A brand is much more than a logo. It is the roadmap your business uses to define relationships with all stakeholders in a business?from customers to vendors to investors and employees. It helps direct the graphic designer, advertising agency, marketing firm, and PR firm to spread your message with consistency and begin the process of building relationships.

At a very simple level, ?branding? is about finding THE RIGHT IDEA, and then GETTING THE IDEA RIGHT.

A carefully considered and designed brand strategy will create value for all stakeholders.

To get the strategic positioning of a brand just right, a thorough discovery is required. A good brand consultant will strive to understand your company: its vision, products, personality and vibe ? the intangibles are just as useful to us as the logistics of the business plan when it comes to developing a brand.

The main components of brand strategy include:

Research
Since a brand is about your relationships with all of your key stakeholders, it makes sense to talk to them. The research phase of branding is an in-depth study of how your stakeholders? define their relationship with you. Through this research, a message can be crafted that speaks directly to the concerns of your stakeholders.

Message Development
Finding the right language to express the unique qualities of your brand helps to create compelling and meaningful consumer experiences. The process of developing architecture around language creates a guiding document that helps keep all brand stakeholders, and especially your customers, ?on-message.?

Strategic Planning
A plan for integrating your brand is sometimes referred to as a ?Brand Map.? This document identifies all points of contact your business has with it's stakeholders and defines the best way to reach out to them with your messaging.

Brand Integration
Integration of your brand into every aspect of your business helps all key stakeholders learn to speak about your business the same way you understand it.