Who this is for:
If you’ve ever felt like a brand is just a logo and a few ads, and you aren’t sure how that ‘meaning’ actually drives growth - this post is for you.
Founders, marketers, and consultants building brands from scratch — especially in early-stage startups, D2C, or niche B2B categories.
If you are trying to grow a business which doesn’t seem like a conventional ‘brand marketing’ kind of a business (Vending machines, law firms, private tutors, industrial automation, fitness coaches, marketing agencies etc) - this post is DEFINITELY for you.
Many rush to market with a product + a logo, a tagline, and a few ads.
But without strategy, they’re just guessing.
Before you market, you need a brand. Before you build a brand, you need a business.
🧠 The Strategy Stack
Let’s get the order right:
Layer | What It Defines | When to Build It |
Business Strategy | What you do, who you serve, how you win | First — it’s the foundation |
Brand Strategy | How you show up, what you promise, why you matter | Second — it gives shape to your business |
Marketing Strategy | How you communicate, grow, and convert | Third — it brings the brand to life |
This issue focuses on the first two layers. Marketing strategy comes later.
🧱 Step 1: Build Your Business Strategy
Before defining your brand, understand your business — not just what you sell, but how you win.
1. Clarify your business model
This isn’t just “we sell sunglasses” (or legal services). It’s about the mechanics of value creation.
Ask:
What problem do we solve?
Who pays for it?
What’s our moat?
Examples:
Skincare brand: “We help Gen Z manage acne with clean, affordable skincare. Our edge: formulation transparency + community-led development.”
Industrial firm: “We reduce factory downtime via predictive maintenance. Our edge: plug-and-play integration with legacy systems.”
2. Define your strategic posture
This is how you want to be perceived and positioned.
Ask:
Are we a challenger, premium player, or legacy reinventor?
Examples:
Challenger: “We crowdsource every formula.”
Premium: “We craft hand-finished furniture for design-conscious homeowners.”
Legacy reinventor: “Modernizing compliance for mid-market finance.”
3. Choose your core audience
If you try to sell to everyone, either you will end up creating something generic, or (most likely AND) you will burn a lot of cash in trying to convince and acquire new customers. Your best shot is to choose the segment where you can win — and go deep.
Ask:
Who are they?
What do they care about?
What shapes their decisions?
Examples:
Skincare: “Young professionals with sensitive skin, seeking clean ingredients and visible results.”
Enterprise SaaS: “Operations leads in mid-sized firms who want automation without disrupting legacy workflows.”
🎯 Step 2: Shape Your Brand Strategy
Once your business strategy is clear, your brand strategy gives it emotional and cultural leverage. This is your emotional operating system.
This isn’t just about tone, colors or font styles — it’s about defining your (UN)FAIR ADVANTAGE (read as strategic differentiation).
1. Start with audience tensions and insights
Ask:
What belief, fear, or unmet need drives their decisions?
Examples:
Home fitness: “I want to work out at home, but I struggle with motivation and consistency.”
Law firm: “I need help but don’t want to feel judged.”
2. Define how your brand resolves that tension
This includes:
The product or service you offer
The benefit it delivers
The emotional payoff it creates
Examples:
Skincare: “Natural + clinically tested. Results without compromise.”
Home fitness: “Personalized workout plans with built-in accountability.”
3. Articulate your brand’s promise
Your brand promise is the belief your audience should hold after interacting with you — the emotional shorthand for what you consistently deliver - how do you want them to THINK and FEEL about you?
Think → What outcome do you deliver?
Feel → What belief should they hold?
Examples:
D2C apparel brand:
→ Think → “I can always find clothes that fit my body and my style.”
→ Feel → “This brand gets me.”Law firm:
→ Think → “They make me feel like I have a safe place where I can be open about my challenges.”
→ Feel → “I feel clear, without feeling intimidated..”
4. Shape your brand personality
This is how your brand behaves, speaks, and shows up — always - never break character.
Ask:
Are we bold or reassuring?
Precise or playful?
A guide, challenger, or partner?
Your personality must reflect both your audience’s expectations and your strategic posture.
(Check out the 12 brand archetypes if you want to do this more methodically - just google it)
5. Define your strategic differentiation - your (un)fair advantage
This is where your brand earns attention and trust.
It’s not just what makes you different — it’s what makes you valuable and hard to ignore.
Ask:
What do we offer that competitors don’t — or can’t?
What do our customers consistently praise or choose us for?
What part of our experience, product, or promise is hardest to replicate?
Examples:
Skincare: “Clean ingredients + peer-reviewed science. We publish our data.”
Financial services firm:
→ “We offer personalized compliance solutions for mid-market firms — with guaranteed turnaround times.”
→ Differentiation: speed + specialization + accountability.
🛠️ What You Can Do This Week
Block one hour. Use it to sketch the foundation of your brand strategy. You don't need to get it perfect. You just need to get it down.
Use this template - it then becomes your DNA - your launchpad for your marketing strategy. This snapshot should also be a part of your briefs for not just the brand name, logo, taglines, colors - but also product briefs.
🧱 Business Strategy
Prompts | Your inputs |
What problem do you solve? | |
Who pays for it? | |
Why do you win? (your moat) | |
Strategic posture (challenger, premium, legacy reinventor) |
🎯 Brand Strategy
Prompts | Your inputs |
Core audience (who they are, what they care about, context) | |
Audience tension (belief, fear, unmet need) | |
Brand resolution (how you solve it, benefit, emotional payoff) | |
Brand promise (what you want them to think and feel) | |
Brand personality (tone, behavior, archetype) | |
Strategic differentiation (what makes you valuable and hard to ignore) |
🔜 What’s Next in Marketing Matters
Issue #3: How to realign brand strategy for mass brands — without blowing it up
Issue #4: How to build marketing strategy — for both new and mass brands
💬 Final Thought
Your brand isn’t just what you say. It’s what you systematize.
When you define it clearly, you don’t just look better — you grow smarter, faster, and more defensible.
Brand strategy isn’t decoration. It’s leverage.
(If you know anyone who is trying to buid a business which doesnt feel very ‘brand marketing’ like - share this with them. And if you / they still struggle to adapt the approach, reply to this email and reach out)
