There are a lot of ways to think about brand strategy. I've worked with a multitude of organizations. Gone through hours and hours of process. If there is one thing I've learned over all the years, it's that the most potent strategies have all focused on the same thing. Love.

How do you make love the focus of your strategy? Here's what I've learned.

Love is about an outward focus

When I speak of love, it's not about working and obsessing over how you might get people to love your brand. It's not about gathering love. It's about giving love.

For that to happen, you first need to turn your focus outward. You need to love those you hope to serve.

That may seem like an obvious insight. But it is difficult to do. Our natural, self-preservation instinct is to think about ourselves first. Establishing and maintaining an outward focus takes real desire and conscious effort. After all, if it were easy to do, it would be the norm in our world and not the exception. Now let's talk about how we put that into practice.

Love is about giving selflessly

Think about how love manifests itself in your personal relationships. For those you truly love, you'd do anything. And expect nothing in return.

Imagine if your brand acted in this manner. What could your brand give that would fill a real need for those you hope to serve? What help could you offer?

Think about all the knowledge you've amassed about the category your brand lives in. Could you selflessly share that knowledge without the expectation that someone would buy from you? That takes love for those you hope to serve.

Love is about giving generously

Are you asking how much does your brand need to give? If so, you're not off to a great start.

You can't view giving as a calculated strategy to receive an equal amount in return. It doesn't work that neatly. And if you approach it this way, those you hope to serve will recognize that your love comes with an expectation of some reciprocal action.

Ever had any kind of personal relationship where the love feels conditional like this? It really didn't work out, right?

It's no different for your brand. You need to give generously. Because I guarantee you won't feel the effects of it right away. You have to trust and believe in love.

Sound difficult? It is. But there it is incredibly rewarding to help others. And who knows, you may even discover something more profound along the way. You may discover why it is you do what you do. I call it your Big Audacious Meaning.

The love you give becomes the love you get

A wonderful thing happens when you give love. Those you hope to serve will return the love to your brand without you asking for it. In fact, it's more likely to come your way if you don't ask for it (remember that stuff I said about giving selflessly?)

Sometimes it happens quickly. Sometimes it feels like it will never happen, and then it sneaks up on you. But when it happens, it's one of the most rewarding feelings.

You feel like you and your brand have done something more than just provide some measure of value. You feel like you have done something meaningful. Something that made a difference for someone. There simply is no other brand strategy that can deliver something so valuable.