Why Marketing is Difficult Without Branding

I recently engaged with a small business owner regarding some of his challenges with marketing his business. His business was doing well but he wanted to grow even more. This business owner was starting to explore more outbound ways to market his business, but was running into a few challenges. As we talked, I realized a truth that I think most people know intuitively, but may not stop to think about until they are in a situation where they are confronted with it. That truth is this: It’s hard to do marketing when you don’t have a brand. Stated another way, effective branding is essential to do effective marketing. 

Marketing in today’s digitally-driven business landscape is already challenging, but it is made infinitely harder without a strong, clear brand to actually market with, which this business lacked. In my work over 10+ years with hundreds of growing small businesses who are looking to push out marketing of various kinds, I’ve seen a few things that can complicate marketing’s ability to work. Having an undefined or underdeveloped brand is at the top of the list.

Branding and Marketing are related, but also very different. They also need each other to be most effective. There are a number of overlapping reasons as to why marketing is difficult without branding. Here are 4 of the most common and consistent reasons. As you consider these reasons, remember, it’s not so much about what comes first, or which is most important; The focus is should be on how they work together to produce optimal results.

Here are four basic reasons why committing to marketing without committing to branding is difficult and unwise. Without branding, marketing is hard because: 

You Don’t Know What to Say

Without branding, it can be a struggle to market your business because there is no one thing to hang your hat on. A weak or nonexistent brand means that you lack a clear identity and message that people can remember and recall. When people go to research or compare your brand to another, they will not be able to associate the thing(s) that define and differentiate your product or service from competitors. 

Without a brand, you lack a focused message that resonates with your audience. The message you do have is unclear, easily confused, and forgotten when clients go to buy or decide. There is not a compelling message in front of them. 

Businesses in this position have an underdeveloped brand because they have not spent time isolating what makes them worth the investment. So, while they may be able to share features that are important to the business, product, or service, they struggle to share the benefits that are important to their customers. If you are able to cobble together messaging, it is likely indistinct and inconsistent, because you don’t have a strategy and foundation you are working from. 

You Don’t Know Who to Say it To

Without a strategically-focused brand, not only do you now know what to say, you don’t know who to say it to. Marketing can feel like you are throwing darts aimlessly, hoping that something sticks. “Spaghetti on the wall” approach. This challenge arises because oftentimes, without an investment in branding, the ideal customer has not been clearly defined and delivered to. In many cases, the business may have a message, but it is ineffective because it is not delivered with enough precision to an audience that is ready to take action on the product or service. This shows up often when a business owner will give an elevator pitch or some other kind of promotional talk and they will say “my ideal customer is “anyone” or “everyone”. 

When You Say It, They Don’t Believe You

If marketing is about getting people to buy, then branding is about getting people to buy in.

A strong brand leverages a strong strategy, identity, and message to create trust by delivering consistent, positive customer experiences. A strong brand is something that people can believe in and rely on. They communicate and deliver on a promise that people value and validate. If you haven’t done this, your brand can lack credibility and trust, especially when compared with competitors. 

For many reasons, trust is down across many disciplines and industries. Investing in a brand allows you to consciously create meaningful relationships and connections over time that foster credibility and trust. 

You Don’t Know Where to Find the Right People

In addition, without a brand, marketing can be difficult because not only can businesses struggle with communicating their brand value to the right people, they also struggle with where to find those people. A true brand strategy process reveals many insights such as where customers are and what sources pull them in. Once you get beyond your initial base of customers, businesses may not know where to go to find more of those types of clients that led to their early success. One of the consequences of a lack of brand strategy is an inability to grow beyond word-of-mouth.  

So What’s The Solution?

The solution to all these challenges is for a business to revisit its brand strategy and refocus on building a brand as a foundation for marketing and sales activity. Branding must be a forethought and not an afterthought. 

The correct approach is to focus on building a brand on the foundation of solid research, data-informed strategy, excellent design, and clear, persuasive writing. With these pillars in mind, words and images work together and don’t compete. There is a unified, resonant message that aligns with your brand and your customer’s values. You are able to speak the right message to the right people– those who have the problems that you have the solutions for. In this sense, branding is not just a product, it’s a process that yields success by making marketing efforts more efficient, effective, and affordable. 

A Strong Brand Makes Marketing Easier and More Effective

Without an established brand, a small business often encounters a number of challenges when it comes to marketing, including finding itself overlooked in favor of more recognizable names, difficulty finding the right channels to share its message, and resistance to its message due to perceived lack of credibility. The solution is establishing a brand that creates a foundation of trust, differentiation, and clear messaging, all crucial for effective marketing.

This approach allows you to build a distinct, sustainable brand and do marketing that shows up for the right people with the right message that is right on time for what they need. If you don’t want to be overlooked and you don’t want to be overwhelmed, create and leverage a strong brand to make your marketing efforts most effective.

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Enthuse Creative helps services-based companies continue to grow by designing and delivering brand strategies and creative solutions that help them find and grow their ideal customers. Contact us today to learn how.