In this day and age, when it comes to marketing – it’s all about branding. People are willing to pay more for a product or service they have already seen or that have a reasonable opinion. Just think about the famous cereal example. Plenty of different types of cereal are on the market, but for some reason, people are going for the big-name brands without even trying the cheaper alternatives that could be even tastier.

Why? Well, because they have seen a Nesquik ad on TV, they are kind of familiar with the concept. Additionally, if they have name recognition, a good narrative, and a well-liked approach, it can improve their sales tenfold. 

In this article, we will review all the necessary elements to create an effective brand strategy with templates for you to utilize entirely for free. So, if you are looking for a new brand voice or brand personality, we have you covered. Without further ado, let’s dive into it!

The brand strategy encompasses specific long-term goals aimed at developing and establishing the brand promise. From the brand positioning statement to its values those would all be included in the winning brand strategy. Of course, it’s not an easy process, as it takes a lot of decisions to optimize the brand strategy process. 

When creating a brand strategy, it is essential to consider various elements such as generating innovative ideas, enhancing the brand's reputation, designing effective marketing campaigns, and establishing a consistent visual identity. These elements collectively contribute to the branding efforts of any reputable company. Furthermore, it is crucial to effectively communicate the brand's purpose and mission statement to potential investors, allowing them to make informed decisions about investing in the brand.

Every brand strategist would tell you that during a competitor analysis, they always check the core values of competitors. You have probably encountered it many times in previous years; from greenwashing, woke advertising, and appealing to the masses, a brand’s voice needs to align with many different factors applicable in today’s society. 

Brand strategies are often all about understanding the current social climate, so the brand’s mission is to appeal to the needs of the people. You need something to resonate with your target audience, allowing you also to differentiate your brand from competitors. That is the best way for lasting relationships with customers.

Now, let’s review some of the best brand strategy templates for this particular purpose. Each is a free brand strategy template for multiple uses, completely adaptable for your specific brand purposes. If you need some brand recognition, then – this is where it’s at. Let’s dive in!

But first, let’s briefly talk about what kind of software we will use for this particular purpose. Of course, many competitors offer similar products, mainly behind a paywall. In this case, though, the answer is pretty simple. That would mean choosing the Microsoft Office suite. In our experience, it is the single best office-related set of programs to build a brand strategy that will last a lifetime. 

With Office, you get the ever-growing Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint for presentations and one of the best text editing software available – Microsoft Word. You get a complete package of top-notch products that people worldwide use in their everyday work. It’s one of the most common software ever used, so if you want to improve your overall brand strategy, using Microsoft Office programs would be an intelligent choice. 

And it’s not a significant investment anymore. You can get Microsoft Office Key for just a few dollars at Royal CD Keys. You can use it for multiple purposes as it’s a lifetime subscription. Additionally, with a clever use of a template, you can even further develop the Office package possibilities and be even more productive. Let’s now get into some free templates examples for you to utilize for your brand strategy document.

Brand Strategy Template #1

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First, we have a brand strategy that will be useful in most circumstances. You have all of the brand strategy's essential elements, from core values, brand vision, buyer personas, unique value proposition, brand imagery, target audience, and all the other features vital for creating a successful brand.

Additionally, this particular template is visually appealing, clear, and concise, has excellent color structure, and overall – feels like a great addition to your other brand assets. If you need something well-drafted, pleasing to the eyes, and valuable in general, this one is worth checking out. 

Brand Strategy Template #2

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Next, we have something more nuanced and advanced, as this brand strategy template is about presenting your vision. With this one, you will be able to not only gain access to your target customers but also think about your brand position, how to attract customers through pricing, add a logo design description, and explain to people why your brand exists. 

It has all the critical aspects of becoming a successful brand, with some additional elements to it as well. This template is worth a shot if you need something more in-depth regarding branding.

Brand Strategy Template #3

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And finally, we have something entirely out of the ordinary. A brand strategy template roadmap that will guide you through all the phases of implementing your brand marketing strategies. Here, you can simply put up your vision, purpose, values, and goals and go straight into tactics and techniques to implement them. This is one of the more exciting concepts when seeing how your brand evolves.

And for what it’s worth, it’s pretty well-structured as well. If you need something that will help you reach your target market quickly and effectively, this is the template for you.

