Realize Your Brand Strategy in 2016

Realize Your Brand Strategy in 2016

Tuesday, 8 December 2015 2:00 pm ET

• 30 minute webinar + 15 minutes for Q&A

• Ask questions through the Zoom Control Panel

• Tweet during the webinar with #mStonerNow

• Fill out the post-webinar evaluation

• Check your inbox later this week for the webinar recording and slide deck

The Plan

Joel Pattison Director of Strategy joel.pattison@mstoner.com 434.533.1530 @jwpattison

Mallory Wood Director of Marketing mallory.wood@mStoner.com 802.457.9234 @mallorywood

Let’s start with some definitions.

What is brand?

What you stand for in the minds of the people you’re trying to reach, influence, and move to action.

brand /brand/

How do you manage something that’s in people’s minds?

Actual perceptions about brand

Model for Brand Management

Model for Brand Management

Desired perceptions about brand

Actual perceptions about brand

(Strategy)

Model for Brand Management

Desired perceptions about brand

Actual perceptions about brand

Influence perceptions about brand Visual Identity & Logos

Tone & Voice Storytelling

Marketing Plan Content Strategy

Website Publications Advertising

Earned Media Actual Experiences

...

(Strategy)

(Tactics)

(Results)

Knowing who you are(and how you’re perceived).

Discern brand perceptions with audience research.

• Understand the perspective of the external audiences

• Inform strategy and bolster credibility for recommendations

• Useful at various points in the brand development process

Who should you talk to?

• Prospective students

• Current students

• Parents - current or prospective

• Guidance counselors

• Alumni

Who should you talk to?

• Higher ed leaders

• Hiring managers

• Civic/government leaders

• Major donors

Who shouldn’t you talk to?

“Everyone”

Qualitative Research• It’s a conversation

• Extremely flexible

• Lays the foundation for quantitative research

Quantitative Research• When it follows qualitative research, it can ensure that you have

the right brand attributes

• Tracks changes in brand awareness and perceptions over time

• Reaches a larger (and more external audience)

Model for Brand Management

Actual perceptions about brand

A continuous process of audience testing and research

Model for Brand Management

Desired perceptions about brand

Brand Strategy

Defining your brand strategy.

Brand strategy is the art and science of discovering, understanding, articulating and evolving your brand.

• Attracts best-fit students

• Creates differentiation from competition

• Allows for premium pricing

• Provides immediate credibility for new offerings / schools / programs

• Engages and leverages alumni

• Attracts and retains the best employees and faculty

Why is brand strategy important?

What are the elements of brand strategy?

Brand Essence The core of your brand experience, distilled.

It’s the glue that holds your brand together, and it’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear a brand name.

1

Disney

Magic

Nike

Performance

Brand Positioning The promise you are making to all of your audiences about what you will be.

Brand positions are aspirational, but grounded in reality. They should feel like a “better version of what we are.”

2

Brand Attributes The main “pillars” or themes of the brand.

Brand attributes are the same across all audiences and include a 1 - 3 word attribute name, plus descriptors to explain it.

3

Historically innovative• Rich history, yet forward-thinking

• Programs recognized for excellence

• Faculty engaged in research

World-class city• Global issues infused in the curriculum

• Diverse student body

• Graduates hired by top employers

All that… and more! Brand strategies may also include:

• Conceptual brand art • Tone words • Brand architecture • Elevator pitches • User journeys / experiences

4

Model for Brand Management

Desired perceptions about brand

Elements of brand strategy:

Brand Essence Brand Positioning Brand Attributes Elevator pitch, architecture, art work, tone words, etc.

1) 2) 3) 4)

Implementing your brand strategy.

Understand the gaps.1

Current Position:Desired Position: Urban, Chicago-based, diverse, connected.

Gap: Very Low

Current Position: Urban, Chicago-based, diverse.

Gap Analysis for World-class City

Current Position: Desired Position: Academically rigorous, prestigious, highly innovative, forward-thinking.

Gap: Medium

Current Position: Academically rigorous, prestigious, traditional, a little bit stuffy.

Gap Analysis for Innovative Research

Think about your content and editorial strategy in the context of brand.

2

Does your content strategy align with your brand and address the gaps in perceptions?

Content strategy includes:

• Content themes and messages

• Voice and tone

• Editorial calendar

• Governance

Develop a marketing plan.3

Your marketing plan is the most concrete execution of your brand strategy.

It has specific goals for your marketing team and includes information about priorities, timeline, budget, and intended audiences.

Tactic Priority Begin Date Complete Date Channel Brand Attribute(s) Budget Req. Audience

Work with local and national media to place eight feature articles about cutting-edge research at our institution.

High January 2016 July 2016 External Media Innovative Research Travel costs ($2,000)

Prospective students; influencers; prospective faculty

Create an Instagram account and a hashtag highlighting the urban nature of the campus. Post 30 pictures.

Medium March 2016 April 2016 Social Media World-class cityGift cards for student volunteers ($500)

Prospective students

Create 15 vignettes (with photos) of recent graduates that highlight Fortune 500 job placement.

Medium February 2016 April 2016 Website World-class cityProfessional photography, ($1,500)

Prospective students; influencers

Sample Marketing Plan

Measure your results.4

Did you actually impact how people think about your brand?

• Regular audience research

• Analysis of inquiries from prospective students

• Event attendance

• Website conversions

• Applications

• Yield

• Giving patterns

Measure your results with:

Evolve your tactics and strategies to reflect changes in culture, markets, and customer expectations and to make them more effective.

Use results to:

Make sure you’re influencing people’s perceptions. (And declare success if you are!)

Model for Brand Management

Desired perceptions about brand

Actual perceptions about brand

Influence perceptions about brand Visual Identity & Logos

Tone & Voice Storytelling

Marketing Plan Content Strategy

Website Publications Advertising

Earned Media Actual Experiences

...

(Strategy)

(Tactics)

(Results)

Questions?Joel Pattison Director of Strategy joel.pattison@mstoner.com 434.533.1530 @jwpattison

Mallory Wood Director of Marketing mallory.wood@mStoner.com 802.457.9234 @mallorywood

The Guide to Defining Your Higher Ed Brand: http://mstnr.me/WhatIsYourBrand

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

”“

W. H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, 1951

Thank you!