The billion dollar brands we swoon over, as both marketers and consumers, didn’t become brand all stars in the blink of an eye. They understood that a brand isn’t something that you rollout once with haste and forget about. What does a strategic brand growth plan look like? How can you properly pace your growth while still achieving your goals?

1. A Strategic Approach To Brand Growth
SHAPE

2. Why Brand Growth Matters
A Strategic Brand Foundation
Implementing Your Brand
Protecting Your Brand Equity
Brand Growth Round Up
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3. Why Brand Growth Matters
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4. Leadership teams often interchange the terms “brand growth” and
“sprint race.” Always chasing revenue streams, those who succeed
with brands effectively and strategically understand how to craft
a plan for brand growth that is built specifically for their business
goals and objectives. Successful business owners also understand
that brand equity is not generally earned overnight—though in
some rare cases of luck it is—but, instead, takes time.

5. There’s not one off-the-shelf solution for
brand growth. Detail out a plan for brand
growth that fits your unique
differentiators and strengths.
Crissy Saint, Sr. Communications Strategist

6. Building A Strategic
Foundation
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7. With a business plan in-hand, most entrepreneurs are eager to dive
right into to crafting their vision and bringing their ideas to life
sooner than later; however, the art of crafting a business foundation
entails much more than launching a website. We recommend that
brand managers don’t put the cart before the horse; instead, take
the time to conduct research and clarify your brand goals.

8. Business plans should work in tandem with brand and
marketing strategies, which is why it’s important to ensure
your business plan is accurately outlining your
to-market timeline, goals, and budgets before you even
begin to think about brand. This is the core of your
operational strategy and is key to ensuring future business
and brand growth.
With a solid business plan in place, we generally work with
clients to better understand their industry and the market-
place for their new venture. As a new venture, there’s no
way to compare data/metrics or survey existing custom-
ers—but there are ways we can gain insight regarding your
competitors, the landscape, your differentiators, and how
potential customers might perceive your business plan.
With a solid understanding of the gaps and opportunities
that exist for both your business and your brand, it’s now
time to develop the core messaging that will represent
your brand and its personality. This includes descriptor,
tagline, positioning, vision, and mission statement—all
elements that are crucial to your brand’s ability to reso-
nate with its identified target audience. Your tagline may
not become Nike’s “Just Do It” overnight, but it lays the
groundwork for brand recognition in the future.
AUDIT YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
KNOW YOUR MARKET
CRAFT YOUR BRAND STRATEGY

9. Implementing Your Brand The
Right Way
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10. Once your brand foundation is in place, it makes sense for a
brand to start plotting out its rollout on the channels that make
the most sense. How can you best tell your brand story? Is there
an appropriate time to launch a new brand or a rebranded
company? Identifying a roadmap before getting behind the wheel
is key to ensuring your brand sees future growth.

11. Creating a gantt chart for your overall brand
implementation strategy is not a half-bad idea, in
fact—it can save you time and money down the line.
A gantt chart will help you properly identify how your
brand is rolled out both internally and to the public.
It may also include rollouts of child brands or product
brands based on the unique brand architecture
associated with your business.
Once you have at least a loose outline of brand rollout
timing, which can span over a year period—the next
step is to identify the channels on which your brand’s
story will be told. Often these channels work together
to craft a cohesive, consistent pipeline for your brand
that augment your brand story over time. Digital and
traditional work hand-in-hand to help unveil your brand
to the world.
Both inside your company and externally, a successful
brand rollout is almost always driven by people are
wholly committed to your brand’s vision, mission, and
culture. These people work as your brand ambassadors
from day one and will become a steering committee of
sorts further along in the process when your brand is
being actualized. Having the right people in place to
steward your brand toward strategic growth is key.
TIMELINE YOUR FUTURE
KNOW YOUR CHANNELS
HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE
IN PLACE

12. On Protecting Your
Brand Equity
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13. Brand equity is a core tenant of brand growth; after all, without
any brand recognition it’s hardly likely you’ll be achieving your
goals. If you’ve laid a strategic brand foundation and properly
implemented your brand, it’s now time to protect the integrity
of your brand with all hands on deck. A shift in how your brand
is perceived can devastate the equity of your brand and demean
its worth among customers and partners.

14. A brand can, and should, evolve over time. As the mar-
ketplace or industry sees change, your brand should re-
spond in the appropriate manners. There’s a difference,
however, with strategically responding to a change in
landscape and mutating your brand on a whim. Every
action your brand takes will have an impact on your
brand growth—make decisions based on data.
A brand shouldn’t be left on a shelf to collect dust once
the oohs and ahs are over and it’s been launched to the
public. Most large corporations include a Chief Brand
Officer in their organizational structure who ensures the
brand is held true and implemented correctly through
daily programs and campaigns. Even if you’re a small
business, know that a brand can easily go astray when
not routinely monitored.
Most companies begin to see a decline in their growth
when the try too hard to be who they aren’t. It might
be easy to chase shiny new revenue opportunities, but
consumers don’t take it lightly when they feel they’ve
been wronged by a brand that changes face. Be genu-
ine and follow your brand strategy in order to effectively
grow your brand over time.
STRATEGICALLY EVOLVE
YOUR BRAND
MONITOR YOUR BRAND
STAY GENUINE

15. Need a partner to help ensure your brand
sees steady growth? Connect With MM
Brand Agency For Additional Insight
MMBRANDAGENCY.COM HELLO@MMBRANDAGENCY.COM TEL 917 626 8270
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