Most companies just know they have to do lots and lots of marketing to help with their business development. After all, as they say, nothing happens until a sale is made.
When determining a sales and marketing strategy, many firms make the mistake of forgetting to plot and plan a brand strategy. Other companies take it to the far extreme and go to such lengths to protect their ‘brand’ that they can often ignore the need for real marketing, business development and ultimately SALES.
Perhaps the first things to consult when planning a brand strategy is your company mission and your company values. You want to make sure your brand is inline with both mission and values or there can be no synergy and probably will be a constant civil war.
Once your organization’s mission and values are analyzed and it is determined how they fit in with your overall brand strategy, it is very important to plan on how you are going to cultivate your key supporters, unpaid evangelists and overall community. Some types of people are best contact one way, others prefer other types of contact. These days, it seems like everyone is on Facebook, but there are still people who would prefer a phone call or email, to a Facebook message, tweet or post on Google +.
How does your company’s mission, values and community building fit into your brand strategy? Is it front and center – or is sort of mumbled about when someone brings it up? These are aspects of your brand strategy that HAVE to be crystal clear.