Understanding Brand Strategy

A brand strategy (or branding strategy) shapes how customers perceive a company, defines its competitive edge, and lays the foundation for long-term growth. In this guide, we’ll explore what a brand strategy is, why it matters, and how to develop a strategy that drives meaningful connections with an audience.

A brand strategy is a long-term plan that outlines how a business will achieve its goals through branding efforts. It defines the business’s purpose, messaging, and visuals. This strategy also ensures that the voice, tone, look, and feel of a brand are consistent across all customer touchpoints. Unlike marketing campaigns, which are often short term, a brand strategy provides a blueprint for sustained success and market relevance.

At its core, a brand strategy is about creating a connection with an audience. For example, an outdoor-clothing company might build rapport by aligning their values with customer beliefs, such as sustainability and environmental responsibility. By consistently delivering on promises via their brand strategy, brands can build trust and transform customers into loyal advocates.

A forward-thinking brand strategy future-proofs a business by helping it stay agile in an ever-changing market. For example, a popular streaming service evolved from a DVD rental company — and took its place as a market leader — by consistently adapting its brand to align with customer needs and technological advancements.

A brand strategy also empowers businesses to differentiate themselves, which is critical in today’s competitive marketplace. One popular consumer-electronics company, for example, doesn't just sell products — it sells an aspirational lifestyle centered around innovation and simplicity. This brand positioning sets it apart from competitors and creates lasting customer loyalty.

Ultimately, when customers feel an emotional connection to a brand, they’re more likely to remain loyal. For example, a global coffeehouse chain builds customer loyalty by providing personalized customer experiences, a rewards program, and consistent branding across locations worldwide.

Effective brand development typically includes the following elements.

A brand’s purpose is its mission and vision — essentially, the reason it exists and what it stands for. A brand must clearly communicate its purpose to customers so it can gain customer buy-in and build trust. For example, a popular sustainable shoe company operates with the mission of improving lives through a one-for-one giving model, aligning its business goals with a social cause. By clearly communicating this through their branding strategy, the company builds connections with customers who have similar values.

Having a clear purpose also inspires employees and stakeholders alike to embrace a brand’s mission and values. A health and wellness brand focused on mental wellbeing, for example, fosters an internal culture of mindfulness, which in turn strengthens its external messaging. This alignment between purpose and action amplifies the impact of the brand’s mission.

Consistency is key when it comes to a brand’s messaging, tone, and visuals across touchpoints. Creating a unified look and feel boosts brand recognition — and bolsters customer trust.

Consistency also acts as professional polish for a brand. For example, a global beverage company uses consistent logo placements, brand colors, and slogans across all of its packaging and advertising. Not only does this repetition build brand equity, but it also helps ensure that customers associate the visuals and messages with the product’s quality and reliability. Over time, consistency cements a brand in customers’ minds as a dependable choice.

By appealing to customers’ emotions, companies create deeper bonds with their customers. In fact, many memorable and relatable brands have achieved their status — and stood the test of time — by evoking joy and focusing on human connection.

Emotion-driven branding also fosters loyalty by making customers feel seen and represented. For example, a children’s toy brand might highlight family moments of play in its campaigns, tapping into customers’ personal memories and feelings of nostalgia. When customers associate a brand with positive feelings or meaningful experiences, they’re more likely to return and advocate for a business.

While consistency is key, flexibility allows a brand to innovate and stay relevant. One athletic shoe brand, for example, demonstrates this by embracing diverse campaigns that reflect evolving cultural conversations while maintaining its core message of empowerment.

Flexibility also helps brands respond to challenges and capitalize on emerging trends. For example, a tech company may adjust its messaging to highlight remote-work solutions during a global shift toward virtual work. By staying agile and proactive, brands can meet customers’ changing needs without sacrificing their core identity.

Engaged employees help humanize a brand, which creates stronger connections with customers. For example, a hospitality company that highlights its staff in brand marketing materials by sharing their stories and passion for service builds a relatable and authentic image.

When employees feel valued and aligned with the brand’s mission, they naturally extend that positivity to customers. In other words, employees are a brand’s most powerful ambassadors, so it’s important to invest in them.

Loyalty programs help businesses drive long-term profitability by making customers feel valued and appreciated. Attracting new customers is exciting, but retaining existing customers is even more cost-effective. Loyalty programs help convert one-time buyers into repeat customers, ultimately fostering lasting relationships and increasing lifetime value.

It’s no surprise that investing in customer loyalty platforms is a growing trend among marketers. In the Ninth Edition State of Marketing Report, Salesforce found that 63% of high-performing marketers already use loyalty program platforms, and their adoption is expected to grow by 80% in the coming years. These programs go beyond discounts, using purchase history and customer-provided data to deliver personalized offers and a seamless customer experience.

