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Brand Strategy Services
Discover your distinct brand. Refine for clarity and focus. Amplify to the right audience.
What Is a Brand?
“Brand” is a term that is thrown around a lot — and not always correctly.
So, what is a brand, exactly?
Your brand is your business’s unique claim to fame.
It’s the one-of-a-kind promise you make to your customers and the world. It’s how you stand out, how you show up and the distinct value only you can deliver. At its core, your brand is:
Your story: Who you are, what you do and the unmistakable way you do it.
Your edge: The way you carve out space in a crowded market.
Your voice: How you connect with customers through a clear, compelling message.
Your foundation: The values, mission and principles that guide every decision you make.
Ultimately, your brand isn’t just what you say it is—it’s what your customers feel it is. It’s their perception of your business, shaped by every interaction, every promise kept and every expectation met (or missed). It’s intangible, emotional and undeniably powerful—more like a gut feeling than a concrete statement.
What a Brand Is Not
A Product
Your product is what you sell. Your brand is the magic behind it. Think Nike: They sell shoes, but their brand is the “Just Do It” mindset that inspires their customers.
A Tagline or Logo
These are tools to express your brand, not the brand itself. Taglines and logos create a vibe that matches your brand’s essence, but they can evolve while your brand remains consistent.
A Headline
Headlines grab attention in the moment. A brand leaves a deeper, lasting impression — it builds trust, loyalty and recognition over time.
Your brand is bigger than a product, broader than a logo and way more enduring than a flashy headline. It’s the glue that connects all the pieces of your business—and the reason customers will keep coming back.
Decoding Brand Terms
Branding can feel like a maze of buzzwords. Let’s break down key terms, so you’re crystal clear on what each piece of the puzzle means — and why it matters.
What Is Brand Strategy?
Brand strategy is the overall game plan for defining what your brand is all about. It’s the thinking behind how you will differentiate, express your value, build loyalty and shape your overall image. It’s important to tackle this first before diving into copy, graphics or anything else.
What Is Brand Development?
Brand development is the ongoing process of shaping and improving your brand. As your organization or industry changes, you refine your message, positioning and identity to continue to attract the right people and reinforce why you’re the best choice for them.
What Is Branding?
Branding is how you show up in the world. It’s everything from your visuals to the way you talk to your audience. Strong branding creates recognition, builds trust and strengthens connections with the people you want to reach.
What Is Brand Design
Brand design is all the graphic elements that make you recognizable — logos, colors, fonts and imagery. A strong brand design should be uniquely you, give your brand polish and professionalism, and help you communicate who you are at a glance.
Elements of Brand Strategy
A strong brand strategy defines who you are, what you stand for and how you connect with your audience. It provides a clear roadmap for building trust, loyalty and long-term success. Here are the key elements:
Brand
Purpose
Explains why your business exists beyond profit. It defines the impact you aim to make and includes your mission, vision and values.
Brand
Positioning
Defines how your brand stands out in the market and why it matters to your audience. It shapes perception and competitive advantage.
Brand
Identity
Expresses your organization visually and verbally. It includes your logo, colors, fonts and tone of voice, ensuring every touchpoint reflects your personality and values.
Target
Audience
Identifies the people you serve, their needs and what drives them. A clear audience focus ensures relevant and impactful branding
Value
Proposition
Defines the unique benefit your business offers and why customers should choose you over competitors. It focuses on what matters most to your audience.
Customer
Experience
Encompasses every interaction people have with your brand, from first impressions to long-term relationships. A strong experience builds trust and loyalty.
Brand
Story
Combines your purpose, positioning, and identity into a narrative that connects with your audience. It explains not just what you do but why it matters in a way that is memorable and meaningful.
Brand
Equity
Measures perceived value of your brand based on recognition, reputation, and customer loyalty. Strong brand equity leads to greater trust and competitive advantage.
The Impact of Branding
A brand without an effective strategy doesn’t have strong legs on which to stand — and can become weak and forgettable or be viewed as generic.
