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Build a strong brand strategy

How to Create a Brand Strategy (Free Guide & Toolkit)

by Katy French

Brand Strategy Toolkit

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  • John Abisoye says:

    This is lovely and apt. Thanks to you.

  • Abbas says:

    So wonderfully written. Love it!

  • Hossam talbi says:

    That was fuckin helpful, Thanks Alot. <3

  • David King says:

    thank you so much for this, it has been so helpful and eye opening. looking forward to more of these.

  • Webtoniq says:

    This free guide and toolkit for creating a brand strategy are a fantastic resource! As a small business owner, I’ve always struggled with defining and implementing a consistent brand strategy. This post simplifies the process and provides practical tools to get started. Thanks for making it accessible and easy to follow. It’s a game-changer for me!

  • Envicion Studio says:

    Thank you very much for sharing such good information! I’ve always been fascinated by the world of Advertising agency. Their ability to transform ideas into captivating campaigns is truly impressive. In today’s competitive market, partnering with a reliable agency can make a world of difference in building brand recognition.

  • Philip lot says:

    This was really helpful am very happy with this

  • Kirithika B says:

    Thanks for sharing a well articulated content. This is an end-to-end resource on brand strategy.

  • Genesis Raña says:

    This is a brilliant resource! Thank you!

  • Shehnaz says:

    A helpful and great content

  • Michelle says:

    In today’s crazy competitive world, it’s crucial for businesses to concentrate on their brand with an eagle eye to gain more attention and solidify a customer base. Brand strategy is an extremely important aspect of business marketing because it helps build a positive image for your company and establishes public interest.

  • N.M.Stephens says:

    These resources are so underrated! I have been using Column Five’s brand strategy template to help my clients tell their stories, and the results have been phenomenal. Thanks, Y’all!

    • Katy French says:

      Wow. This is our favorite kind of comment. Thanks so much for those kind words. We’re so happy to hear it works for you.

  • Lolo says:

    Looking forward to growing my expertise in branding

  • Anna says:

    Thank you SO much for all this valuable information!

  • Ranjit Gorde says:

    Hi Katy,
    Thank you for your article. It lays down such a systematic guideline to formulate branding. It is so overwhelming, yet gives steps to “eat-the-elephant-piece-by-peice”.

  • Jacob Hopper says:

    Hi Katy,

    This is a fantastic resource, thank you for putting it together. The overall organization and thoroughness is impressive. Very helpful.

    Thanks again,
    Jacob

    PS – caught a quick typo toward the end of this page…

    Under Part 4: Create Your Brand Guidelines the following sentence needs a “with”. See sentence with correction in parenthesis below.

    Maintaining quality and consistency can be a challenge, especially if you work [with] freelancers or outside agencies.

    Thanks again,
    Jacob

  • Gino Scarpino says:

    Great framework. Thank you for sharing. I would strip the word “visual” from the title of the last section, changing it to, “Design your identity.” Then, I’d also suggest adding motion, audio, and video to your list of design areas to consider. Thanks again.

  • Peter FARR says:

    I’m trying to locate the segment on Rebranding. Can you please guide me to it?

  • Createdxb says:

    Great informative article. This is such a comprehensive guide on the fundamentals. I’m a professional graphic designer and brand logo designer who creates brand identity design & strategy. Thank You ! Keep going!!

  • Michael says:

    “People do not buy goods and services. they buy relations, stories, and magic”. Please do a simple google search to see whose quote is it actually from.

  • Leads Brand Connect says:

    Thank you sharing such a useful information.

  • Carlos says:

    Very helpful and systematic.

  • Sherif Saeed Sherif says:

    Great Job Guys <3 Thank you for your efforts

  • Bhargavee says:

    Thank you so much for your guide. It is very helpful. I am planning to start a brand and came across this article. At first I was very confused about different terms like brand strategy , identity etc. But this article was very helpful. Now I am confident to start working on my own brand.

    Thank you so much once again ?

  • Tyandrah M Ashley says:

    This is an excellent article! I’m studying for my Masters in Media Design and this article helped me grasp the concept of brand strategy. I would love to know more about the background of Katy French to add this to my annotated bibliography!

    • Katy French says:

      Hi Tyandrah, so happy to hear you found this helpful. I am the Managing Editor of Column Five (a B2B-focused creative agency that helps you outshine your competition, win people’s hearts and minds, and get measurable results). I turn everything we learn from working with clients into content that people can actually understand 😉 What you’ve read here are the combined insights from our amazing agency team, filtered through me——a journalism major turned writer with an expertise in content marketing.