So, now that you know all there is about creating a brand strategy for your company, you will be interested in finding out how you can benefit from implementing these strategies. When it comes to finding your brand style, guide yourself with your company's brand essence. Fighting in this competitive landscape can be challenging, but if your brand offers some uniqueness, you can be sure that you can build a lasting brand with strategic planning. Here are some key benefits of implementing brand strategies into your everyday life.

Standing Out

First, a good brand strategy can help you stand out from competitors. With a clear and unique vision, you can present your extraordinary value proposition, have a much better positioning as a company, and even give a unique brand identity to the market. Additionally, it can enable customers to see your particular brand among all the competitors. A strong brand strategy helps to be perceived as a market player.

Brand Awareness

Additionally, your brand awareness can be improved if you have a good brand strategy. Utilizing different channels can help you promote your brand effectively and create a memorable presence among customers. That, in effect, will lead to higher visibility of your brand and people recognizing it on the shelves, similar to the cereal example from the beginning of this article.

Customer Connection

Next, to build trust and emotional connections with your customers, you should invest time and money into creating a well-drafted brand audit template. Whether you will be using the creative agency or your brand strategists, positioning statements are essential for top brands and effective branding. You can create a sense of reliability and credibility with the right messaging and quality products or services. That, in effect, can lead to even greater customer loyalty and connection to the brand.

Greater Value

Additionally, you can just simply make money off it. Top brands can only command higher prices because they are perceived as more valuable. So, the branding process is essential if you want to create your brand and be recognizable, but also – to make even more money in the process. With a right strategy that communicates the brand's incredible value well and promotes it as a premium, you can easily justify premium pricing, leading to improved profitability. Additionally, a well-established brand can gain a larger market share as customers are more likely to choose a trusted brand among them.

Brand Expansion

Additionally, if you want to expand your brand into new products and markets, it is much easier to do that with an established brand. With a strong foundation, you can develop new products based on existing brand recognition and reputation. It will have a much higher chance of success than if someone would just build it up from scratch.

Sustainability

If you have a well-defined strategy as a brand, it will be much easier to garner strong customer loyalty and have a much bigger chance when it comes to sustaining long-term success. Brand recognition can be great for building competitive advantage and becoming more than just a product for them. This can also result in having a lasting competitive advantage on multiple grounds and through multiple selling channels. 

Crisis Aversion

Of course, you can also get much better crisis aversion techniques with a strong brand. If you are a newcomer, you will get stones thrown at you that can hurt. Yet, if people are familiar with your brand and know what you stand for, it will be much easier to avoid potential damage. You will always benefit more from the doubt if you solidify your brand in society.

Engaged Employees

And finally, we have the engaged employees aspect of your brand awareness model. With that, you will be able to more effectively share your brand values with other people in your company and have a sense of purpose and pride that they are a part of this particular company. Those emotional benefits are nothing to be underestimated.

So, now that we know everything about the benefits of implementing such concepts in your company, let’s go over some of the critical types of branding strategies. They are not mutually exclusive; you can do one another or employ a combination of them all. It all depends on the specific goals you have in mind and your target audience. With that in mind, let’s go over specific branding strategies.

Product Branding

First of all, we have the product branding. It mainly focuses on creating a narrative and a brand identity for a particular product or service. They usually have a specific and unique brand name and marketing strategy to make the product recognizable in the public sphere.

Corporate Branding

Next, we have the corporate branding. You want to create a better reputation for your company’s overall brand here. It aims to spread the word about how great this particular company is and everything that it produces. This is usually done to build trust among people and the credibility of a well-established and optimistic company. 

Umbrella Branding

Another type of branding is called – Umbrella Branding. It’s also widely known as family branding or branded house strategy. The most crucial aspect is that it involves a single brand name for many different products or lines, like Samsung. It can provide a consistent identity and value among many products and industries.

Endorsement Branding

Next, we have the endorsement branding. It means that a bigger brand, the endorser, links itself to a new or existing but not as popular product to transfer brand awareness, trust, and all the other benefits of having significant brand recognition.

Co-Branding

Co-branding, on the other hand, is when two companies create a product or do a joint marketing campaign to use both brands to get even better recognition. Co-branding usually aims to strengthen both (or more) customer bases of many different brands and enhance the perception and performance of their products or services.

Private Label Branding

Next, we have private label branding, also known as store or own branding. This usually occurs when an existing retailer creates their own branded product with their brand, like in the case of big supermarkets, where you have many different brands to choose from, including the in-house brand that is usually a bit cheaper.