Creating connection and building relationships and loyalty starts with an effective brand strategy: one that defines your values and authentic personality.
- Differentiation
An effective brand strategy separates you from the competition and conveys a compelling reason why customers should choose your product or service over competing options.
- Value
A strong brand creates the perception of higher value, allowing you to command premium pricing. Customers are willing to pay more for a product or service that aligns with their expectations and delivers on its promise.
- Loyalty
A clearly defined brand develops greater loyalty to your company, better leverages social media and other promotional activities, and increases repeat business.
- Image
A well-executed brand enhances visibility and creates a positive, lasting image within your target market. This helps you attract and retain customers, even when competing options are available.
You Need
Brand Strategy Services
To soar above the competition.
Your brand has a mere seven seconds to make the right first impression, so it is essential that it be born from a solid foundational strategy.
To successfully compete and attract customers in any industry or marketplace, your brand’s vision needs to be sharp and precise. We help you uncover what truly sets your brand apart — its distinct characteristics, story and voice — so you can confidently soar above the competition.
This brand distinction — and the marketing messaging derived from it — should be the basis of all communications developed.
- Differentiate and get noticed
- Speak directly to your ideal customers
- Ensure consistency and alignment
- Attract new customers and boost your bottom line
- Increase your perceived value and command a higher price.
Is your brand holding you back?
Discover the seven key elements of a strong brand and take our mini-assessment to see where yours stands.
Grab your guide today!
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Why Hire
a Brand Strategy Consultant?
Creating a powerful brand message can be challenging — especially when you attempt to do it yourself. You’re often too close to your own business to see it … and to most effectively toot your own horn.
Whether you’re building a new brand or rebranding after changes, it takes an expert to gather insights from all areas and turn complex ideas into clear, impactful messages. A brand message strategist brings a fresh perspective, experience, creativity and the skill to discern and simplify what makes you stand out.
Gain keen insights from an outside, objective viewpoint.
Benefit from decades of industry experience.
Simplify complex ideas into dynamic messaging.
What Our Strategy
Offers You
At Sharper Creative, we’re ready to help elevate your brand and drive your organization forward. First, we develop a powerful, targeted brand that reflects your identity, positioning and messaging. Our process uncovers the unique qualities that set you apart, forming the foundation for all your marketing communications.
When you partner with us, here’s what you’ll gain from our brand strategy development process:
Clarity and Focus
A clear understanding of your brand and what it stands for.
Enhanced Decision-Making
A clear brand framework to guide business and marketing choices.
Increased Brand Awareness
A stronger presence that grabs attention and makes you memorable.
Increased Value Potential
A stronger brand that adds value and boosts long-term growth.
Stronger Customer Connections
Authentic messaging that builds trust with your audience.
Expert Guidance and Support
Ongoing partnership and expertise to help you every step of the way.
Improved Market Positioning
A distinct place in the market that sets you apart from competitors and conveys the value you offer.
Long-Term Success
A brand built to thrive and provide a stable presence in an evolving market.
Our Niche
We specialize in the art and science of brand development.
While some firms limit themselves to serving a single market, we believe that diversity fuels creativity. Working across a variety of industries gives us broader insights and innovative ideas that more narrowly focused firms might miss.
By combining our proven process with this expansive experience, we’re uniquely equipped to give your brand the creative edge it deserves — no matter your industry.
A Sharper Focus
Every organization has a brand just waiting to be discovered. Our Sharper Focus is designed to uncover, refine and amplify your brand, clarifying what makes you unique and why your company is the one your audience should choose.
Here’s how we bring eagle-eyed focus to your brand:
- Discovery
In this Fact Finding & Discovery phase, we identify the core values and unique traits that define your brand. We look beneath the surface to uncover insights that make your brand stand out, providing a solid foundation for a brand that’s distinct and valuable to your audience.
- Refinement
With these critical insights uncovered, we focus on refining and prioritizing your key marketing points. This step hones in on the unique qualities and advantages you offer, ensuring we communicate not just who you are but all you bring to your customers.
