There is no secret, it's just Brand Strategy

"what exactly do you do, again?"

Gotcha.

Hi, I’m Madeline Diane. When people ask me what I do and I say that I’m a marketing consultant & brand strategist, I sometimes get the puzzled look:

If they’re not an entrepreneur or c-level, I just say “marketing plans, ad campaigns, funnels, lots of numbers, nothing exciting.”

But nothing could be further from the truth because it is the most exciting thing on this planet (besides cheese) to me!

I was born. for. this.

To be a brand strategist is to:

1. Create happy, life-long, loyal customers for my clients. Here’s the secret to how I do that.

2. Ensure my clients’ businesses reach fiscal growth ASAFP (as soon as flippin’ possible). Get out of the red, into the black.

3. Help my clients decipher their own data & reports so they can make smarter decisions and reach their goals faster.

4. Make sure that my clients’ goals are even SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, & Relevant.

5. Ideate, Plan, & Execute successful marketing campaigns that move the masses and make history.¹

Literal dream job. Costco didn’t accept my application for being Master Cheese Sampler, unfortunately.

However, if you’re an entrepreneur or a business leader of any sort, and you ask me:

“What exactly do you do again?”

… then I answer like this:

Brand Strategy is the root of all Marketing decisions that a company makes. Every company has one, whether they’ve identified it or not. What’s worse is when a company neglects to develop a full brand strategy and it suffers as a result. I’ll tell you what a developed brand strategy needs to include…

But first, let’s talk about the essential components of your organization's Strategic Plan:

A Business Strategic Plan includes:

• Operations {If you’re still reading, you’re probably in this function somehow…}

• Human Resources

• Finance {…or here. I promise that Finance & Marketing can be great friends. I’ve seen it happen.}

• Sales²

• Marketing {...this is where I come in!}

• Junk-Drawer Organization³

To get the highest return on your marketing plan, it must be built on your Brand Strategy that contains all of these parts. I’m going to repeat this two more times for the speed readers:

To get the highest return on your marketing plan, it must be built on your Brand Strategy that contains all of these parts:

To get THE HIGHEST return on your marketing plan, IT MUST be built on your Brand Strategy that contains ALL OF THESE PARTS:

Brand Strategy:

Hint: all of this should be in your Brand Strategy. Don’t have one? I can fix that.

1. Purpose & Mission: If you can’t clearly define it, we have some homework to do.

2. Market Research & Audits: This is our homework.

3. Target Audience & Segmentation: Now we can identify your audience and read them like a book. People are predictable.⁴

4. Product & Pricing Strategy: Let’s make sure your offering is irresistible.

5. Sales & Promotion Strategy: We need a fail-safe check-list of how to lead your predictable audience to your irresistible product. Every sales action must be trackable somehow.

6. Distribution Channels: We’re only going to go fishing where your favorite type of fish are spending most of their cute little fishy-time. Plenty of fish in the sea. And the sea is an expensive place to cast a reel. Let’s fish wisely.

7. Key Performance Indicators: What data points are you tracking so you can see your progress, or worse? Numbers don’t lie.

8. Rinse & Repeat: Yes, people follow predictable patterns. But those patterns can (& do) change. Anticipate the change before it happens, and then change with them. This is where a Strategist shows they are worth their salt.⁵

After defining your Brand Strategy, you can pre-plan & shape the experiences consumers will encounter when they engage with your brand through all of their senses:

Creative Brand Direction:

Hint: all of this should be in your Brand Kit. Don’t have one? I can fix that.

1. Sight⁶: Visual identity (logos, color schemes, typography), Packaging design, Visual advertising (billboards, online ads, TV commercials), Social media visuals

2. Sound: Jingles and music, Voice and tone in communications, Soundmarks (unique sounds associated with the brand)

3. Smell: Scent marketing in stores or products, Signature scents developed for brand identity

4. Taste: Product sampling, Edible merchandising, Signature flavors

5. Touch: Product design and texture, Packaging texture and quality

Once your Branding Strategy & Creative Direction is fully developed, it can then be applied to all of your marketing materials & promotions that involve any of the following:

360 Marketing:

Public Relations: Most organizations outsource this to a firm.

Earned & Paid Media⁷: I build campaigns you can afford.

Print & Digital Media: Most businesses start here. You start with strategy. But yes, you’re going to need a designer.⁸

Event Planning & Coordination: Streaming or In-Person, this is a big-lift but a big-win, even after COVID-19. Reconsider this if you haven’t already.

