Think of your favorite TV commercial, does the ad do a good job of enticing you to buy that specific brand’s product? Does it motivate you to take action? What about it draws you in? Maybe the ad is simply relatable or culturally relevant to you. In short, it is someone’s job to make sure you feel engaged with the advertisements you see every day and the goal is to successfully influence your life and spending habits. But who’s job you might ask? A Brand Strategist!
what is needed to become a brand strategist?
Skills, experience, and education required to work as a brand strategist
Experience:
Next, in order to work in the brand-building industry, you can’t only have the skills of one; you must also have the experience. This job is typically not an entry-level position. From an educational standpoint, a bachelor’s degree is what employers are looking for. A bachelor’s degree in Marketing is what’s most common but other widely accepted related majors are Advertising and Communications. In addition to obtaining a degree, three years or more of relevant experience with marketing, graphic design, and/or sales is necessary.
Software and applications that brand specialists should be familiar with:
- Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, Powerpoint)
- Google suite
- Adobe creative suite (photoshop)
- Social media platforms (Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Tiktok, Facebook, YouTube, etc)
- A strong understanding of search engine optimization (SEO)
Since most jobs require years of experience, it’s not a bad idea to start getting involved in your career field while you are in college. Some ways to give yourself experience related to being a brand specialist could be helping design flyers for clubs and campus events. To gain more experience with the technology used in the career field you could join the school newspaper or join clubs that involve art and graphic design. Some employers want you to provide a portfolio during the application process so try to create content as soon as possible, not only will this help provide the portfolio with more content but the more practice the better!
How much will you make?
Though there is a lot of time and effort that needs to be put into becoming a brand strategist, it can pay off. The average salary can be anywhere between $35k to $100k a year. The salary can vary due to the size of the company and the location. Typically a brand strategist salary will allow for a middle-class lifestyle.
what is asked of a Brand Strategist?
The average types of tasks and duties brand strategists complete
For example, A brand strategist uses all of the skills mentioned previously to carry out tasks such as:
- Proposing improvements to marketing strategies based on a client or brand’s desires
- Gathering feedback from sales and analyzing consumer behavior to define a company’s positioning
- Conducting research and interviews as needed
- Conceptualizing ideas and plans for a company based on the brand’s needs
- Creating and distributing content through media (emails, videos, websites, social platforms)
- Navigating major social platforms and maintaining positive engagement across channels (Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Tiktok, Facebook, YouTube, etc)
- Identifying growth opportunities such as consumer advertising, promotions, internal innovation, retail and shopper programs, and other projects that could affect the overall profit for a company
work environment
The daily work environment of a brand strategist changes often. Some days require hours in an office yet, others at a social event. For example, certain days your job could be surveying strangers in the park. So, depending on the company, employees could do the majority of their work setting a desk, a coffee shop, or at home. This job can take away time from the evening or weekends depending on an individual’s time management skills. Also, sometimes work-related events happen outside of the standard hours. Additionally, something that could be seen as a highlight is that traveling isn’t uncommon with the job. Brand specialists need to be able to independently work and manage their time on their own, although it is not uncommon for companies to have teams conducting research and creating branding ideas. Generally, this job is made for social beings full of innovation.
JOb outlook
What is the future looking like for prospective brand strategists?
Finally, the job title of brand strategists specifically doesn’t have a lot of internal upward movement, but there is the freedom to move within related fields. For instance, A brand specialist can transfer their skills towards a career in advertising or marketing. Jobs in marketing are expected to grow 10 percent between 2016 and 2026, and brand strategists are apart of that growing expectation. The best way to excel in the career field is by getting as much relevant experience as possible. Most of the time, a person works their way up to becoming a chief brand strategist. However, freelance work is an option for this field if you can build a strong clientele and know how to market yourself. Also, due to this many people with jobs in related fields like graphic design, social media managers, or copywriting could start up their own branding business.
After reading what it takes, do you think you have what it takes it be a brand strategist? Click the link here to see if your skills are applicable.
References
Glassdoor “Job Market Report,” accessed on [09/08/2020]. Available at Glassdoor.com/research.
Houraghan, S. (2020, August 26). How To Become A Brand Strategist [Step-By-Step Guide]. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://brandmasteracademy.com/how-to-become-a-brand-strategist/
Katherine – Brandequip Designs. (30 August 2017). What I do as a Brand Strategist [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-70qsWnu-Y&feature=youtu.be