- Strengthening
With the essence of your brand defined, we develop branding taglines and expressions that capture your brand’s personality and unique value. This phase ensures that your brand voice connects with your audience in a way that feels honest and engaging.
- Messaging
Finally, we shape a clear and compelling brand message that includes copy blocks, an elevator pitch and other key brand statements. This becomes the backbone for all future communications, creating consistent, cohesive messaging for building brand awareness and loyalty.
The Sharper Approach
Our effective approach to discovering the right brand and marketing messaging is quite intuitive allowing us to see what others might miss. Most people look outside to the marketplace to determine customers’ needs and desires and then identify a brand that addresses those issues.
Unfortunately, many others do the same thing, resulting in a lack of true brand differentiation — while taglines may differ, they often represent very similar concepts. This approach tends to fit the company to the market rather than identifying the niche the company can most effectively fill, which is vital to long-term success.
We first look inside your company or organization to identify the unique set of characteristics and advantages only you offer, uncovering insights that lead to smarter decisions and a stronger market position.
Through our process, we uncover your distinct set of Key Marketing Points, which align with market needs and preferences. This forms the foundation of the brand and marketing messaging we develop, which are inherently unique to your company.
Brand Strategy Services
We’ll help you navigate every aspect of your brand strategy, ensuring each piece fits seamlessly together.
Brand Naming
Crafting a memorable and unique name that perfectly captures your brand’s essence.
Brand Identity Design
Creating the visual expression of your brand and how the world will view it.
Brand Messaging
Developing core messaging for consistency throughout all marketing elements.
Brand Storytelling
Writing engaging narratives that convey your brand.
Rebranding Strategy
Revitalizing your brand for increased growth.
Event Branding
Creating an engaging and powerful brand presence for events.
Why Choose
Our Brand Strategy Services?
As a collaborative partner, we value our clients and want them to succeed. We go the extra mile to understand your vision and goals to ensure the message we create for you is authentic — an accurate representation of what makes you different, the value you offer, and the clients you serve.
- Expert Strategy
We don’t just write pretty words. The messaging we develop arises from our in-depth fact-finding phase and our ability to comprehend and interpret a complex, seemingly disjointed flood of information. This insight and thorough understanding of your brand fuels our strategic approach.
- Creative Vision
We always bring fresh, original ideas and innovative approaches to our work, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible while staying true to who you are as an organization.
- Clear Communication
We believe in keeping you informed every step of the way. Whether in person or virtually, we’re here for meetings and reviews when necessary.
- Proven Results
Our track record is one we’re proud of. We’ve helped countless businesses craft powerful brand messages that have transformed their marketing and spurred their growth.
Meet Your Brand Experts
Susan Harper is the “Sharper” force behind our team and leads with design expertise and keen insight developing creative solutions that elevate clients’ brands.
Gary Treer is our creative and strategic thinker who uncovers the unique qualities and values of our clients’ brands and positions them for long-term success.
Kate Schaffner leads brand development with a focus on refining complex ideas into messages that tell unique, compelling and engaging brand stories.
Our Brand Strategy Experience
Susan Harper, Gary Treer and Kate Schaffner lead our team with over 85 years of combined experience in branding and marketing. Their expertise guides our approach to creating brand strategies that meet each client’s specific needs. Alongside them, our extended team brings deep knowledge to tackle the unique challenges and opportunities of each brand we work with.
We have successfully partnered with a diverse range of clients, including service-based, manufacturing, construction, technology and other businesses.
Choosing Sharper Creative means gaining a partner committed to navigating your brand journey and achieving impactful results. Our collaborative approach ensures that your brand not only elevates its market presence but also builds lasting connections with your audience.
Featured Projects
Dive into the details of some featured projects or get an overview of work in the gallery.
Sharper Creative has my highest endorsement!
Sharper Creative has assisted Grudi Associates for nearly 20 years. Their creativity, expertise and ability to develop effective marketing materials have been invaluable to us.
