Best Brand Strategists

What a good brand strategy includes

Brand strategy gigs range from a short workshop to a full brand platform. Check that the package states:

• Research: customers, competitors and your market.
• Audience: who the brand is for.
• Positioning: why customers should choose you.
• Personality and values.
• Messaging: key messages and a short brand story.
• Tone of voice with examples.
• Format: document, workshop or calls.

Ask for examples of how the strategy is applied, such as a sample homepage headline, a social post and an ad in the new voice. Examples turn abstract words into something your team and future freelancers can copy.

How to brief a brand strategist

1. Your business: what you sell and to whom.
2. Your goals: growth, new market, rebrand, launch.
3. Customers: who buys and why, in their own words.
4. Competitors and how you differ.
5. What you want to keep from your current brand.
6. Decision makers who should join workshops or review.

Involve the people who talk to customers. Sales and support staff often know better than anyone why customers choose you and what they doubt. Their input makes the strategy more accurate.

Be ready to make choices. A strategy that tries to appeal to everyone usually says nothing. The value comes from deciding who you are not for, as much as who you are for.

Ask how the strategy will be tested before it is final. Simple checks, such as sharing key messages with a few customers or comparing them with competitors' websites, show whether the positioning is really different and clear.

What drives the price

• depth of research and interviews
• workshops and number of participants
• number of deliverables such as messaging and tone of voice
• naming or tagline work
• design handover or visual identity included
• the strategist's experience

A smaller business can often start with a short, focused version and expand later. Ask whether the strategist offers a compact package.

Red flags

• Guarantees of growth from a rebrand.
• A generic template with your name added.
• No research into customers or competitors.
• Vague words like innovative or quality with no proof.
• No practical examples of how to apply the strategy.

Test the strategy on a few real customers. Show them the positioning and key messages and ask whether it sounds like you. Their reaction is a better check than internal opinion.

For the visual side, see our logo design guide and brand style guides page. For wider planning, read our marketing strategy guide.

Plan the rollout. A new strategy only works if it reaches your website, social media, sales materials and team. Ask for a short list of the first places to update, in order of importance.

Quick pre-order checklist

• I have shared customers, competitors and goals.
• The strategy includes audience, positioning, messages and tone.
• I will get practical examples of how to apply it.
• The people who talk to customers are involved.
• I am ready to make clear choices about who the brand is for.