It’s been a long time since I posted something new – which, at least for me, is a good thing.
In brief, I’ve been busy. As a brand strategy consultant, I help agencies on a contractual as-needed basis give their work more strategic and messaging punch. Lately, I’ve been working with eDesign Interactive by starting their brand websites and other digital experiences with a strategy.
The Clients page lists some of the work, but let’s give you a little background.
Most design agencies don’t have a brand strategy. They have a CREATIVE strategy, but design can’t carry the load by itself. The brand messaging works hand-in-hand with the creative strategy so clients are proud of their brand and preferred by target audiences.
You can learn more about that process here.
A few brand website examples
There are many examples of how this approach has worked, so I won’t list them all.
Let me just give you a few examples.
Sekure Merchants is a payment processing provider, building the POS systems and back office that make small and medium-sized businesses profit. Like many industries, the players in this one focus on features and benefits. Meaning, they dig deep into all the bells and whistles that a retailer can use.
But those messages are largely ignored. For one thing, the benefits are basically the same no matter who a retailer chooses. Yes, there are some differences. But it doesn’t matter. Why?
Because retailers don’t even want to think about it. They are too busy to pick through all the things they have to do to make it work to their benefit. They just don’t want to worry.
“No Worries Here.” It sounds simple, but this brand theme permeates the entire Sekure brand website. The Sekure customer is someone who doesn’t have to worry. Those retailers can get on with running their business without the hassle and complexity the competitors suggest.
Another brand website example
Fastmail is an email provider that’s the anti-Gmail. It protects your privacy, doesn’t sell your information, makes you more productive and allows you to customize your email experience.
Now, you’re probably thinking, “Who cares about email?”
You are right. That’s the highest emotional intensity. So, to prompt a change, you have to make it personal. Inertia is often the main hurdle to adoption for any brand. Humans don’t wanna change.
“Make Emails Yours.” That brand theme tells audiences that they own their email. Google doesn’t. Neither does everyone else. Only you.
From that emotional brand theme, the story of the Fastmail brand website follows. As the home page says, Reclaim your email with customization. Reclaim your privacy and your time (productivity).
I can help
There are a handful of brand websites where you can see that my strategy created a compelling story and increased engagement: Turner Construction, Synack, Blackrock Neurotech, and others.
If you’re a digital agency, I can help with your efforts too. Actually, brand strategy is important for any marketing endeavor. A strategy tells the story from the point of view of the customer. So if you’re an agency with clients that are looking to rebrand, find the right brand message or uncover the perfect start to their website, reach out to me at mikevanausdeln@outlook.com.
You’ll be proud that you did.