What is a Coach Approach to Brand Strategy?
Today, I want to share a topic I am incredibly passionate about. It has been a subject matter I have been exploring, refining, and evolving since I started my first corporate marketing job. Branding is complex, robust, and extensive, but many people offer up a narrow definition of it, thinking branding is simply a logo, color palette, and graphic aesthetic. In fact, branding is a mindset, an operating system, and a strategic framework for engaging in all facets of your business. It is a guiding principle to help you interact with customers and foster a know, like, trust dynamic.
“Brand strategy is the heart and soul of your business and the foundation for everything else, including that catchy logo. Branding is part psychology, art, communication, experimentation, and exploration. It is a personal development journey for entrepreneurs just starting to explore what their brand truly represents.”
What is a brand strategy, and why does it matter?
Let's take a look! Whether you're familiar with this term or not, you have a brand. Why not be strategic about how you are cultivating your identity both virtually and in person? Simply put:
“Branding is how your customer sees you and what they say about you when you aren’t there.”
It’s about your reputation. Some of your brand’s influence is out of your control, but brand strategy is about informing the narrative so that your vision is what your customers see and experience. Branding is about influencing the opinions of others so they can help you reach your goals and widen your impact.
To foster positive customer experiences from initial interaction to repeat purchases and referrals, start by clarifying your purpose (a cause more meaningful than money) and build strategies from this core belief. Without this clarity, your campaigns, marketing materials, and creative content will feel inauthentic, tired, and uninspiring. You will be frustrated at your lackluster results.
“A brand strategy helps you get from where you are now to where you want to go. It sounds simple on paper, but the complexity is in the journey; coaching can be a powerful tool to help you along the path.”
Why coaching and brand strategy go hand in hand
Coaching allows you to explore who you are, developing a clear picture of who you want to be, what you want to achieve, and how you hope to get there. It helps you define your purpose so you have an endpoint on which to build out your strategic roadmap. Coaching also helps you with implementation so that branding and marketing become straightforward and intuitive, and most importantly, it helps you follow through in overcoming roadblocks, challenges, and setbacks.
A skilled coach helps clients through strategic inquiry, reflective activities, and select assessments to help them reframe their obstacles, engage in creative thinking, and tap into their self-expression. Unlike a consultant who gives direction to clients based on their expert opinion, often around a specific topic or problem, professional coaches partner with clients to unlock their creative thinking and foster a growth mindset. This means after a coaching engagement is complete, the client will be better equipped to take action on their own and have the resources to help them navigate obstacles down the road without assistance. Coaching is a powerful tool entrepreneurs often overlook.
Need Help?
If you are struggling with a brand identity crisis in your business, suffer from a lack of direction or clarity on your messaging, or routinely are burnt out from marketing campaigns that fall flat (crickets, anyone?), it's time to focus on your brand strategy with a personal development lens. This intersection between mindset, branding, marketing, and creative expression is where I shine. Reach out to book a free consultation.
