for solid brand strategy development.

The act of mapping out your brand, researching your target audience and ensuring you are thoughtfully building a brand that reflects their beliefs and needs is a step towards longevity.

Not only will you become memorable to your consumers and help them understand what to expect from your business, you are also carving out a niche in a market and giving yourself leverage. With a strong brand, you can take the conversation away from product price - which always results in a race to the bottom - and reinforce your reputation to attract new customers. 

Branding is important to attract and retain employees too. Your team will be more motivated and enthusiastic to perform for a beloved and popular brand. Employee satisfaction is higher as the work is considered more fulfilling. The attitude and opinion of your employees are especially important as they are ambassadors for your brand and the first line of communication with customers. High employee satisfaction has a positive knock-on effect throughout the business, translating into better products and services, and more inspiring leadership and management.

All this adds to the value of your company - a company with a solid reputation and strong presence in the market is seen as a better investment opportunity.

Why does branding need to be strategic?

Branding isn’t an internal process, decided on a whim from within the company. It’s about understanding your target audience. When embarking on your brand strategy, there are four questions to ask yourself. Who are you? What do you do? Why do you do it? And who do you do it for? 

Only when you understand your target audience, and why your products or services can help them, will you start to build those crucial connections. This means collecting data on the customers you want to reach, understanding what they want from your brand, and reflecting their values.  This is why brand strategy is important

Successfully reaching your target audience opens up the opportunity to build trust, and resonate with your audience so that they become loyal and returning customers. A massive 82 per cent of marketers claim that having high-quality data on their target audience is key to achieving success in their role. Your brand strategy will be the first step in defining that.

Creating a brand strategy means setting a road map for your business, so it needs to be clear, succinct and communicable across teams. A well-developed brand strategy sets you apart from competitors, and builds brand recall, ensuring your customers remember your name. When a brand is built strategically, consistency across the whole brand ensures that no matter how big the business grows, everyone is communicating the same message. Overall a well-communicated strategy enhances the value of your brand for consumers.

Be more than just a business

We already know that customers don’t just want a transaction, they want an experience. Google research also revealed that they will vote with their wallet too - three-quarters of shoppers have reported leaving a brand over a perceived conflict in values. Nearly 40 percent of customers have stated that they would contemplate a long-term boycott.

More and more, customers expect that actions should back up words, in the form of financial support and events. The 2023 Global Trends Report by Ipsos found that 52 percent of customers are willing to pay extra for a brand image that appeals to them, but brands must choose issues organically, that have a natural association with the business.

It all points to a deeper pattern of recent customer behaviour where emotions are king. Purchases based on traditional, rational values are receding in favour of emotional buying based on customer expectations.

You might have a great business plan, but to ensure success, your brand strategy forms a key component. So what do you stand for?

Semiya Agency is a boutique branding agency that works across a host of different industries, partnering with lifestyle brands to travel startups. Whether you’re a new business or looking to refresh your image, we can help you lay down the foundations of your brand strategy to see your business soar.

Contact us today to discover how our brand development services can help your business grow into a beloved brand."