How to Sell Branding to a Skeptic

Convincing someone to invest time, energy and hard-earned into something that can seem intangible can be a hard sell.

Add in a dollop of skepticism about the merit of the undertaking in the first place and chances are you’re not going to get far.

Branding is one of these undertakings. It’s undervalued and overlooked frequently – often to a business’s detriment.

So how can we convince a branding skeptic that the branding process is honestly worth every second? Read on to find out — especially if that skeptic is *gasp* you.

Get clear on what branding actually is

There’s absolutely zero point in trying to persuade someone to embark on branding (or rebranding) if they’re not clear on what it is.

A brand is essentially how your audience feels about you. And that is a very powerful thing.

The emotional connection (or lack of) a person has with a brand can dictate their loyalty to you, what they’re willing to spend, their likelihood of recommending you and so much more.

While we can’t directly control how people feel about a brand, we can take many carefully steps to craft an authentic brand from the ground up in a way that positively impacts public perception.

The truth is, you’re ‘doing branding’ whether you try to or not — the difference is whether you do it effectively or not.

While we’re on this, let’s also clear up what branding isn’t. Repeat after me: Branding isn’t a logo. Branding isn’t a product. Branding isn’t a brochure. Branding isn’t a business card. Branding isn’t a website.

Now, while branding is intangible to a degree, it will have a momentous impact on all of these aspects of your business. In fact, it will make every element that you invest in for your business significantly better.

Focus on the benefits to your bottom line

When you’re trying to convince the boss of the value of branding, it often comes down to proving that it will have a good return on investment. Thankfully branding has an excellent track record.

If you are a business that is aligned with your target market’s core values and your branding reflects this, you will enjoy far more loyalty from competitors. In fact, 89% of consumers stay loyal to brands that share their values, and 59% of consumers opt to buy new products from brands they trust.

Taking the time to design a compelling and meaningful brand that presents consistently across all platforms has been found to increase revenue by up to 23%. Even the most adamant branding sceptic’s opinion cannot overrule cold hard facts.

At the same time as bringing in more sales and profits, branding can also save you from needless spending on marketing and other activities that aren’t aligned with the brand.

As well impacting your customers or clients, branding can make a difference to how your business functions internally too.

The emotionality and authenticity of your brand can extend to your workplace culture — a brand should live and breathe its values. This can translate to a happier, more productive team and increased staff retention. Bonus.

Audit your existing brand

Sometimes you need to get clear on where you’re at before you can work out where you’re going. And if you’re not a new brand, branding might be rebranding instead.

Auditing your brand is an opportunity to get up to speed on the perceptions of your brand in the market, what makes you stand out in your field and your weaknesses or areas for improvement.

Through this process you will likely start to see gaps and holes where there should be brand stories, emotional connections and customer loyalty. Then it’s time to call in the branding experts*.

*That’s us