40 Questions for a Smart Branding Strategy

40 Questions for a Smart Branding Strategy

Branding is critically important to every successful business. That’s why smart marketers always approach branding strategically.

But how do you create an effective branding strategy? What should you consider when it’s time to develop a new or revamped brand? What do you need to know to do branding right?

As marketing and branding consultants, we’ve developed branding strategies and brand identities for many types of organizations.

Here are 40 questions we ask when we’re creating a smart branding strategy for a client.

Your Organization & Mission

1. Why does your organization exist? What is your mission or purpose?
2. What does your organization do? What types of products and services do you provide?
3. What kind of organization are you? How would you describe your company? How do you see yourselves?
4. How do you want others to see your organization?

Your Business Objectives

5. Why are you developing a new brand or revamping your brand identity? What are the business reasons behind the new branding? What do you hope new branding will achieve?
6. What new story do you want to tell the market about your company with a fresh brand?
7. What is the timeline for launching the new brand? Is there a business reason or a major event driving this timeline?

Customers, Prospects & the Customer Experience

8. Who buys your products and services?
9. What specific problems are customers trying to solve when they turn to your business?
10. How do customers choose suppliers like your business? What factors are most important to the buying decision?
11. Why do people choose to do business with your company rather than your competitors?
12. What do customers and others experience when they interact with your company on a day-to-day basis? How do you make people feel?
13. How would your customers describe you?

Your Value Proposition

14. What is the most important value you deliver to your customers?
15. How do you communicate your value proposition? What do you say about your business at every step in the sales and marketing process?

Your Marketplace

16. What markets do you serve?
17. What is your current market position and market share? For example, are you the largest company? A smaller player? Middle of the pack? A regional leader? An upstart? A newcomer?
18. What market position do you want to achieve? Who do you want to be?
19. How much awareness is there of your brand in your marketplace?

Your Competitors

20. Who are your primary competitors and how are they branding?
21. What sets you apart from competitors? What are the key points of differentiation that belong in your brand identity?
22. Are there fonts and colors to avoid in your new brand because they are used by competitors?

Your Current Brand

23. What is the history of your current brand? How was it developed? What is it intended to represent?
24. Are you planning a full replacement of your brand or are you looking to update and refresh the existing brand?
25. Do you expect resistance within your organization to the idea of changing your brand? What are the reasons for resistance?
26. Do you have standards in place that govern the use of your brand across your enterprise?
27. What do you like about your current brand?
28. What do you dislike about your current brand?
29. Is there equity in your current brand worth retaining? Should any elements from your current brand be used in the new brand?
30. Have you conducted recent research on perceptions of your brand? What perceptions do people have?

Your New Brand

31. How do you think your company should be positioned in the marketplace?
32. What are the top three to five key marketing messages to use as “proof points” to support your positioning?
33. Besides your company name, what elements belong in your brand, such as an icon symbolizing your business or a brief tagline that states your value proposition?
34. Will you need variations of the company brand or related sub-brands for divisions, units, or product lines?
35. What attributes do you want customers and prospects to associate with your brand every time they encounter it, in all media? “That’s the company that is….”
36. What is your brand persona or point of view? For example, are you strong, stable, creative, quirky, trusted, smart, safe, dependable, helpful, edgy, expert, etc.?

Brand Launch & Deployment

37. What is your budget for brand development and deployment?
38. Have you inventoried the uses of your current brand and identified the full range of applications for the new brand, from tiny social media icons to building signage and vehicles?
39. Do you have a plan in place to launch the new brand, both internally and externally?

Marketing the Brand

40. How will you capitalize on your new identity in sales and marketing? A new brand is an ideal opportunity to generate attention and get people to see your organization differently. Your branding strategy should include a comprehensive plan for making the most of this opportunity.

Do you need help with branding? Our Cleveland marketing agency has extensive experience in branding strategy and brand development. Contact us if you’d like to learn more.