2 Questions to Ask When Building Brand Roadmaps
By Levina Kusumadjaja
Have you ever built a brand roadmap? In my experience of building brand roadmaps, there are so many roadblocks. I find myself feeling frustrated and confused many, many times in the journey. It’s not because my client was not a good fit, it’s just because the process can be challenging at times. The framework didn’t seem to make sense anymore, I had too many messaging options to choose from, and some days it seems like I just ran out of inspiration.
When I shared my struggles to a few brand strategist friends, they gave me great suggestions to help me overcome my roadblocks. And from many conversations with them, I learned 2 powerful questions to ask when building roadmaps:
“How might we simplify this?”
What makes roadmaps challenging is that they get muddy pretty easily. If you are not careful, you might be tempted to include everything you uncovered, instead of trying to make the roadmap as simple and easy as possible for your client. Or perhaps you feel the pressure to make it look as complete and comprehensive as it possibly can. That’s why this question is crucial, to keep asking how you can simplify the roadmap.
You don’t want to simplify to the point that it is no longer valuable to your client—that’s not the goal. The goal is to communicate the solutions in an easy way that makes sense for everyone that reads the roadmap. So, don’t be shy about sifting irrelevant details. Keep asking the question until you get to the core.
2. “How will this help the client?”
This second question is as important as the first one. You have to constantly remind yourself that the goal isn’t to impress, but to help. In my experience, I feel tempted a lot to include many things that seem “cool” just so that I can impress my clients. I want to sound like the expert. However, thinking this way means that I put my needs above my client’s needs. I focus on wanting to gain recognition instead of building something that will help my client get to his or her goal.
When you focus on making it easy for your client, you will not be so worried about making a certain impression. You will be focused on doing things that help your clients. If tweaking the framework means it becomes easier for your client, let’s do it. If only doing the messaging part without the look and feel will help your client more, let’s do that too. If your client is feeling more confused than clear, let’s adjust.
—
Do you see what’s happening here? Asking the two questions “How might we simplify this?” and “How will this help my client?” shifts the focus of your roadmap to your client’s needs. It ensures that your roadmap is fun, enjoyable and valuable for your clients. It really helps guide the decisions you make along the way so that it really is centered around your client’s goals. What do you think? Do you agree that these questions are helpful? What questions do you ask to help you in your process?
Cheers!
Levina
Get the Brand Strategy 101 FREE Mini Course
Tired of being an order-taker? Start getting paid to think. Subscribe now to receive helpful content, plus instant access to this free video course. 6 days. 6 videos. 10 minutes a day.
About the author:
Levina is a writer based in Indonesia. Because of Melinda Livsey, she recognized the power of brand strategy for every creative. She is sharing about her learnings as she goes to help creatives have fun in their growth and journey of building brands. Connect with her on LinkedIn and say hi!