Let’s Go on a Date

In my 30 years of working in branding, I’ve seen countless small business owners pour their hearts into their work, only to struggle when it comes time to market themselves. They invest in logos, flashy websites or seemingly clever ad campaigns, yet something still feels off. Their audience doesn’t engage, their sales don’t spike and they’re left wondering what went wrong.

Here’s the truth: marketing and advertising are like asking someone out on a date. Branding, on the other hand, is what makes you “datable” in the first place. It’s not just about putting on a nice outfit (your logo or ad campaign); it’s about everything else that makes you who you are – your values, your personality, your tone of voice and what you stand for.

If you’ve ever felt like your marketing efforts aren’t landing with your audience, it might be time to ask yourself: Is my brand datable?

The Entrepreneur’s Struggle: Focusing Too Much on Looks

For small business owners, it’s easy to think branding is just about visuals. After all, logos, colors and design are the first things people see, right? While these elements are important, they’re just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Too often, entrepreneurs focus exclusively on their visual identity and forget about the other pillars of branding – like personality, tone and the emotional associations customers have with their business.

This focus on appearance can lead to shallow connections with customers. You might get people’s attention, but without a deeper identity, it’s hard to hold it. And when that happens, your marketing efforts feel like shouting into the void, hoping someone listens.

Insight #1: Building the Foundation

Think about what makes someone truly datable. It’s not just about how they dress – it’s about their personality, values and interests. The same goes for your business. A great logo or website might get people to notice you, but to build real, lasting relationships with customers, you need to define your brand’s core identity.

Start by asking yourself these questions:

1. What are our core values? What do we believe in, and how do we express those beliefs through our actions and offerings?
2. What personality do we want to convey? Are we playful, professional, approachable or bold?
3. What emotional associations should customers have with our brand? For example, Downy wants customers to think of softness. Coca-Cola evokes joy.

A strong brand is built on these deeper elements, not just the surface-level visuals. When you understand who you are as a business, you’ll be better equipped to connect with your audience in meaningful ways.

Insight #2: The Power of Verbal Identity

One of the most overlooked aspects of branding is verbal identity – the words and tone you use to communicate with your audience. A strong verbal identity helps your customers feel understood, which is key to building trust and loyalty.

For example, we worked with an HVAC company that initially focused their messaging on selling specific products like air conditioners and furnaces. Their competitors did the same, and their ads blended into the noise. By shifting their name and message to focus on “home comfort,” we helped them tap into what their customers really wanted – a comfortable home, not just a piece of equipment. They did, after all, also sell geothermal, insulation, purification and all the other things that make you comfortable.

This subtle but powerful change made all the difference. In- stead of selling a product, they started selling an emotion, a solution to their customers’ deeper needs. Their marketing became more effective because their brand felt relatable, not transactional.

Action Step: Define your brand essence in three words. For example, Disney’s brand essence is “Magical, Family, Entertainment.” What three words capture the heart of your business? Use these words to guide everything from your messaging to your marketing strategy.

Insight #3: Branding Makes Marketing Easier

Once your brand is “datable,” marketing becomes much easier. Why? Because you’re no longer trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, you’re focused on speaking to the right people in a way that resonates with them.

When a business skips the foundational work of branding, they often spend more on marketing because their messaging is scattered. They don’t know who they’re trying to reach, so they try to reach everyone – and that rarely works.

Branding brings clarity. It helps you define your audience, craft messages that speak directly to them, and differentiate yourself from competitors. With a strong brand, your marketing efforts feel less like a shot in the dark and more like a conversation with the people who already believe in what you do.

Invest in Your “Datability”

Branding isn’t just about what you look like. It’s about who you are, what you stand for and how you make your customers feel. When you take the time to build a strong brand – one that’s authentic, memorable and deeply connected to your audience – you make your marketing and advertising efforts exponentially more effective.

So, before you invest in another ad campaign or redesign your logo, take a step back. Ask yourself: Is my brand datable? Have I done the work to define my values, personality and emotional connections?

Remember, customers don’t just want to buy from you – they want to feel understood by you. Build your brand with that in mind, and you’ll create relationships that last.

Branding is the foundation of everything. It’s what makes customers think, “This business gets me. Where have they been all my life?” Invest in that foundation, and the rest – your marketing, advertising and customer loyalty – will naturally fall into place.

By Camron Gnass; originally published in SBAM’s January/February 2025 issue of FOCUS magazine

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