Let’s talk about brand strategy, shall we? Because I’ve noticed there’s a lot of confusion swirling around this term, and honestly, I reckon half the internet is talking absolute rubbish about it.

Here’s what usually happens: A new business owner googles ‘what is brand strategy’ and gets hit with a wall of corporate jargon about ‘market positioning frameworks’ and ‘competitive differentiation matrices’. Cue the immediate overwhelm and the sneaking suspicion that this stuff is only for big companies with even bigger budgets.

So let me clear this up for you.

What brand strategy ISN’T (let’s kill some myths):

First things first. Your brand strategy is not your logo. It’s not your colour palette. It’s not your logo. It’s not your colour palette. It’s not even your beautifully curated Instagram feed (even if it does look pretty. These are all part of your brand identity, which is different.

Think of it this way: if your brand were a person, the strategy would be their values, personality and life plan, whilst the identity would be what they wear and how they style their hair.

Brand strategy also isn’t some mystical document that lives in a drawer gathering dust after you’ve paid someone thousands to create it. If you can’t remember what’s in it or it doesn’t actually influence your daily decisions, it’s not strategy. It’s just expensive paperwork.

And here’s the kicker: brand strategy isn’t reserved for the big players. The idea that you need to be a certain size or have a certain turnover before you ‘deserve’ a branding strategy? That’s bullish*t. Every business has a brand strategy, whether they’ve intentionally created one or not. The question is whether it’s working for you or against you – a brand audit might help!.

So what is a brand strategy, really?

Your brand strategy (sometimes called a brand development strategy or your business branding foundation) is the blueprint that informs every single decision you make in your business. It’s the ‘why’ behind what you do, the ‘who’ you’re doing it for, and the ‘how’ you’re different from everyone else offering something similar.

Think of it as your business’s internal compass. When you’re faced with a decision (should I add this new service? Should I collaborate with this person? Should I post this content?), your brand strategy gives you a clear yes or no.

A solid brand strategy includes things like your purpose and values (not the generic “integrity and innovation” nonsense, but the real stuff that actually drives your decisions), your target audience (and I mean really knowing them, not just “women aged 25-45 who like nice things”), your unique positioning (what makes you different in a way that actually matters to your people), and your brand personality and voice (how you show up and communicate consistently).

Why you absolutely need this sorted when you’re starting a business:

Right, here’s where I’m going to get real with you. Starting a business without a brand strategy is like building a house without architectural plans. Sure, you could just start laying bricks and see what happens, but you’ll probably end up with wonky walls, doors that don’t fit, and a staircase that leads to nowhere. You’ll waste time, money, and energy fixing mistakes that could have been avoided if you’d just drawn up the plans first.

Or think about it like this: imagine planning a road trip without knowing your destination. You’d just be driving around aimlessly, stopping at random places, wasting petrol, and wondering why you’re not getting anywhere meaningful. Your brand strategy is your destination and your route. It tells you where you’re going and which turns to take to get there.

I see this all the time with new business owners. They dive straight into creating content, building websites, designing logos, and posting on social media because that’s the visible stuff that feels productive. But without a branding strategy underneath it all, they’re exhausted within six months because every single decision feels hard. They’re constantly questioning themselves: Is this post on brand? Should I offer this service? Why does my messaging feel all over the place? Am I even talking to the right people?

Here’s what happens when you have a brand strategy in place from the start:

You stop second-guessing every decision because you’ve already done the thinking. When someone asks you to collaborate or you’re considering a new service, you simply check it against your strategy. Does it align with your values? Does it serve your target audience? Does it fit with your positioning? If yes, crack on. If no, it’s an easy pass.

You create content faster because you know exactly who you’re talking to and what they need to hear. No more staring at a blank screen wondering what to post. Your brand strategy tells you what topics matter to your audience and how to talk about them in your voice.

You attract the right clients because your messaging is crystal clear. When you know who you are and who you serve, you stop trying to appeal to everyone (which, spoiler alert, appeals to no one). Instead, you speak directly to your people, and they recognise themselves in what you’re saying.

You make better business decisions overall. From pricing to partnerships to the services you offer, everything becomes clearer when you have a framework to guide you.

Think of your brand strategy like the recipe for your grandma’s famous cake. Sure, you could try to recreate it by guessing the ingredients and hoping for the best. But wouldn’t it be easier to just follow the recipe she’s already perfected? That’s what a brand development strategy does. It gives you the proven formula so you’re not wasting time and ingredients on cakes that don’t rise.

Why this matters (especially when you’re just starting out):

When you’re beginning your business, everything feels urgent and important. You’re being pulled in seventeen different directions, and it’s easy to end up doing a bit of everything without any real focus. A brand strategy helps you cut through the noise and focus on what actually matters for your business.

