The Stitch #5: Branding Isn’t Marketing (And That’s Why Yours Feels Off)
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It’s Day 4 of the Virtual Launch Party 🎉
You’ve heard me talk about brand clarity all week. You’ve seen the Brand Role Framework and met the Threaded Story™. But there's something I need to address that I see tripping up founders constantly.
They come to me saying they need help with marketing. They want content strategies, posting schedules, growth tactics. They're frustrated because they're showing up consistently but nothing seems to stick.
Here's what I've learned from my corporate strategy days and now working with founders: If your marketing feels off, it's not because you're bad at it. It's because you're trying to market something that hasn't been clearly defined yet.
You can't build a house without a foundation. And you can't build effective marketing without brand strategy.
Today, I want to show you the difference between the two and why getting this wrong keeps you spinning in circles, no matter how much content you create.
Let's dig in. Lu
Have a brand strategy or business launch question you’d like answered in a future issue?
💡 Brand Strategy ≠ Marketing
This is the part that trips most people up.
They’ll say:
"I need help with marketing. I need a plan, and I’m not consistent."
But what they really mean is:
"I don’t feel clear."
"I don’t know what to say."
"I’m not sure this even sounds like me anymore."
You can’t market what you haven’t defined.
Marketing is the megaphone. Branding is the message.
Marketing is how people find you. Branding is why they stay.
Marketing is posts, platforms, timing, and reach.
Brand strategy is the message behind the marketing... your emotional role, your positioning, your purpose.
It’s the thing that makes your audience stop scrolling and say,
"Oh… that’s for me."
And when that’s missing? You’ll keep tweaking, posting, and guessing... and nothing sticks.
🛠️ Foundation First, Marketing Second
Founders jump straight to content calendars and growth tactics because that feels productive. It's tangible. You can check "posted 3 times this week" off your list.
But without the foundational work, you're essentially throwing content at the wall and hoping something sticks. And when it doesn't, you assume you need to post more, try different platforms, or copy what's working for someone else.
The real issue? You're building marketing on quicksand.
Before you can create content that connects, you need to answer the deeper questions:
What do I stand for? (Not just what you do, but what you believe)
Who am I really here to serve? (Beyond demographics, what drives them, frustrates them, excites them?)
How do I actually connect? (What emotional role do you play in their journey? How do you lead?)
What does my brand feel like to someone else? (Confident? Approachable? Innovative? Revolutionary?)
These aren't nice to have questions. They're the difference between content that gets ignored and content that makes people stop and think: This person gets me!
When you know these answers, everything changes. Your captions write themselves, your About page actually sounds like you, and your lead magnet addresses what people actually need, not just what you think they want.
This foundational work isn't fluff. It's what makes the difference between "I'm posting but nothing's happening" and "I'm showing up, connecting, and growing with clarity."
🧰 From the Studio
This is exactly why every project I work on starts with brand strategy before we touch any marketing.
Whether it's a full strategy build or Launch in a Box, we always answer those foundation questions first.
Want to talk through your brand foundation? Send me a DM and we'll set up a quick call.
💭 Prompt to Pull
Try this:
"If people truly understood ___ about my brand, everything would change."
Now ask: does your content reflect that?
🪡 The Stitch to Remember
Don’t fix your marketing. Fix the foundation first.
The best content starts with a brand that knows who it is and how it connects.
