Without vision, the brand will perish! Whether building a personal brand or branding a small business, it always has to start with vision and therefore strategy.
Strategy is the most important element of branding and yet it is the main thing that gets overlooked. The strategy is what guides the ship, it includes the compass that helps navigate the path and get you to where you want to go. It involves visioning and definiting a brands purpose.
A brand strategy describes how the brand intends to offer value, create customers and stand out beyond the reach of it competitors through a differentiating benefit. The strategy leads to planning that sets forth the creative, social and moral steps the brand will take to create to drive the business forward.
Below is a great chart from Creatage.com that maps out the steps of a branding process. Again, it starts with strategy. This is one of my most popular pins on Pinterest right now. 
Click here to enlarge.