Online Branding

Online branding is rising as e-commerce becomes increasingly popular, and people are switching to digital platforms for shopping. In most cases, it involves creating a brand presence and reputation online with digital tools. That would mean utilizing strategies like search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, working with popular influencers, PPC campaigns, etc. 

Personal Branding

And finally, we have the personal branding aspect. It usually revolves around a particular human wanting to tell their unique brand story. Whether this would mean incorporating the brand’s visual identity, encapsulating the brand narrative, or any other marketing efforts, it can bring significant benefits to the individual and the company. 

Usually, people who go with personal branding are the executives of big companies, influencers whose brand is essentially their business, and professionals in sports or science. With the right approach, they can showcase their unique expertise, which they can later exchange for recognition and, in some cases, revenue streams. 

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So, now that we know the different types of branding strategies, let’s go over some key elements when it comes to the meat of the document. These are the things that every brand voice template should have. Of course, you can create additional components that will suit your particular needs. Be sure to look at the latest trends, see what the market is all about, look for customer feedback, and review and analyze if necessary. That will help you create the single best brand strategy on the market.

Brand Vision

First of all, we have the brand vision element that includes all the essential elements that come into what you are trying to achieve, how you are going to do that, and all the long-term benefits you are looking for with this particular brand.

Brand Identity

Next, you need to develop your brand’s identity. That means all the elements that make your brand unique, including your values and what to present to the world, all the different attributes that your products or services use. Additionally, all the visual elements of your brand as well. Is it a happy, yellowish brand or a dark, red-black kind of industry? Whatever it is, it can change depending on your approach and goals.

Target Audience

The next thing you need to do is to identify your target audience. Those would be all the people who may have been interested in your brand, insight into the world, values, and, finally, your product or service. With the right approach, you can tailor your messaging so that the people you want to reach will actually hear what you are trying to sell to them.

Messaging

With branding, it’s all about the messaging. If you want to create an impactful brand, you need to clearly communicate all the values that your brand presents among all the competition. That would mean that all the taglines, banners, slogans, and other key elements that are the essence of your brand would have to be in line with each other. Only then will you be able to have a clear message to your target audience.

Positioning

The next thing to keep in mind is the positioning aspect of your brand. Here, you want to position your brand in relation to not only other competitors but other potential channels of information flow. Be sure to include your identity, the void you are trying to fullfill. That way, you will be able to gather all the benefits of your unique brand and present it to a wider audience.

Customer’s Experience

Pay attention to the overall customer experience with your brand. Identify the touchpoints and interactions customers have with your brand at various stages of their journey—from initial awareness to post-purchase support. Strive to deliver consistent and positive experiences that align with your brand identity and create emotional connections with your audience.

Monitoring and Review

The next important thing to keep in mind is that you need to find a way of establishing metrics that will help you in monitoring and reviewing your brand strategy process in the most efficient way possible. That would mean getting the right tools to gather information about the brand awareness, customer loyalty, and the effectiveness of your branding efforts. 

That way, you will be able to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances and create a new strategy if the current one is not working as it should. In most cases, it will help you to inform the future of your brand and give you an opportunity to improve brand awareness and customer satisfaction.

Platforms

You would also need to choose the platforms you will be marketing yourself through, as the right mix of different channels is crucial regarding brand strategy. Especially consider all the digital platforms you can use for your branding needs, as new media platforms could benefit your brand much more greatly than traditional media. So, effectively communicate with your team about your needs and wants, and see if you can get all the stakeholders on the same page.

Guidelines

And finally, be sure to create guidelines for your brand’s communication on different media platforms, including outside the company as well. That would mean determining different color palettes, logo placement, and the way people discussing your product or service should speak about it, with even as detailed elements as their tone of voice. That will definitely assist you in identifying what benefits the company and what you can do without, while also giving you control over how the brand is presented internally and externally.

Thank you so much for checking out our article on brand strategy. It is an incredibly interesting topic, where different brand elements, brand messaging, core brand values, and the whole brand’s purpose come together in order to create something unique and sellable to the wider audience.

Brand strategy can bring many different benefits to your company, from ensuring that the buyer journey is controlled and designed by you, that all the pain points the customer may have were addressed, and that your own unique selling proposition brings only positive associations for the customer personas.

With the right approach, you can gain a lot of potential customers, and maintain consistency, when it comes to the visual style of many different products in your portfolio. A vision statement is one of the key components of success, so be sure that you have the right thing on your mind even before you start working with creative teams to make the single best brand perception ever conveyed!

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