When your marketing team’s goals are aligned with the company’s sales figures, it’s tempting to invest every cent of your budget into lead generation campaigns. These strategies are highly targeted and flexible, offering persuasive performance metrics.

So why should you consider funneling any portion of your precious marketing budget away from products and services and into your brand?

A strong brand reduces price sensitivity, increases customer loyalty, attracts better talent, and opens doors with investors, partners, and media. It can also help make your product marketing more effective. Leads from a trusted brand convert faster than those from a company the buyer has never heard of or doesn’t emotionally connect with.

For example, when a new competitor enters the market with product features you don’t offer, will customers continue to buy from you? If you are launching a new product category or expanding into a new industry vertical, will they consider you? When your company faces a public crisis, will they still trust you?

Building your brand reputation is fundamentally different from marketing individual products or services. A strong brand cannot be built by the marketing team alone. It requires involvement across every function of the organization, from HR to sales and customer service to operations.

Your brand reputation is built by every customer interaction, the way your employees are treated, and the way your company shows up in the world. This is why brand-building must be treated as a company-wide discipline. Tools like brand guidelines, internal storytelling, training, and ongoing cross-functional communication help keep everyone aligned.

While this all sounds great in theory, many companies run into the same initial question: where should you start?

• Organizational Strategy & Purpose: Involve leadership in the development of the brand and your message. Define who you are today and how you want to be recognized.
• Audience: Consider your customers, but also all potential stakeholders – employees, partners, investors, policymakers, and regional communities. What are their perceptions of your brand? Why do they choose you? What may make them stray?
• Channel Strategy: Map where and how they engage with your brand and notice the gaps. Identify opportunities to introduce and reinforce your brand at every touchpoint.
• Define Success: How will your brand reputation support the business? What impact do you hope to make on your sales team? How will you measure your brand value?

Consider the example of Woodbine Manufacturing, a pioneer of American-made lift gates, including the Tommy Gate brand. The company’s complex distribution cycle included many influences along the path to purchase for commercial, fleet, and work trucks, and its old-school sales process relied on personal connections and relationships.

When competition increased and enticing new products entered the market, Woodbine chose to double down on its Tommy Gate brand, while evolving its family of brands to diversify its offerings to its various customer segments. Although it had a strong, well-known brand reputation, it took the time to intentionally consider how to modernize its operations and brand to remain competitive in the marketplace, while retaining its brand legacy.

So, what’s the lesson here? Quite simply: brand building is never really “done.” It requires ongoing attention and commitment to stay on top of the changing dynamics and potential vulnerabilities. When nurtured intentionally and consistently, it can become a powerful accelerant for lead generation, conversion and sales success.

When done right, brand building plays a critical role in shaping how your audience perceives your company over time. It’s a long game—and it’s done best when you have a strategic partner to guide you through the process. We’re here to help. Contact us today to learn how Airfoil can help uplevel and evolve your brand perception.