Brand Vision: The First Step in Your Branding Journey
“A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.” - Rosabeth Moss Kanter
When I started out on my personal brand journey, I began by thinking about who I wanted to be at the end of the journey. I thought about my aspirations and how I wanted to show up. I thought about my hopes and dreams, how I can be of service to others, the problems I could solve, and who and what I was inspiring to change.
I was creating my brand vision.
Defining your brand vision is the first step in the branding process. Crafting a powerful brand vision is vital in helping you gain direction in defining your brand purpose. Your brand vision motivates and inspires your brand actions. Without a brand vision, others will plan and direct your brand for you. This is why knowing and owning your brand vision is vital.
““A great vision is like a national anthem, it has the power to pull together, emotionally connect and inspire great things.” - David Newberry
What is brand vision?
Your brand vision is the ideas behind the brand that helps guide the future of your brand. The brand vision focuses on tomorrow and what you ultimately want your brand to become. Brand vision is something to strive for to look forward to. It gives you focus and serves as a guide to measuring your everyday decisions. There is no specific timeline for your brand vision and your vision can change once you have achieved your goal. However, you should not change your brand vision because of challenges or because it becomes too hard. Your brand vision is meant to stretch you into becoming more than you think you can be.
Why is a brand vision important?
When you create the right brand vision, it serves as the foundation of your brand strategy. It is the building block. Without this foundation, all other pieces would simply fall apart. Your brand vision helps you to remain forward thinking and keeps your brand from becoming outdated. Your brand vision supports your values, your purpose, your WHY. If you try and build your brand without a vision you may find yourself wandering aimlessly with no direction. Your brand can become inconsistent, stagnant, uninspired, and ineffective. Without a brand vision, you cannot discover, own, or share your brand story. You simply cannot grow without a brand vision.
Below are 3 key components in creating your brand vision:
Brand Values - brand values are the way your brand promises to show up in the marketplace and serve your clients. Your brand values deliver authentic engagement with your target audience that connects them to you.
Brand Aspirations - brand aspirations are the ideals in which your brand strives to become in a long-lasting and meaningful way.
Brand Purpose - brand purpose is your WHY. It’s the reason why your brand exists.
As with the branding process, defining your brand vision takes time. Once you have your brand vision, you have a road map to fulfilling your purpose and building the brand of your dreams!