By the time you finish this free online course: Developing Your Brand Strategy, you will have a polished brand strategy that will give the the competitive edge.

Developing a brand strategy can be one of the most difficult steps in the marketing plan process. It’s often the element that causes most businesses the biggest challenge, but it’s a vital step in creating the company identity.

Your brand identity will be repeatedly communicated, in multiple ways with frequency and consistency throughout the life of your business.

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Branding used to be the preserve of the consumer goods manufacturers, but today even the smallest business organisation, or not-for-profit organisations, must be aware of their brand image. This is how your customers see you, and sets the operating style for the organisation. A badly handled enquiry, or a hard to use website, may kill a sale long before you get an opportunity to bid for the business.

Re-branding?, with a new name or logo, does not come cheap and may prove to be a waste of money. It is not a quick fix for deeper problems. The value of a strong brand lies in the impression left with anyone who comes into contact with the organisation.

The issue is that people often only see the brand as the image that is used by the marketing communication department. This is a big mistake ? particularly if there is a mismatch with the culture. It can be a reason why staff from other departments feel that the marketing department is in a world of its own.