In a world where every brand is vying for attention, standing out has become the ultimate challenge. Brand communication strategy isn’t just telling people about your brand—you’re creating experiences and sparking connections that resonate on a deeper level and enhance brand recognition. It’s the foundation for connecting with your audience and making a memorable impression.
If you’re ready to dive in, let’s explore what brand communication strategy is, why it matters, and how you can craft a successful strategy and messaging approach that gets your brand noticed.
What is Brand Communication Strategy?
Brand communication strategy is your plan for conveying your brand’s message in a way that aligns with your values, resonates with your audience, and sets you apart from the competition. It’s about shaping every piece of communication—be it a social media post, a newsletter, or a customer service interaction—so it reflects who you are as a brand.
It’s the playbook for how your brand sounds, feels, and connects with people. It’s your brand’s identity all across the board!
Your brand has a story, a mission, and a set of values. A strong brand communication strategy helps you communicate those elements consistently and authentically, creating a cohesive experience across multiple channels and every platform and touchpoint.
Why Brand Communication Strategy is Essential
Consumers today are bombarded with content, ads, and messaging at every turn. Without a well-defined communication strategy, your brand can easily get lost in online noise. Your audience can simply look at something else. They don’t have to give you even five seconds of attention if they don’t want to.
So, what can a well-crafted brand communication strategy do for you?
Build Trust
One-hit-wonder influencers and flakey people are everywhere. Nobody wants that. Consistent and authentic communication helps people trust your brand. When your audience sees that you’re clear about who you are and what you stand for, they’re more likely to engage with you.
Create a Consistent Voice
Brands that communicate consistently across platforms make a lasting impact. Whether someone interacts with you on Instagram, reads your blog, or emails your customer service team, they should get the same vibe.
Differentiate Your Brand
A unique communication strategy helps you stand out by highlighting what makes you different (your unique selling proposition). In a crowded marketplace, it’s those authentic touches that people remember. People remember how they feel when they encounter your brand, and it brings them back for more.
The Connection Between Brand Communication and Marketing Strategy
Your brand communication strategy is closely linked to your overall marketing communications strategy. Think of brand communication efforts as the bridge between your brand’s identity (who you are) and your marketing efforts (how you reach people). It shapes everything about how you engage with your audience, from the tone of your social media posts to the visuals in your ad campaigns.
Effective brand communication also plays a crucial role in your customer loyalty and builds brand equity (the value people associate with your brand). Clear, intentional communication reinforces the elements that make your brand unique and valuable to potential customers.
How Do You Create Brand Communication Strategy with a Competitive Advantage?
Great question. We have an answer.
To get your message out to the right people in the right way, you must layer your brand communications with an effective marketing communications strategy step by step.
1. Define Your Brand Identity
Step one: Who are you? What do you stand for? What kind of personality does your brand have? Answering these questions is the first step in building a brand communication plan and strategy that truly reflects your brand. A brand identity is much more than your logo or slogan—it’s the complete package of values, personality, and mission tied to your tagline that sets you apart.
2. Know Your Target Audience
Understanding who you’re talking to is essential for effective communication. Spend time researching and defining your target market research and audience. What are their needs, their interests, and the challenges they face? By understanding your audience, you can speak to their wants, use their words, and focus your messaging on where they hang out.
3. Devise a Messaging Plan
Your brand messaging communications strategy is where you decide how you will communicate your identity to the world. It’s your chance to make a statement, tell your story, and leave a lasting impression. Crafting a messaging strategy isn’t just about what you say—it’s about how you make people feel. Here’s how to make your messaging sing:
- Core Message: What’s the one thing you want people to remember about your brand? Pick the most important one!
- Highlight Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP): What makes your brand different? Why should someone choose you over the competition? Your UVP answers these questions with confidence and clarity, giving people a reason to trust and connect with your brand.
- Brand Voice: If your brand were a person, how would it sound? Friendly and conversational, or authoritative and professional? Does it use slang? Is it an expert? Does it inspire? Does it ease worry?
- Taglines and Slogans: Short and memorable, these are the “sticky” phrases that capture your brand essence. Nike’s “Just Do It,” Apple’s “Think Different,” and Allstate’s “You’re In Good Hands” are all very different taglines but have special meanings for their brand. Outside of the brand, they may not mean much, but they make perfect sense when you think about the specific brand’s core message and identity.
4. Consistency is Key
One of the biggest mistakes brands make is being inconsistent. Maybe your brand sounds professional on your website but totally different on Instagram. Or perhaps your email newsletters feel formal, but your customer service emails are friendly and casual. Inconsistent messaging can confuse your audience, cause them to lose trust, and make your brand seem disjointed. Make sure you have clear guidelines that outline your tone, voice, and messaging to keep everything aligned. If your brand has snark…that snark should be peppered everywhere, even if you have to dial back the irreverence or balance the tone at times.
5. Choose the Right Communication Channels
Where does your audience hang out? Are they Zoomers on TikTok, Millennials reading blogs, or Gen X-ers more likely to be reached through email? Tailoring your marketing communication strategy to the channels your audience uses most can maximize your impact. Take time to figure this out, or you’ll be wasting resources.
Each platform has its own style; adapt your content to suit each one while staying true to your brand’s tone. A catchy Instagram caption may not work for LinkedIn, so keep the platform’s vibe in mind without sacrificing your brand identity. Similarly, a thought leadership blog probably doesn’t belong on the ‘Gram.
6. Define Your Goals
What are you trying to achieve with your communication strategy? Whether it’s raising awareness, building trust, brand positioning in the market, or driving customer engagement, having clear goals will guide your messaging and help you measure your success.
7. Create a Brand Messaging Guide
This is the fun part! A brand messaging guide is a document that includes your core brand message, brand voice, key phrases, taglines, and any other communication guidelines. Think of it as the rulebook that helps everyone on your team communicate consistently. Create buyer personas of your ideal customer, and have fun injecting identity into your brand’s personality.
8. Establish KPIs
Set key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure effectiveness, and don’t forget to tie your KPIs to your marketing communication strategy. This could be engagement rates, reach, sentiment analysis, or conversion metrics. Measuring the right KPIs will help you see what’s working and where to improve.
9. Align Your Team
Make sure everyone who represents your brand—whether on your social media platforms, in customer service, or content creation—is aligned with your brand communication strategy. Training your team on your brand communications guidelines is essential for maintaining consistency across the board.
10. Monitor and Adjust
A brand communication strategy isn’t something you “set and forget.” It needs to evolve as your brand grows and as you learn more about your audience. What’s hitting? What’s not? Do you know why? Regularly reviewing your KPIs and collecting customer insights and feedback will help you adjust your brand messages to stay relevant and impactful across all marketing channels.
Your Brand Deserves a Strategy That’s Anything but Ordinary. Partner With EraserFarm on Your Brand Communications Today!
Investing in brand communication strategy is one of the best moves you can make. A solid brand communication strategy isn’t just about what you say—it’s about how you make people feel. Creating a powerful brand communication strategy takes time, expertise, and a deep understanding of your brand’s essence.
At EraserFarm, we don’t do cookie-cutter. Your brand is unique, and your messaging should be, too. We dig deep to uncover your brand’s essence and turn it into a communications strategy that commands attention, sparks emotion, and inspires loyalty.
Ready to make your brand stand out? Find out how we can help you create a brand communication strategy that breaks out of the mold. And we also have lots of fun doing it! Fill out our form, ping Cindy at Cindy@eraserfarm.com, or call her at 813.328.3569.