How to Build a Brand: A Handbook by Bill Macaitis and Dave Gerhardt

"The brand is a fire that drives customers." - Bill Macaitis

On December 1, we gathered again for Reach 2022, G2's digital conference. Reach hosted several guest speakers who established their expertise in the business-to-business (B2B) software market.

It also included a 30-minute fireside chat on building a brand in an economic downturn with Bill Macaitis, former CMO of Slack and Zendesk, and Dave Gerhardt, Founder and CEO of Exit Five .

Even in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, B2B brands have managed to stabilize their growth. But how? Merchants and consumers are responsible for this. Consumers are looking for solutions. Brands look for intent.

What is a brand?

A brand allows consumers to recognize and interact with a particular product or service. It is the visual identity of a company in an online market. A trademark includes a logo, slogan, trademark registration, domain name, colors, or content on a company's website or social media accounts. Representing your brand in a personalized way increases your reliability in the market and directs more people to your channel.

Bill Macaitis has worked in the brand and consumer marketing industry for over 20 years, with experience working at companies such as Slack, Salesforce, and Zendesk. This is one of the reasons he calls himself an "online marketing nerd".

Macaitis now works as a marketing and strategy consultant for leading SaaS brands. For him, the brand simply translates to "service for people".

What is Brand Marketing?

Macaitis claims that a brand is a "volatile" term and is not sufficiently recognized in the B2B market. As B2C companies go gaga over their market spend, advertising, and content promotion, B2B pushes them back for the almighty customer.

Different people have different perceptions of B2B brand marketing. Some people follow it religiously, while others think it's a scam. But brand marketing is something you do for your brand, regardless of the outcome. Accurate and targeted brand positioning of your products paves the way for future conversions and business offers.

8 Practical Ways to Integrate a Brand into a Marketing Strategy

Marketing decisions cannot be made in a vacuum, which is why Macaitis believes certain steps must be taken before you begin to build a brand.

As a general rule, companies should ensure that all departments are familiar with the launch product. Active interactions and internal data distribution are the right way to start a marketing campaign. This 8-step brand building strategy will keep you on the right track.

Summarize the consumer interaction. Gather old and new consumer data from all demand generation channels such as websites, ads, chat or email. Define an ideal buyer persona as the center of your go-to-market strategy (GTM). Personalize implicit and explicit touchpoints with consumers and create engaging content. Don't miss the performance metrics. Each marketing sub-team has different metrics to track. An email marketer monitors incoming emails, open rate, impressions, and click-through rate, while a brand marketer monitors visitor numbers, signups, dwell time, and more. wait or bounce rate. Make sure everyone knows how to take care of their competitive metrics. Build your community. Look for people who can better market your brand. Connect with subject matter experts, influencers and senior executives to broaden your brand's horizon. A social media shoutout can drive instant website traffic and boost your search engine rankings. Believe in your employees. Trust the talents of your employees. If one of them is a great writer, let them write blogs, newsletter content, or emails. If someone else on your team knows how to edit music, ask them to create an audio podcast. Use the creativity of your team to refine your brand. Codify design elements. Your website or social media profile should have an attractive visual appeal. Use a