When building a brand strategy, it's important to understand and know your audience. A strong brand requires a strong brand identity, brand image, brand culture, and brand personality. There are certain strategies to use when researching your audience such as conducting marketing research, monitoring marketing trends, and staying informed on competitive products. Understanding your audience allows brands to better position their products and services and align their brand identity with that of the consumer. Ensuring that a brand's voice, identity, and values align with that of the target audience is key to a successful brand. Here are three ways to build a brand strategy that will align with your target audience:

1. Conduct market research

Gathering as much information as possible about your target audience is going to be the first step in building your brand. Market research can be conducted in many ways such as conducting interviews, creating surveys, and researching how your audience feels about your marketplace competitors. This information will help you better understand their buying patterns, interests, values, and opinions. 

2. Create a customer persona

What does your target audience value in a brand? What are their personal beliefs and opinions? What kinds of purchases are important to them? Knowing the answers to these questions is going to allow you to understand where and how to position your product or service in the marketplace. 

3. Understand what resonates with your audience

Brand identity is a combination of visuals and tone that represent your brand personality. Consumer behavior is driven by brands that they feel are aligned with their values and interests. Having a brand identity that speaks to your audience is going to set you apart from the competition. Choosing colors, fonts, and designs, along with tone, mission, and vision will define your company, so it's important to know what will attract your audience.