Is It a Branding Problem or a Marketing Problem?
Before investing more time or money, make sure you're solving the right problem.
Brand & Marketing Workshop for She Means Business.
I've been thinking quite a bit about the conversations that happened after our Branding + Marketing Workshop.
Everyone had different questions, but the more I talked with people, the more I realized they were all trying to solve the same problem.
Some wondered if it was finally time to invest in a new website. Others felt like they should be posting more consistently on social media, while a few were convinced a rebrand would finally get things moving again.
Looking back, it wasn't really the questions themselves that stayed with me. It was how easy it is to assume the answer is simply doing more whenever business starts feeling harder than it used to.
When inquiries slow down, marketing feels inconsistent, or growth stalls for a while, our instinct is usually to look for the next thing to fix. Sometimes that really is the right next step. Other times, we're simply solving the wrong problem first.
That's probably why I rarely begin those conversations by talking about branding or marketing.
I'd much rather get curious first.
That's When Things Get Interesting
People are usually a little surprised by how little time we spend talking about logos early on.
As much as I love design (and trust me, we'll absolutely get there 😄), I'm usually much more interested in understanding what happened before someone decided they needed a rebrand. I want to know how people are finding the business, what they experience once they get to the website, and what seems to happen between that first visit and someone finally reaching out.
After having enough of those conversations, you start noticing some interesting patterns.
Go on….
Sometimes people find the website without any trouble, but they leave without taking the next step because nothing clearly communicates what makes the business different. Other times, the website, messaging, and client experience all feel beautifully aligned, yet hardly anyone outside of referrals knows the business exists.
From the outside, both businesses want the same thing: Growth.
The interesting part is that they aren't solving the same problem.
I think that's one of the reasons branding and marketing get tangled together so often, especially for small businesses that are trying to grow. From a business owner's perspective, they can look almost identical because they both show up as slower growth. It usually takes a little digging before you can see where the real friction begins.
Once those answers start becoming clearer, everything else starts feeling easier, too. [Business owner happy dance!!] Website copy becomes more natural, social media has more direction, and even design decisions become simpler because they're supporting an idea that's already there instead of trying to create one from scratch.
That's probably why I've never thought of branding as simply making a business look better.
To me, it's always been about helping people understand the business behind the brand a little more quickly.
If you've ever felt like your business has grown while your brand stayed somewhere in an earlier chapter, you might enjoy reading When Your Business Outgrows Its Branding. And if you've ever wondered where branding ends and logo design begins, Branding vs. Logo Design: What's the Difference? takes a closer look at that too.
Sometimes the Foundation Is Already There
I've also had conversations where the foundation was already there.
The business had happy clients, a website that reflected the quality of the work, and a message that felt clear. Convincing people wasn't the hard part once they found the business. Helping more people find it in the first place was.
That's usually when our conversation leans more toward visibility. We start talking about search, content, community relationships, and all the different ways people discover a business they might never have found otherwise.
I've never really looked at branding and marketing as competing priorities. When they're supporting each other, growth tends to feel a whole lot more natural.
Most Businesses End Up Somewhere in the Middle
Of course, most businesses aren't entirely one or the other.
More often than not, the business has evolved...and a few different pieces have fallen out of alignment. The messaging doesn’t reflect where the business is today, marketing feels harder than it used to, and growth isn't happening quite as naturally as it once did.
That's usually when I hear some version of the same sentence:
"Something feels off, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is."
I've found that's usually the point where slowing down becomes far more valuable than rushing toward another solution.
That's Probably the Biggest Takeaway
Looking back on the workshop, I think that's the idea I hope people carried home with them more than anything else.
Before investing in a new website, committing to a rebrand, or pouring more energy into your marketing strategy, take a step back and ask what your business truly needs right now.
That question has a funny way of changing the entire conversation.
If this has you looking at your own business a little differently, you might also enjoy reading Why Your Brand Feels "Off" (Even If It Looks Fine), and What Actually Goes Into a Strategic Brand (And Why It's Worth It).
Sometimes you just need a second set of eyes.
If this article had you nodding along a little more than you'd like to admit, the Brand Chemistry Audit is a great place to start.
We'll take a step back, look at your business through a fresh set of eyes, and figure out where your biggest opportunity might be hiding.
Either way, you'll leave with more clarity about what comes next.
