Today, the ability to fully gather your resources and direct them to achieve your goals is more important than ever. For brands, that means the distance between strategy and execution. It is where most businesses falter. Below are five points we’ve put together for you to consider when shortening the distance.

1. Find your footing
   Re-centering your organization to its purpose can be clarifying and reassuring. Your center is your foundation–your organizing principle. No matter what form it takes – be it a brand model, definition, promise, positioning, or narrative or whatever – it is your most important tool. A lens to focus and filter, the more clear it is to your organization the more efficient and effective your brand will be. 

   Things to consider—Does your brand strategy align with your business strategy? Is it robust—authentic to you, relevant to your audiences, and differentiating amongst your competitors? Could it be simpler?

2. Assess your tools
   A clear brand strategy should illuminate any gaps that may exist. Use your lens to evaluate everything—your visual appearance, the messages you say and the actions you take. Take note where things are misaligned or falling short and decide whether the gaps are due to the tools, the people, or the processes that support them?

   Things to consider—Do employees understand your brand? Do they have the adequate tools to support it? Does your current messaging bridge your brand strategy and the audiences it must reach? Is your visual system aligned to your organization’s personality? Do your brand guidelines capture your strategy and expression while also educating those who need to extend it?

3. Plan your way forward
   Plot out what needs to be done and think through the fundamentals—what, when, by who, and at what cost. Prioritize your activities—not everything needs to be done tomorrow and for sure some things won’t get done quickly. Set your brand up for success—most likely you’re being asked to do more with less so evaluate what is actually achievable and what is going to give you the best bang for your buck.

   Things to consider—What needs to be done? When does it need to be completed? Who will do the work? How much will it cost? How important is it and what should you focus on first?

4. Set incremental goals and points of reevaluationDon’t overreach, you don’t want to get too far ahead only to find that the landscape moved underneath you. Setting incremental goals and evaluation points gives you the ability to demonstrate progress and build momentum while also ensuring that you can adapt to change as needed. 

   Things to consider—How can these changes be broken down into phases or steps? At what points should we check for alignment?

5. Commit to it
   Sometimes the hardest part but with a clear purpose and a solid plan, you can move ahead confidently. Commit to your plan, focus on executing with quality and timeliness.

   Things to consider—Does everyone understand their role in this change? Are we on schedule? Is management behind these changes and the resources to achieve them? How are we communicating these changes and how are we educating what change has occurred? How are we evaluating success?

If you’d like to talk about finding your footing in this challenging time then we’re ready to listen, roll up our sleeves and get to work. Feel free to reach out to us at your earliest convenience.