  • Jana Fourie says:

    Thank you so much for your guide, it has helped me briefly understand the reasons behind the different elements of a bran image. A fantastic bonus would be a guide of question to ask to define my brand. Simple questions that can lead to a better understanding of my brand and enable me to better populate my brand identity elements.

    eg. Why have you created this service or product. What is the purpose behind the sale of your services/product for both you and the customer. (speaking to brand purpose)

    Again thank you so much!

    • Katy French says:

      Thanks for the recommendation, Jana! We’re currently working on a Brand Identity toolkit that will include this type of content. Make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter to find out when it launches.

  • Gabriella says:

    This really is the most amazing thing I have come across. Thank you for making this possible. I’m about to graduate and needed some extra help in figuring some stuff out. This was worth the read!!! Plus all of the additional sources 😉

  • Gerald pagdato says:

    This is an amazing guide!! Thank you for putting this article together along with the resources!! There is a ton of value here that is worth $$$ and the best part is that it is all for free. Can’t thank you enough!

  • Addis says:

    Wow! Thank you for this incredible resource! Y’all did that!

    I’m a graphic designer transitioning into brand identity design & strategy- and this is such a comprehensive guide on the fundamentals. Then you also provide guides to download?! I’m in love!

    Thank you, thank you- because of what I’ve already implemented from this site, I was able to land my first BIG client for a re-branding project!

  • Georgie Walker says:

    This is already so helpful!!

  • Joshua Wisdom says:

    A brilliant piece. Thank you for sharing!

  • Anton Vincenz Tantoco says:

    Now THIS is comprehensive and ACTUALLY helpful. Not some vague, general thing. Thank you for this!

  • cALVIN says:

    Thanks a million for this guide, it has helped our business to build a better foundation.

  • Dominique says:

    This is the first time in my life to comment on a website/blog post, I’ve wasted too much time on other website who create an article with similar information over and over again it’s like they copied it from different websites and differ it by using different style of writing but yours are to the point, brief yet explains the detail thoroughly, very helpful guideline, it’s not all over the place, it is indeed a helpful start for a beginner like me! Thanks A LOT !

  • Taanvii says:

    This is one of the most elaborate articles I’ve come across on Brand Identity and the thought process behind it ! Thank you ! Brilliant stuff !!

  • Irina says:

    This will be the first time I ever leave a comment on a website outside social media. This is simply a lifesaver treasure that helped me realise I’m moving in the right direction. I can’t stress enough how great this information is. Endless thank you to your team. You got yourself a committed reader.

  • Yogi.g says:

    Thank you for your great research and guidance. Very helpful, I recommend these all blogs for all marketing and research team.
    Thank you so much.

  • Timothy says:

    Thank you, i really needed to read this.

  • rshad aLI says:

    First of all thanks for this treasure,and of course you are the choosen one in the future business <3

  • joey says:

    Thank you for this in depth guide!
    It helps me alot to graduate, thank you!

  • Christine says:

    Fabulous!
    So much more to go though…
    Thank you for the great guidance given.
    I’m most appreciated.
    Thank you so much!
    ______Christine__

  • Don Ole says:

    Oooh you have no Idea how much ypu habe helped Me. I am building two brands at the same time.

  • Alhassan Alzorqah says:

    You are the best , it is the first time i read something that is so easy to understand and has so much power and knowledge in it .

    thank you so much i am looking for your updating

  • lIZ says:

    This is exceptionally useful content, thanks for being so generous.

  • Julia says:

    This is by far the best breakdown of brand strategy I have come across! Thank you for sharing.

  • Manpreet says:

    Such a great post. Thanks for sharing great tips to create and brand strategy.

  • Roxana Escobar says:

    Thank you so much for all the information!!!
    All the good content helps to understand every step you have to take to delevelop a great brand strategy.
    I´m happy to have been know a little about you guys!

  • Paul says:

    This helps me so much in developing the brand of my new company! The (free) value you provide is absolutely amazing. Though I will not seek payed help now (because of the limited budget in the startup) you are the number one partner on my list for helping me to build the brand of the company in the future!

    Thanks a LOTT!!

  • Ekaidian says:

    Yo thanks guys this is gonna help lots!!!!

