Building a Brand That Stands Out

Marketing From X 2 Z: Digital marketing strategy and tips to help you grow your small business

Branding isn’t your logo—it’s the gut feeling people have about your business. In this conversation, Mike (Gen X, branding/web guy) and Liz (Gen Z, social strategist) dig into what brand really means for small businesses and how to make yours memorable without a Fortune 500 budget.

You’ll learn

• Brand ≠ logo: Voice, values, experience, and how you communicate are the brand; visuals support it.
• Experiential branding in the wild: Why Red Bull and Liquid Death resonate—and what small businesses can borrow.
• Local proof: How places like Marietta Coffee Co. lean into space and vibe to attract the right people.
• Make it stick: The role of repetition and consistency (those 7–12 “brand hits”).
• Stand out vs. fit in: When to choose industry norms and when to intentionally disrupt (colors, tone, presence).
• Refresh or rebrand?: Signs you need a visual tune-up vs. a ground-up reset.
• Test, don’t guess: Getting feedback from ideal customers (and weighting input wisely).
• Storytelling that converts: Show life before and after your brand—the simple “status quo → transformation” arc.

Quick wins you can do this week

• Commit to consistency: Pick a primary + secondary color palette and apply it everywhere (site, socials, slides, signage).
• Tighten your introduction: Craft a repeatable 1-line pitch/tagline you actually use at networking events.
• Audit your touchpoints: Invoices, emails, proposals—do they reflect your voice (casual vs. formal, playful vs. polished)?
• Logo toolkit check: Ensure you’re using related logo variations (horizontal/stacked/mono), not unrelated marks.