Walt Grudi
Grudi Associates
Making us stand out from the crowd.
Sharper Creative has helped us identify the things that make PPCP valuable and attractive to customers, and effectively communicate the right message to the right people in our industry.
Andy Miller
Pennsylvania Precision Cast Parts
Holy smokes, Sue totally gets it!
Working with Sue was, and is, such a relief! As marketing people, we have a vision, but we’re not designers. Sue is incredible at translating what we need. She is a rare gem among designers.
Angela Suarez
TechServe Alliance
Let’s tell your brand story.
Who
We Work With
We specialize in the art and science of brand development. While we can work with any industry, we have extensive experience with B2B service-based businesses, nonprofits and associations across a wide range of fields.
New Businesses
You’re launching something new and need to make an immediate impact. A well-defined brand attracts the right investors, customers and stakeholders, setting the stage for success from day one.
Growing Businesses
We have experience working with service-based businesses, manufacturing and technology companies, as well as nonprofits and associations.
Nonprofits & Association
If you’re mission-driven or an industry leader feeling stuck or disconnected, a brand refresh can help you re-engage your community and amplify your impact.
Our Brand Strategy Process
Over the last 25 years, we’ve developed a proven method for guiding you through the brand strategy process, clarifying what makes you unique and valuable to your audience. Here’s how we guide you through it:
- Say Hello
Fill out our contact form, and we’ll reach out to set up a call to get a clear understanding of your needs.
- The Sharper Focus
Discovery, research and creative thinking … it’s where all the magic happens.
- Delivery
Once our creative work is done, you get all the assets we promised and usually a little bit more.
Brand Strategy Packages
Here are our most popular solutions, but we’re always happy to customize and tailor our work to suit your needs and resources.
Brand Kickstart
Great for very small businesses and organizations just getting started.
- Fact-Finding Questionnaire
- Interview
- Tagline
- Brand Summary
- Copy Blocks
Starting at $5,200
Brand Authority
Perfect for small businesses and organizations that need a deeper dive into strategic (re)branding. Includes our Shaper Focus and comprehensive deliverables, including:
- Marketing Points Summary
- Brand Tagline
- Key Brand Messaging
- Brand Position Statement
- Brand Personality Keywords
- Brand Messaging Copy Blocks
- Features & Benefits
- Brand Guidelines
Starting at $14,500
Custom Brand Solutions
For organizations that need a tailored solution that focuses on flexibility and personalization. Pick the deliverables that will impact your business the most.
- Branding
- Messaging
- Marketing Communications
- Website Design
- And More
Pricing based on scope.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I need brand strategy services?
If you have trouble telling people what you do and why it matters. Or if your messaging is all over the place and you’re not attracting the right people — brand strategy can help. We’ll help you get clear on who you are, what you stand for, and how to share that with the world. Check out our CEO Guide to a Standout Brand to assess whether your brand is clear and credible.
What's the difference between brand message and brand identity?
Your brand message is what you say, how you say it and why it matters — it’s the story of your business or organization, your values and the promises you make to your audience.
Your brand identity is how you show that visually, with things like your logo, colors and design. Both work together to make your brand stand out. We’ve got both under one roof and can take you from start to finish.
Do I have to figure this all out on my own?
Nope! We do all the heavy lifting. Our services are designed for people who don’t want to figure it all out themselves. We handle the strategy, writing and design so you can focus on what you do best.
Will you write my brand message for me?
Yes! We’ll do the hard work of writing your brand messaging — from brainstorming to the final version. You’ll have chances to give feedback so everything sounds like you.
Can you refresh my existing brand message?
Of course! If your brand message feels outdated or just isn’t working, we’ll help update it so it connects better with your audience and reflects where you are now.
How much time will I need to invest in the brand strategy process?
Your time commitment upfront is about two to four hours for things like discovery calls, answering questionnaires, and sharing your input. After that, your main job is to review our work and give feedback. We guide you through everything, so it’s straightforward and stress-free.