  • Alvin says:

    After looking around in many places to get a proper understanding and flow of brand strategy, I found your website.

    This is by far the most meaningful and in-depth presentation. Many thanks.

  • Marvin Serunjogi says:

    Katy, thank you much. This is an eye-opener for me. I have been into identity design for a while and I believe its about time I transit to strategy. I have been thinking about how to transition from a brand identity designer into a brand strategist. Your article is gold!

  • Zoe keating says:

    Thank you so much for all your fabulous FREE content that you give away. This is the best explanation I’ve found so far despite many hours online and trawling though books on Amazon I am now off to work through the tool kit for my new brand Hello Dame London.

  • Khalid says:

    What a great effort. I am so impressed. Thank you so much for building such great content & sharing. With very best wishes for you all.

  • Masahiko yagi pathfinder inc. says:

    Thanks for your great efforts to share a practical method of branding.
    Unfortunately, many companies tent to skip this important step without thinking much about what their brand should do in the future. This great share seems to be another way to convince clients effectively.

    Keep great works

    Thx again
    – Hiko

  • Rubik rental says:

    Hi, thanks for all the effort of structuring and making an incredible brand strategy guide. So clear, precise, well explained and inviting to get hands on!!!

    Hugs from Venezuela 🙂

  • Merle says:

    Truly amazing piece of content! Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to work with the toolkit for our brand.
    Keep up the good work

  • Nick Newbury says:

    This is a fabulous easy to follow guide. I have been immersing myself in brand strategy content for the past few months and this is by far the best guide I have found online. It stands up proudly against some well-known books on the subject This should definitely be made into a print book. Well done C5 and thank you.

  • Kenya Coxx says:

    So detailed. So helpful. So FREE! Itll take me a while but I plan to disect every part of this and learn.
    Thank you.

  • Nick Newbury says:

    This is an incredible guide and distills everything concisely in an easy to follow style. I’ve been educating myself in brand strategy for the past 6 months and this post stands up against some of the books I’ve been reading on the subject. And ditto what other comments have suggested – this content could become a great print book. Thanks a lot, Nick, from the UK

  • Adrian Freeman says:

    This is so very helpful! If expanded, it would be an amazing print book. The information stands tall right up next to new classics like Branding in Five and a Half Steps and Designing Brand Identity. Actually, this seems even more practical, I love it. Kudos for pushing this out to the community, what a great way to show your expertise and sophistication.

  • C Collins says:

    This. Is. Amazing. I am so lucky to have stumbled across this when my business is in its very early stages. This will help me launch on the right foot—and keep walking forward!

  • S R VIvek says:

    I have read almost every article there is on brand strategy on the internet, no kidding, I have been at it for the past 4 years. Never have I ever stumbled across an article which is so clean and informative, a job well done indeed.

    • Katy French says:

      This is so wonderful to hear! FYI, stay tuned, as we’ll be updating this later this month with an even more simplified framework and toolkit.

  • Sean o'neil says:

    Thank-you so much for this content, it has actually provided me with value. I love the way that it has been laid out, very clean and informative.

    Props!

  • Steve says:

    Excellent content and so much to value to take from this. Thank you for sharing!

  • Pally supatra says:

    Thank you so much for this!! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Greetings from Bangkok.

  • Marko says:

    Great!

    Thank you!

    M

  • Pauline Sharif says:

    Thank you so much for providing this brand strategy information. For someone who is in a graduate program taking a marketing class for the very first time, my stress level has been at an all time high. Your explanation and step by step breakdown helped to relieve my stress and give me a better understanding of what I have to do. You explained better than my professor and I am grateful.

    • Katy French says:

      That makes us SO happy to hear, Pauline. We felt the same frustration, which is why we set out to simplify it for ourselves and our clients. Best of luck (and less stress) in your graduate program.

  • Stephan Weckschmied says:

    Hi, thanks for this amazing content. I have one question though: How do you close the gap between your B2B and B2C messaging when your are selling to dealers only. The value proposition and benefits for a dealer of working with a company differ from those of the end consumer. Would you make have multiple value propositions for B2B and B2C or would you always focus on the end consumers benefits?
    Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

    • Katy French says:

      Hi Stephan, good question. Your main value prop should be geared to your direct customers (e.g., dealers). However, depending on your target segments, you can have one tailored to the end consumer as well.

