Why Brand Strategy is the First (and most Critical) Step to Marketing Success
Yet it’s also undervalued or misunderstood by many businesses
I see it all the time. Too many businesses jump right into marketing and social media without first defining their brand strategy. This inevitably leads to mixed messages, weak engagement and missed opportunities.
A strong brand strategy defines your identity, your business voice and your overall positioning. More importantly for marketers, a well-defined brand strategy aligns your entire team before you invest in content, campaigns and digital tactics.
So why is brand strategy so often skipped or ignored?
What Is Brand Strategy and Why Does It Matter?
Brand strategy is your company's core identity, purpose and personality—thoughtfully distilled into a guiding framework for all communication and decision-making. It is not something that is created in an afternoon brainstorming session with a few senior staff.
Effective brand strategy answers several critical questions:
Who are we, and what do we stand for?
Why do we do what we do?
How do we do what we do?
Who do we serve, and what makes us different?
How should people feel when they interact with us and why should they choose us over our competitors?
This type of brand clarity isn’t just nice to have—it’s the foundation of any effective marketing plan. Without it, your marketing is basically drifting without a rudder.
What Happens When You Skip Brand Strategy?
Launching any significant marketing efforts without a clearly defined brand strategy leads to confusion and lack of focus—internally and externally.
This is what I have seen when companies skip this step:
Campaigns across platforms that do not account for the specifics of each platform
Content that doesn’t resonate with the intended audiences (or that lacks any audience focus at all)
Visuals that feel disconnected or generic
Internal teams unsure of how to talk about the company, or worse, different teams say different things to the same people
These examples of muddled brand experience can damage trust in the business (internally and externally) and result in lacklustre marketing ROI. You can pour money into paid ads, SEO, or social—but without brand cohesion, the impact will always be limited.
“We alredy have a brand strategy”
I’ve often run into situations—usually with founders or CEOs—who say they already know the brand strategy, or they already have a brand strategy. The challenge usually is that while a founder may have some idea of their brand strategy and brand voice (after all, they started the company), it usually stops there (in their head).
It probably hasn’t been discussed and quantified to make it usable for marketing and content creation and it likely has not been shared with employees in amy meaningful way.
So when you encounter this scenario, it’s a good idea to say something along the lines of: “great, you may know the brand voice and strategy, but the rest of the company is not as clear on this. So let’s work to get that thinking out of your head and into a form that can be shared and leveraged to build brand equity and ROI.”
How to Build a Brand Strategy (Before You Start Marketing)
Before you write another blog post, design a landing page, or brief an agency, work through these foundational steps:
1. Define Your Brand Purpose
Exactly who is your company and what exactly does your company do beyond making money? Purpose helps to connect with customers on a deeper and more human level.
For example:
Patagonia doesn’t just sell clothes—they exist to protect the environment. That mission influences every decision they make, from marketing to operations.
2. Clarify Your Positioning
Your unique value proposition must be clearly identified and understood by all. Your positioning is what makes you the choice—not just a choice. It is how you differentiate yourself versus your competitors and helps to focus all of the content and strategic approaches that you create.
For example:
Slack positioned itself as the email alternative for employees—it was clear in its approach and focused on a pain point that no one else had fully solved.
3. Develop Your Brand Personality and Voice
How do you want to your business messaging to sound? How do you want your ideal customers to perceive you? Your brand voice and personality matter and they are key parts of what differentiates one business from another.
For example:
A fun, conversational startup will communicate very differently than a premium consulting firm. Each will appeal to a different audience. You need to get specific—and write it down.
4. Craft Your Messaging Framework
I find this one to be a challenge for many organizations. It sounds easy, but it actually requires some effort. Create a consistent brand story, elevator pitch, tagline and messaging pillars that can be used across teams and platforms. This is likely where most of your internal struggles will take place as you work to distill your brand voice.
However, this step ensures that your content creators, marketers and salespeople will all speak the same language. It is so much easier to create content when this step has been successfully completed and shared within the business.
5. Align Visual Identity with Strategy
Many businesses start with this, but it should really be an output at the end of the branding exercise. Your logo, typography and color palette should reflect your brand’s personality and values—not just trends.
If possible, avoid designing before you define. Visuals are meant to express the strategy, not replace it. In most cases, a rebranding effort will take place at a firm and a new visual identity will be included as an output of the branding process. If the steps have been followed with thoughtful intent, this can result in a positive outcome.
I have been involved in this approach many times, with many less-than-ideal outcomes and one notable – very successful – iteration of this at a major global bank. The successful process followed the steps effectively and institutionalized the brand across the entire organization before going public.
Why Internal Brand Alignment is Just as Important
Your people are your most powerful brand ambassadors—but they can only be successful if they understand and believe in the brand.
Too many companies focus only on external execution and forget to embed brand strategy inside the organization. This leads to misalignment, inconsistent customer experiences and employee disengagement.
How to Institutionalize Your Brand Internally:
Work with all employees to explain the brand mission, values and voice—sharing the process that guided the result and what it means for each of them in their various roles
Include brand education in new hire onboarding
Share a brand playbook with examples and guidelines (and welcome feedback and input)
Recognize team members who embody the brand in action
For example:
Zappos is renowned for its customer service because every employee—not just marketing—lives the brand value of going above and beyond.
Key Takeaways: Don’t Just Market—Build a Brand that is Worth Marketing
Brand Strategy First, Always
Without a well-defined and thoughtful brand, marketing is guesswork (and a lot harder than it should be). With a clear brand strategy and voice, marketing becomes consistent, clear and compelling.
Brand is Internal and External
Your team must live the brand as much as your audience experiences it. In fact, this can make or break a successful rebrand launch.
Write it All Down
From brand voice guidelines to messaging frameworks and more, document your strategy so it scales with you.
Ready to Launch Marketing? Start with Brand Clarity
If you are struggling with your marketing and you think it may be due to the lack of a well-defined brand strategy, ask yourself: Have we truly defined who we are and how we want to be experienced?
If the answer is no, take the time to put some thought behind building your brand strategy. Do not be afraid to share your view with your boss or the executive committee.
Brand strategy is not just a branding exercise (something we’ve probably all experienced along the way), but rather it’s the engine of long-term marketing success. A little heavy lifting up front can mean a much more optimized approach to marketing strategy down the road.
by Mike Belobradic