Branding Strategy
Introduction & Jargon Busters
This is a brief ArtMakers Introduction into Branding Strategy plus Jargon Busters
For more detailed information please register to see ArtMakers Branding Strategy – Some Details
What is a branding Strategy?
A branding strategy is a plan to reach long term goals within your business, for example, if your goal is to reach 100 sales in the first year and have an established audience reach, then creating a branding strategy/plan will help you to focus on how to accomplish this.
Why do you need a branding strategy?
A Branding strategy can help focus your brand/business to reach your dream customers.
In the first instance the Persona Branding document can help identify your dream customer, along with their needs/desires, concerns, fears/frustrations and personal situation. Once you have identified these, you can use a branding strategy to create a plan on how to engage and ultimately sell to that customer.
It would be easy to imagine that for the most part when selling your art, that your customers ethos, needs, concerns etc would be similar to your own. However, it is good to determine this and the differences, for example, if your dream customer is quite a bit older than you, they will most likely access content and buy art differently to how you may currently sell and promote your Art. If you identify your dream customer as a fine art collector then how you conduct your business and shape your branding will possibly mean the difference between success or failure in appealing to this clientele.
From how to present yourself on social media, to how you communicate with potential buyers, design your logo and website and even to the materials you use to create your Art, you should take into account whether this will attract or put off your dream customer.
Jargon Busters
What is a Branding Persona?
A Branding Persona is the persona of your dream customer. A Branding Persona worksheet can help identify the persona of your dream customer, what their needs/desires, fears/Frustrations, concerns and situation may be. Link to ArtMakers: Persona Mapping.
What is a Branding Strategy?
A Branding Strategy is a long-term plan to achieve a series of long-term goals that ultimately results in engaging and selling work or services to your dream customer.
What do you mean by Dream Customer?
A dream customer is who you identify as your perfect customer. You may identify that you have several dream customers, and you may need to create separate branding strategies for each.
What do you mean by needs/desires, fear/frustrations, concerns and situation of a customer?
Here is an example of the how this list may be applied to your dream customer.
Needs – The customer needs something, e.g they need to buy a birthday present.
Desires – They desire to buy a birthday present from a local independent business.
Fears – They find shopping online overwhelming.
Frustrations – Because they find online shopping overwhelming, they get frustrated if a sales site is complicated.
Concerns – The gift not arriving in time for the birthday
Situation – They are in their late 60’s, they care about supporting local, they may be retired so they only have a pension for income.
How would you make it easy for this type of customer to buy from you? Some possible answers.
Needs –You make a range of work that is accessible via an online shop, you also perhaps advertise in the local newspaper, radio, or via groups that your dream customer may connect with and you also sell in a shop or gallery.
Desires – You fit their desire of being an independent local business and your make sure this message is consistent throughout your business activities and advertising.
Fears – You have an online shop, as well as a way of taking sales via telephone and you have work for sale in a shop and or gallery.
Frustrations – Your website is easy to use and supportive of someone who is not confident with technology. You advertise where else they can purchase your work and also have clear contact information which you respond to quickly.
Concerns – You have a next day delivery option or you advise them on where else to go to buy your work.
Situation – You have done all the above so that the situation of your customer is not a barrier to them buying your work.
I hope you found this overview useful – you can give us a thumbs up below, or not – For more information on Branding Strategy and much more REGISTER with ArtMakers.
Downloads
Branding Strategy Intro & Jargon Busters