When companies embark on creating their brand strategy, they are usually thinking about the look and feel or how to tell their story. But, did you know that beyond the logo design and messaging, you use your brand strategy in all aspects of marketing?

Your brand strategy is essential for everything, from defining your audience personas for digital ad buys to networking at your local chamber of commerce event. We identified 5 areas in your marketing plan where we guarantee you can use your brand strategy.

1. Audience personas: Marketing to the right people is essential for social media ads or Google SEM ads to work effectively. Once you’ve defined your target audience, you can create key audience personas to help you niche down, reach potential customers and drive qualified leads to your website.

2. Networking: Have you ever been at a networking event and you were asked to introduce yourself and your company? Use your brand statement as your opening line to explain in one simple sentence what your company does, who you serve and what your unique solve is.

3. Content strategy: Many companies struggle with what to post on their social media accounts or how to show up on the platforms. A brand strategy informs your voice and tone to keep you sounding on-brand for your company. It also provides content pillars — topics that you consistently discuss and provide thought leadership on — and evergreen copy that you can post at any time.

4. Ad copy: Copy that speaks to your customer’s pain points and resonates with your audience makes for effective ads in print, digital and broadcast. Utilize your brand statement, key messages and supporting points for copy that tells a story of how your brand is the right solution.

5. Market research: If you are conducting a market research study, possibly testing messaging or finding what resonates with your customers, your brand strategy is a great place to start. Begin with your 3 key messages from your brand brief to A/B test and see what converts.