I’ve worked with many businesses and founders. Whenever I met them for the first time, I always asked them this question. What were you doing till now?
I can tell you, their answers never really surprised me. They all had some basic, nonsensical excuse or reason why they didn’t opt for brand strategy consulting. Not just with me but with any other brand strategy agency or firm. They all had the typical replies, such as:
“We never thought we needed it.”
“At first, we thought we'd be able to do it ourselves.”
“In the initial stage, we thought it was not that important.”
Or my personal favorite:
“We were looking to find the right firm to partner with.”
Let me tell you, all these are white lies. The exact truth is they thought branding is something they would be able to pull off themselves. They were never really interested in partnering with a brand strategy consulting firm. The only reason they are meeting you now is because they have failed miserably. They have bled a lot of money, and now they want you to fix things.
This is a common scenario. Even with startups that do not wish to lose money on random marketing gimmicks and clueless campaigns. In today’s class we will elaboratively discuss why you as a startup must invest in brand strategy consulting from the very beginning.
Come on, now pay attention. This is where it gets interesting.
Start Early, Stay Ahead
Collaborating with a brand strategy agency is not a new thing anymore. Almost every brand does it. Even those who just like to call themselves a brand without data or proof. When you are a startup, you can always think of saving money and not investing in branding, but remember all your competitors are doing it already.
If you don’t do it today, tomorrow it will come at triple the price. Not to forget the consequences of reluctance. On the contrary, imagine a scenario. You shake hands with a good brand strategy consultant, they sit with you, understand your business model, go deep into your visions, and consider work as a personal project and responsibility.
When you invest in brand consulting from an early stage, you allow the brand strategy consultant a breathing period and let them construct a strategy from the ground up. You’re in no hurry, and they are in no hurry. This avoids incongruity and strives for an equilibrium in your tasks and efforts together.
Without Branding, Marketing Stumbles
It really bothers me how some people still consider branding and marketing as the same thing. The worst part is, the moment they comprehend the difference, it's too late to turn back. I always say, marketing approaches, but branding invites.
Marketing is done to distribute your product across channels and drive sales, but branding creates the buzz your product requires to make heads turn, make people recall your brand name, and give narrative to your brand story and voice.
So, if you are asking me whether or not you'll be able to sell without branding, yes, you can. But will you be able to develop a brand based on marketing alone? I don’t think so. Marketing without branding leaves no room for distinction between you and a local company offering the same product or service.
Stumbling?
Like I said, marketing will definitely bring sales, but it will always be of negligible value. The reason behind this is that, without branding, marketing stumbles. With proper branding, you can attract your target audience. Everything from logos and colors to messaging counts. This creates a whole narrative of your brand that allows your target audience to connect with the product on an emotional level. This is also a great example of brand positioning, which stems from solid brand strategy services.
But again, this will only happen if you invest in brand strategy consulting.
For startups, it becomes inevitable. They are already starting new; nobody knows their name, their website, let alone their product. In such a cutthroat competing market, irrespective of the niche a startup belongs to. Branding will always come in handy and prove to be super beneficial.
Branding Serves as a Product Guide
Your design speaks for itself; the logo defines a purpose. Your messaging establishes information. The content sets a narrative, and the color palettes attract your target audience. Your strategy resembles vision. Every small bit of element plays a key role in crafting the branding. Every single piece of branding aspect serves as a product guide for your business. The right use of branding can transport your product to its target market before you even begin with your marketing operations.
When you are a startup, nobody knows about you in the first place. Your website is new, there is no buzz of you in the market, and your social media presence is low because the handles are new and you have just started posting. Branding, on the other hand, makes sure people are recognizing your brand; they know something about you that you can leverage in your marketing campaigns. Brand strategy services fill out the gaps between misinformation and lack of information.
As a startup, you simply cannot remain facile to the cause and effect of branding. Period.
Roadmap, Execution, and Long-Term Planning
Brand strategy firms are not just third-party assistants that come to the crime scene, collect the evidence, solve the case, impose charges, and disappear in the night. They partner with you at every step and get deeply involved in the whole process with you.
For any growing startup, branding must run parallel with other operations. There are creative teams that collaborate with you at every stage and make good use of all the information and resources that you make available to them. We have already stated how you can start early and stay ahead of your competitors. But the downside, which nobody talks about, is that the later you invest, the more you pay.
When startups invest in brand strategy consulting, they enable fostering long-term relationships. Alongside, it equally fuels a synergy between the firm's team and your management. This could go a long way, and most importantly, strategists devise a roadmap for the brand to follow. They incorporate every detail and craft a well-thought-out blueprint that spans a definite period of time. With proper execution, this could lead to amazing results.
Professor’s Actionable Takeaways
Let’s keep it short, crisp, and concise.
- Never shy away from investing in brand strategy consulting. They have the experience, expertise, skills, knowledge, and wisdom to guide you in your branding journey.
- Participate in brand strategy workshops. Aim for clarity; nothing will be more powerful than that in the long-term game.
- Not everybody knows the drill; not everyone has the skin for the game. Do not listen to all the voices around you.
- Invest early; do not wait for things to go wrong and fall.
- If you are a startup founder and fail to express your product in a meeting, brand strategy consulting is something you should already pursue. Don’t play with your business; do not take it for granted. A brand strategy consultant assists you in scaling fast and developing a strong visual identity for your business. Clarity cuts through confusion, and consistency eliminates chaos.
