Why your marketer isn’t being a pain in the ass when they pull you up for using the wrong font.
Look, I get it. You want sales, money is tight. You’re under pressure from the board to deliver results.
And, just when it’s getting all a bit too much, your marketer comes in and starts chatting about driving brand awareness.
“We need top of the funnel activity, we need to start introducing people to the brand. It needs to be consistent”.
Eye roll.
The thing is, they’re right. You need to do work on your brand.
Brands make people feel safe.
Human beings HATE change.
We love the status quo.
Which means, well thought out, consistent branding gets you a seat at the table.
Why does a startup’s branding get left to the last minute?
This article isn’t about how to create a brand; I will leave that part to the experts.
So I’m not going to talk about why startups need to include their name in their logo and not rely solely on a device if they’re new to the market.
I’m not going to highlight why there’s a psychology behind the colours you use and how picking the wrong one can undermine what you’re putting out in the world.
And I’m certainly not going into the realms of psychology, and scaring you with things like it takes between 18 to 254 days to form a habit.
Not me. No sirree.
What I am going to talk about is why you need to understand your marketer's role as the custodian of the brand.
Your marketer isn’t being a pain when they pull you up for using the wrong font, logo, stock image.
It’s a frustrating place for marketers when they have to pull team mates up for not using branding correctly.
We’re not doing it to be a pain, we’re not massive control freaks, we’re doing it to show the external world that everyone in the business is on the same page.
It’s the only way to be treated seriously by new prospects if you’re a new startup brand.
Yeeeeeears ago, I worked in that business when I had to have an awkward conversation when I saw the manager wasn’t using the correct version of the sales deck.
I had to pick up the head of sales who reverted to the old logo because quote unquote ‘I prefer the old one’.
And I had to cringe when I saw an account manager who claimed ‘they’ve dabbled in design so they don’t need help’, go onto skew the business’ logo to fit on the page.
The thing is, all these disconnects can suggest your internal processes are a bit chaotic.
That the left hand isn't talking to the right.
If you can’t get your branding consistent and everyone working off the same page, what does it say about would it be like to work with you?
If working with a startup is perceived as ‘risky’, why not alleviate some of that risk?
Why make it harder for yourself? There’s already loads to contend with.
You can’t leave your startup’s branding to the last minute, especially if you intend to sell b2b.
B2B users now expect the same experience, the same user interface, the same user experience as B2C customers.
You’ve worked hard to get your foot in the door with a BIG client. You’ve got the ‘early adopter’ on board, you look like you’re going to sign the contract but then procurement wants to do a due diligence check.
What do they do? They search for you online.
Then, they ask for a super quick report and the salesperson - keen to meet deadlines - sends over a botched version of collateral.
The fonts are way out.
The proposition doesn’t seem to match what was offered in the contract.
All of a sudden, they’re asking themselves stuff like:
“Why has a stock image of a white, straight man in a power suit been used, when on social they’re meant to be all about inclusion and representation?”
”Why are they throwing around words like, ‘maximise!’ ‘Synergy!’ ‘power play!’ ‘innovation!’ ...when, in reality, they’ve said they are down to earth, have no real ego and are the exact opposite?”
Of course something’s going to look off!
The end result? This process then delays the sales cycle; it all takes longer whilst the company checks to ensure you’re credible. All the while the money in the bank is getting less.
3 easy wins for your startup’s branding:
I really don’t want to come across as a fluffy marketer, so here’s my stab at connecting the theory behind branding with why it’s important:
1. (Consistent) brands make people feel safe.
Think about where your brand hangs out, but don’t just look for the ‘logo’ part.
Effective branding is all about the experience.
How someone helps a customer through your chat agent, how people feel listening to the founder on a podcast, what it’s like to stop a subscription with you… this all contributes to your brand.
2. Human beings (really) HATE change.
We love living in our comfort zones. We’re not programmed to make sense of change easily.
Take rebranding your logo for instance. If you know you’re going to be operating in an established market where there are already competitors, borrow from them. Do they include an image as part of their logo? Which colours are a no-go for your industry?
If you enter the market with a drastic change, it may scare your customer off as they need a point of reference to make sense of you.
I’m not saying be bland - far from it - but just consider the environment, especially when you’re a startup.
3. We love the status quo. We search for signals or indicators that make us feel safe.
Let’s go back to that person in procurement. Think about what credibility signals they are looking out for. Reviews, consistency with branding. Tone of voice. It all adds up.
If you’re not a details person: give your marketer full responsibility and your backing to own this.
Bonus point to consider
You don’t own your brand. Your customers do, it literally is out of your hands.
Which mean this can really impact how things like your referral systems work. Kevan Lee talks a little more about this in his brand strategy playbook.
