From the beloved stories and characters of Walt Disney to the unforgettable experience of visiting a Disney theme park, the company has built a massive global brand. But it didn't happen by accident. In order to achieve such pervasive brand recognition, Disney put a lot of time and effort into crafting a detailed brand strategy. 

And you can do the same for your business with these five steps:

Know Your Target Audience 

The first step in creating your brand strategy is to identify who your target audience is. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's important to be as specific as possible. After all, you can't market effectively to everyone. By narrowing in on a target audience, you'll be able to create messaging that resonates and drives results.

Understand Your Competitors

Once you know who your target audience is, it's time to take a close look at your competition. What are they doing well? Where are they falling short? How can you position your company in a way that sets you apart from the rest? When crafting your brand strategy, it's important to have a clear understanding of the competitive landscape.  

Determine Your Differentiators 

What makes your company unique? Whether it's your product, your people, or your history, there's something that sets you apart from the competition. And that's what you need to focus on in your brand strategy. What do you want people to associate with your company? What promise do you want to make to customers? Answering these questions will help you hone in on what makes your company special—and worth doing business with. 

Create an Elevator Pitch 

An "elevator pitch" is a brief summary of what your company does and why someone should buy from you. It should be concise and easy to understand—something you could easily explain during a quick elevator ride (hence the name). Creating an elevator pitch is an essential part of putting together your brand strategy because it will help you distill what you do into its most basic form—and make it easy for others to understand and remember.  

Develop Key Messaging

Now that you know who your target audience is, what sets you apart from competitors, and what overall message you want to communicate, it's time for some copywriting! Drafting key marketing materials like website content, brochures, email blasts, and social media posts will help ensure that everyone who comes into contact with your company receives a consistent message about what you do and why they should care.

Being thoughtful about your brand strategy is one of the most important things you can do for your business—no matter its size or industry. By taking the time to develop messaging and materials that reflect your unique value proposition, differentiators, and voice, you'll be setting yourself up for long-term success. So don't delay—start working on your brand strategy today!