Brick & Mortar Location Design & Signage: If it’s not “on-brand,” it doesn’t belong. Toss it. I’ll bring the customers to you, it’s your job to keep them. They’re expecting a great time, so give them one!

Point of Purchase: This experience is the crux. What emotions do you need your audience to feel when they swipe their card or sign the check? Yes, I’ll be analyzing that too.

Sales Collateral & Office Materials: And you thought you just needed a business card. Now you’re getting a Brand Strategy!? Go you!

It’s really neat that you’re still reading. It’s cool to be curious!

For the past 15 years, I have served clients in the following industries:

Healthcare

Law & Professional Services

Non-profits

Artists & Events

Telecommunications & IT

Energy & Mining

University & Higher Learning

Real Estate & Brokerage

I have experience in all of the services and industries listed above, but here’s where I continue to shine:

1. Above-average CTR, Reach, & Engagement %

2. Budget-based Marketing Plans

3. Team Management & Training

4. Custom-built automated workflows & cross-platform integrations

5. Lead Funnel Generation & Troubleshooting

6. Organic Viral Social Strategies: Earned Media Tactics

7. Advanced Ad Targeting

8. Consumer Psychology: Market Trend Analysis, Single Purchase Buyer Behavior

9. AI Integration: Optimized for Data Privacy, Security, & Accuracy

No matter where your organization stands, I'm prepared to dive in and elevate your marketing and branding efforts. The first step?

A comprehensive audit to pinpoint SWOT, your brand’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Let me know when you’re ready to get started! Or even when you’re ready to get ready… I can help you in that in-between space, too!

If you’d like to browse through my methodology, here are some topics that serve as my foundation and approach to Brand Strategy:

1. Human Psychology of the 16 Brain Types, Brain Anatomy & Lobe-Function, & Neuroscience of Human Motivations & Behavior

2. The Intersection of Empathy, Serotonin, & Mirror-Neurons

3. Child Brain Development & The Effects of Adult C-PTSD on Modern Economics

4. Western vs Eastern Philosophy & Ethics

5. Historical Economics: The Impact of The Renaissance Era, & The Industrial Revolution vs The Internet Revolution

6. Social Research & the Pitfalls of Statistics

7. Generational Pattern Theory & The Power of Tradition

8. Color Theory & Graphic Design

9. Music Theory & the Hz of Human Emotion

10. The Gender Revolution & The Effects of “Inclusive Marketing”

11. Brand Photography, Universal Body Language, Facial Mapping

12. Copywriting 101: Etymology & The Science of Language

13. Calculus, Excel 101, Python, Data Analysis, & Automations

14. Web Development: HTML, CSS3, Javascript, PHP, not to mention SEO

15. Google Analytics and the dreaded new GA4, Facebook Pixel

16. Social Media Suites & Analytic Monitoring Dashboards

17. KPI’s that Actually Count (… no more fluff!)

You tell me the Point B you want to get to, and I’ll show you where you stand now, Point A, and the steps your organization needs to take next. I’ll even shoulder most of the work and hold your hand til we get there.

You’ve got this!

xoxo,

MD

P.S. I know that was A LOT to digest, but if there’s one thing I want you to remember, it’s this…

Footnotes:

1. See, I told you being a Brand Strategist is cool. And no, I’m not exaggerating. My current average collective reach per year (through my clients’ audiences) is over 15 million, tracked & measured. If a campaign goes viral: I have reached as many as 40k people in six hours, 3 million people in 48hrs, & 8 million people in just 36 hours. Together, with my clients, I’ve shaped individuals, businesses, schools, rural & urban communities, states, and even national political policy & senate bills.

2. No, Sales is not Marketing. Yes, you do need a separate Marketing Plan so that your Sales efforts actually convert to, I don’t know… a sale?

3. I’m getting the feeling we have a similar sense of humor.

4. I know, I know. That makes me sad, too. But alas, here we are.

5. If you feel like your marketing efforts are underperforming, it’s time to revisit this step… If you’re puzzled why your campaigns aren’t driving the results you want, it’s also time to revisit this step…

6. When you say the word “brand,” most people will think of the visuals. You’re smarter than that, because your brand’s creative design choices are rooted in your already developed Brand Strategy, right? No? That’s why I’m here. Let’s fix that.

7. Know which to engage and when. Paid media placements should enhance your “organic” or earned media performance. If you have low earned-media, figure out why first.

8. Hint: I have 15 years experience with Photoshop as a graphic designer too. One-stop shop!