Loyalty programs also create opportunities for businesses to expand their reach and enhance rewards through innovative partnerships. By offering timely, relevant benefits and forming collaborations with complementary brands, companies can strengthen customer engagement, improve satisfaction, and build trust. Ultimately, loyalty programs are not just a retention tool — they’re a powerful strategy to drive customer-centric growth.

This is where market research — gathering and analyzing data about a specific market or target audience — is critical. The more a business understands the industry and its competitors, the more opportunities for brand differentiation it can uncover. For example, one music streaming platform carved out a unique identity by offering curated playlists and personalized listening experiences that stand out in the music streaming industry.

Companies can use a variety of branding methods to create more brand value. Here are a few examples.

• Attitude branding creates an emotional connection with customers by personifying the brand. A motorcycle brand, for example, creates campaigns that evoke feelings of freedom and rebellion, which resonate with its target audience.
• Product branding creates and promotes a unique branding identity for each individual product of a parent brand. For example, a consumer-goods brand develops distinct marketing identities for its laundry detergent, shaving, and baby products, as each are tailored to different audiences.
• Co-branding is when two or more brands partner to promote their products and amplify their reach. A collaboration between a portable-camera brand and an energy-drink brand, for example, combined adventure sports with storytelling.
• Minimalist branding emphasizes simplicity and functionality. Many tech companies embrace this type of branding to convey focus, innovation, and clarity.
• Brand extension helps established brands get stronger and expand by using the brand name in a different product category. For example, one vacuum company transitioned into the hair-care-tools market, usingits reputation for innovation to explain the extension.

No matter what method of branding a company pursues, that branding should be incorporated into a lifecycle marketing strategy. This ensures that content is tailored for each stage of the customer’s journey. No matter how good a company’s branding is, it’s not enough to send one email blast to a massive customer list. Successful branding uses data to segment customers and provides personalized experiences throughout each stage of the lifecycle to allow for true and deep engagement.

Ready to create your own brand strategy? Just follow these five steps to get started.

Craft a narrative that humanizes your brand and aligns with customer values. An outdoor clothing line’s story of environmental activism and corporate responsibility is a model example.

Define a tone and style that resonates with your audience. For example, an email marketing platform aimed at small businesses might adopt a playful yet professional voice. Your voice should be consistent across platforms, from SMS marketing and other mobile marketing messages to email newsletters and blog posts.

Design visuals such as logos and typography that capture your brand essence. Good logos are universally recognized and evoke familiarity. Brand-identity design should be consistent across all platforms and deliverables, from email design to digital banner ads and billboards.

After you’ve created your brand identity design, develop a brand guide to share with various creative teams throughout your company, as well as with any external agencies you use for design work. That way, everyone remains aligned on brand standards for elements such as logo use, styles, colors, fonts, and voice and tone.

Let your values guide every decision. A hypothetical ice cream company, for example, could demonstrate this by incorporating social-justice messaging into its campaigns. By maintaining consistency, you show that you’re willing to “walk the talk” when it comes to your brand values, which builds customer trust.

Values also serve as a compass for navigating challenges and opportunities. When your brand is faced with tough decisions, aligning your actions with your core values shows your authenticity. For example, a sustainable clothing brand that refuses to compromise on ethical sourcing, even when facing supply chain disruptions, reinforces its commitment to its mission. This dedication not only strengthens customer loyalty but also positions the brand as a leader in its industry.

Highlight unique features or benefits. Customers need to know why they should purchase your product or service over a competitor’s, and it’s your job to make that reason crystal clear. A popular eyeglasses company differentiates itself by offering home try-ons and a buy-one-give-one model, for example.

Your brand also can stand out by the way it connects with customers emotionally. For example, a coffee company not only delivers high-quality products but also shares the stories of the farmers who grow the beans. By offering transparency and fostering a sense of community, the brand establishes a deeper bond with its audience. This emotional resonance can transform occasional buyers into lifelong advocates who align with your purpose and stand behind your brand.

Here are a few tools (and tips) that will help you really showcase your brand and make it shine.

• Take advantage of automated tools for brand management. Marketing software platforms such as Salesforce Marketing Cloud help businesses manage brand assets and execute campaigns efficiently through marketing automation.
• Use social-media platforms to amplify brand presence. Platforms like Instagram enable brands to interact directly with audiences. By incorporating a social-media strategy into your marketing plan, you’ll harness the power of social platforms to engage and build lasting relationships with customers.
• Measure brand performance and success. Analytics tools and net promoter score (NPS) surveys can help track brand performance and customer satisfaction.

A strong brand strategy is the key to standing out from the crowd and connecting with your audience. It's more than just a logo or a tagline; it's about creating a cohesive and meaningful experience that reflects your brand's values and resonates with your customers. In today's complex marketing landscape, tools like Salesforce Marketing Cloud can help you execute your strategy with precision and efficiency. If you're ready to take your marketing to the next level and drive real results, explore Salesforce Marketing Cloud today.