🧠 From brain dump to coherent brand
A freelance copywriter's brand fundamentals for building a solid messaging strategy.
📚 In this post:
✅ A peek into my world of brand strategy.
✅ An introduction to my “brand fundamentals" (and what I include inside my client brand messaging guides).
✅ Real client examples of mission statements, taglines, and more.
Short on time? Scroll to the TL;DR at the end for the gist. Let’s dive in.
Brand messaging strategy establishes a foundation for your brand, allowing you to center your values, connect with your ideal client, and cultivate a unified brand voice across any channel.
As a copywriter, my brand strategy service has two phases:
Phase One: Brand Strategy
This includes an in-depth questionnaire, an hour-long brand strategy session with brand-building exercises, and research into a client’s existing (and desired) brand personality.
Phase Two: Brand Messaging Guide
After brand strategy exercises, client conversations, and additional research, I pull everything together into a cohesive brand messaging guide. This 40-some page presentation answers three key questions for my clients:
✅ Who am I?
✅ What do I do?
✅ Who do I serve?
Here’s a glimpse at what’s inside:
Mission statement
Vision statement
Positioning statement
Brand statement
Brand values
Brand overview
Brand personality
Audience overview
Industry/competitive overview
Brand voice + style guide
Brand glossary
And more
The first four items in this list are what I call “brand fundamentals”—my messaging cornerstones for building a coherent and sustainable brand (brand values are a cornerstone too, but they deserve a post of their own). Now, let’s define a few of these terms and share some examples from real-life clients.
What is a Mission Statement?
A mission statement defines the standards you uphold as a brand on a daily basis.
Internally, you can use your mission statement to familiarize employees with your brand and add meaning to their day-to-day tasks.
Externally, you can use your mission statement on various customer touch points (website, social media, promotional materials) to highlight your brand principles and showcase who you are (and what you do) as a company.
Client Example | Construction Accounting Firm
To foster financial partnerships with construction professionals that guide, educate, and support the growth of their businesses—one strategy at a time.
What is a Vision Statement?
Also known as a purpose statement, a vision statement describes your desired effect on the community and your greater purpose as a company.
Use this statement as a reminder of your purpose beyond making a profit. It helps you paint a bigger picture of how our company positively impacts the people you serve.
Client Example | Hand-crafted Candles
Through faith and authenticity, we exist not only to uplift our audience but to uplift the community. By donating a portion of every purchase to Compassion International - a ministry providing holistic care to children in need - our customers spark hope every time they light our candles.
What is a Positioning Statement?
A positioning statement describes your target market and how you want that market to perceive your brand amongst the competition.
Use this statement to carve out a niche for yourself and ensure any marketing decisions align with the reputation you’re aiming to build.
Client Example | Skin Care Clinic
Whether someone’s struggling with acne, combating aging, or in need of an extra dose of self-care, we offer a variety of products, services, and membership incentives to help everyone find their unique path to inner beauty.
What is a Brand Statement?
A brand statement is a concise (and compelling) sentence that conveys the essence of your brand - in other words, a tagline.
Because brand statements are short, sweet, and clear, they pair well as subtext alongside your logo.
When I work with a client on brand strategy, I typically present five to ten potential taglines they can use throughout their messaging.
Client Examples | Social Media Startup
Less corporate, more personable (still professional).
Video speaks volumes.
Supporting careers, connections, and character.
Beyond the keyboard.
Connection on camera.
The ultimate character reference.
Why Does Brand Strategy Matter?
From your mission statement to your tagline, brand strategy helps you establish a coherent, cohesive, and recognizable brand.
Unlike a giant brain dump, brand strategy provides an organized approach to making your creative ideas tangible. It helps you define what is (and is not) your brand.
Within a business plan, brand strategy can set the foundation for the company you’re trying to build.
As a standalone brand messaging guide, brand strategy helps new hires and creative contractors like copywriters, designers, photographers, and videographers understand your brand character.
That way, whatever you create (or outsource) aligns with the big picture, i.e., “stays on brand.”
TL;DR
🌷 Brand messaging strategy: Establishes a foundation for your brand, allowing you to center your values, connect with your ideal client, and cultivate a unified brand voice across any channel.
🌷 Mission statement: Defines the standards you uphold as a company on a daily basis.
🌷 Vision statement: Describes your desired effect on the community and your greater purpose as a company.
🌷 Positioning statement: Describes your target market and how you want that market to perceive your brand amongst the competition.
🌷 Brand statement: A concise (and compelling) sentence that conveys the essence of your brand - in other words, a tagline.
🌷 Why it all matters: From your mission statement to your tagline, brand strategy helps you establish a coherent, cohesive, and recognizable brand so whatever you create (or outsource) stays “on brand.”
👩🏻💻 Welcome! I’m Amanda Brashi. Here on the Brashi Brief, I share my copywriting tricks of the trade alongside my approach to freelancing and the client experience. If you’re a new copywriter eager to learn, a service provider DIY-ing your messaging, or a marketer looking to keep your skillset fresh, this publication is for you.