  • Greg says:

    The most helpful addition to my swipe file in many a moon. Thanks for sharing such valuable insight, Katy.

  • Shamini says:

    I cannot put it in words how helpful and insightful was this article for me to easily navigate through the complex brand strategy steps. Thank you for writing this Katy. I’ll always look forward to read more from you. 🙂

    • Katy French says:

      That’s so nice to hear, Shamini! We’re always trying to make things easier to understand. Good luck on your strategy!

  • George Iramu says:

    Thank you very much for these few pointers! I will definately do up my Strategy.

  • Oyin says:

    Very clear and straightfoward approach to crafting brand strategy for an entrepreneur.

  • Tanyaradzwa Masasi says:

    Hie Guys,

    Thank you for this. May all you do in the future be successful. I was stranded as I am embarking on this new journey of offering brand strategy in my agency. I am grateful, eternally so for giving me the guide.

    Thank you.

  • Jess M. says:

    This is a fantastic article and step-by-step guide to building a brand strategy. Thank you so much for 1) putting it together and 2) sharing it. It’s absolute gold! You weren’t on my radar before, but for any future agency needs I will definitely reach out.

  • jen says:

    Wow. This is a fantastic resource, thank you so much for putting it together like this. A step-by-step guide to help any business be better.

  • Michele says:

    Hi Katy, great article. Are you available for hire to help with a tagline? We have a two to three day timeframe in which to come up with something. Thanks.

  • Che L W says:

    Absolutely informative and helpful! Thank-you!

  • Nicola says:

    Hello! First of all thanks for the effort, the guide is awesome!
    I’m using it to develop the desired brand strategy for a brand that does not yet exist. In this context, how to tackle 10) Brand Guidelines ? I see that part applying more to an existing brand. Checked the link to https://brand.columnfivemedia.com/ as suggested, and that is more an example of brand guidelines for an estabilished brand. If 10) as it is is not applicable, what to do instead? I’m thinking to a series of guidelines to be given to a creative agency for the brand creation. Thanks 🙂

    • Katy French says:

      Hi Nicola, Good question. Even if the product/service hasn’t gone to market, you would still follow the same steps. Your brand guidelines are simply the final output of your branding work–a succinct way to describe who you are, how you talk about yourself, and how you present yourself visually. If you are working with an agency to design your visual identity, the elements you’ve outlined will influence the execution of your visual identity (things like your core identity, etc.). Ultimately, you want guidelines that are comprehensive enough to give content creators, designers, etc. the direction they need to communicate your brand through all touchpoints. You can see our visual identity checklist to make sure you have the elements needed to do so: https://www.columnfivemedia.com/everything-to-include-visual-identity. Hope that helps!

  • Iva says:

    Very nice and helpful article. Thank you!

  • Lojain says:

    This is so helpful! Thanks for the efforts 🙂

  • Pedro says:

    This is the best article about brand strategy I have ever read. Amazing work!

  • Berta says:

    really helpful! Thank you!!

  • Sharon says:

    Very practical and helpful. Thank you

  • PYRY says:

    Love your blogs, these are really helpful

  • Lamia says:

    Thank you for this helpful article. I learnt so much

  • Nikolay @gosubb says:

    Thank you for this. I love how Brand Guideline is not until #10 on the list. I cannot agree more!! The actual assets are a by-product of brand strategy. Great info.

  • Bola A. says:

    I have often Struggled with the right process. This is very clear cut, precise and objective.

  • frida says:

    This is a gem!

  • B Kittles says:

    Really great stuff here. Thanks for the read and powerful ideas.

  • Adejola Afeez says:

    Thanks so much for this great article.

  • RANDY says:

    Super helpful post on a really important topic. Thanks for putting this together!

  • TRAVIS KEITH says:

    This is incredibly well articulated, and something that has been top-of-mind lately. Thanks for distilling this down and making it easy to understand.

  • Christopher G. says:

    Thank you for including the templates Katy. It really helps get started 🙂

  • Paul A. says:

    Most articles I’ve read focus on one of the many facets that go into developing a brand. This article is all-encompassing and had me taking many screenshot reminders as I read through it. Thanks for the helpful exercises.

  • Lynn says:

    Thank you for the templates! These are really helpful.

  • Megan says:

    This is awesome, thanks for sharing. That Marty Neumeier book is great!

  • Jennifer says:

    I have been round and round trying to find something I can wrap my head around. This is super useful. Thanks!