It also saves you from what I call ‘comparison spiral syndrome’. You know that thing where you see what another business owner is doing and suddenly think you should be doing it too? With a solid branding strategy, you can admire what others are doing without feeling like you need to copy it, because you’re clear on your own path.

Here’s another way to think about it: imagine you’re furnishing a new house. Without a clear style or vision (your strategy), you’ll end up with a mishmash of furniture that looked great in the shop but doesn’t work together. You’ve spent loads of money but your house still feels chaotic and nothing quite fits. With a clear vision from the start? You make smarter choices, everything works together beautifully, and you probably spend less because you’re not buying things that don’t fit and having to start over.

That’s what happens in your business without a brand strategy. You try a bit of everything, nothing quite works together, and you end up starting from scratch multiple times because you never had that foundation to build on.

How to create a brand strategy (keeping it simple):

Your brand strategy doesn’t need to be a 50-page document filled with graphs and corporate speak. It needs to be clear, accessible, and actually useful to you in running your business day-to-day. Think of it as your business bible, the thing you come back to when you need clarity or direction.

Start with the basics and build from there:

Why do you do what you do? Not the surface-level answer, but the real reason. What gets you out of bed in the morning? What impact do you want to have?

Who are you really helping? Get specific here. Not “everyone who needs X” but the actual person you’re trying to reach. What keeps them up at night? What are they struggling with? What do they really want?

What makes your approach different? This isn’t about being completely unique (spoiler: very few businesses are). It’s about what combination of skills, experiences, and perspectives you bring that creates a different experience for your clients.

How do you want to show up? If your brand were a person at a party, what would they be like? How would they talk? What would they wear? This helps you nail down your brand personality and voice.

Answer those honestly, and you’re already halfway there. The rest is just building out from that foundation, creating a blueprint that makes your work life easier, not harder.

Brand strategy examples in action:

Let me give you a real-world example of how this works. Say you’re a business coach. Without a brand strategy, you might try to help anyone who asks, offer every type of coaching under the sun, and constantly question your pricing. You see other coaches doing webinars so you do webinars. You see someone offering group programmes so you try that too. You’re exhausted and your messaging is all over the place.

With a brand strategy? You know you specifically help female entrepreneurs in their first year of business who are overwhelmed by all the conflicting advice out there. Your approach is practical and no-nonsense because you value simplicity and action over theory. You show up as the straightforward friend who tells it like it is. Suddenly, every decision becomes easier. Someone asks you to run a corporate workshop? That’s not your audience, so it’s a no. Thinking about starting a podcast? Does it help your specific people and fit your straightforward approach? If yes, go for it.

The bottom line:

Running a business is challenging enough without making every single decision feel like you’re navigating in the dark. Your brand strategy turns the lights on, draws up your plans, and gives you a clear path forward.

It’s not about creating something fancy or complicated. It’s about getting clear on who you are, who you serve, and how you do what you do differently. That clarity is what transforms a scattered, stressful business into one that feels aligned and actually works.

So if you’ve been putting off thinking about your brand strategy because it feels too big or too complicated, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be. Start with those basic questions I mentioned. Write down your honest answers. That’s your foundation.

Build on it bit by bit, and before you know it, you’ll have a brand strategy that actually serves you, not one that sits in a drawer gathering dust. And trust me, your future self (the one who’s not second-guessing every decision at 11pm) will thank you for it.

Making brand strategy accessible (because I know what you’re thinking):

Look, I get it. You’re reading this thinking “Great, Kate, this all sounds lovely, but I’ve just started my business and I’m watching every penny. How am I supposed to afford a brand strategist?”

And you’re absolutely right. When you’re starting out, investing thousands in brand strategy work isn’t always realistic, no matter how much you know you need it. I’ve been there myself, and I’ve watched countless brilliant business owners struggle because they simply couldn’t access the tools that would make everything easier.

That’s exactly why I’ve created something different.

I’m launching a Brand Blueprint Builder that guides you through creating your own brand strategy without the hefty price tag. It’s the same framework I use with my clients, but in a format that’s accessible when you’re just getting started. Think of it as having a brand strategist in your pocket, asking you all the right questions and helping you build that foundation we’ve been talking about.

Want to be first in line?

The Brand Blueprint Builder isn’t live yet, but I’m building a waitlist for people who want to be the very first to access it when it launches. If you’re tired of second-guessing every business decision and you’re ready to get your brand foundation sorted without breaking the bank, jump on the list.

No spam, no endless emails. Just a heads up when it’s ready so you can finally get that clarity you’ve been craving.