Section 8: Brand & Marketing – When People Make Space for You in Their Minds
In the last section, we explored how numbers show whether your business is actually “worth it.” But there’s something numbers alone can’t measure: Why should people choose you in the first place?
That’s where two major pillars come in:
Brand and Marketing
Let’s clear up a big misunderstanding first
Brand is not your logo. Marketing is not just advertising.
Those are tools—not meaning.
So what is brand?
Brand is the emotional, mental, and subconscious impression people have of you. It’s what they feel when they hear your name or see your work. Trust? Indifference? Suspicion? Respect? Delight? Frustration?
Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.
How does a brand form?
A brand isn’t something you “create.” It’s something that forms—over time.
Through behavior, consistency, the promises you make (and keep), your tone, and the overall experience people have with you.
A brand is:
- The promise you make to your audience
- The experience they actually receive
- The feeling they carry after interacting with you
Think about a brand you love for a second. What made you loyal to it? Chances are, it was something beyond the product.
So, what is marketing?
Marketing is the process that helps:
- People discover you
- Understand what you offer
- Believe you’re relevant to them
- Decide to approach you or buy from you
Simply put: Marketing is what brings your brand into people’s hearts and minds.
Marketing isn’t just sales. It’s a journey—known as the Customer Journey.
What does the customer journey mean?
It’s the full path from the moment someone first hears about you, to the moment they decide to pay you, and possibly stick around—or leave.
The stages usually look like this:
- Awareness – They realize you exist
- Interest – Something catches their attention
- Consideration – They compare you to others
- Purchase – They decide to buy
- Loyalty – They liked it enough to return
- Advocacy – They bring others with them
Professional marketing means thinking through each of these stages—on purpose.
What’s the difference between traditional and digital marketing?
Back in the day, you’d place an ad—people either bought or didn’t. But now? People research, compare, read reviews, and then decide.
Modern marketing is about connection. It’s a dialogue with your audience, not just shouting at them.
Key tools in today’s marketing:
- Content (articles, videos, podcasts)
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Targeted advertising
- SEO and Google
- Influencer collaborations
- User experience (UX) in your site and product
But don’t forget: Marketing without brand strategy is just noise.
Brand positioning
Here’s a key question you need to answer:
Why should someone choose you over all the other options?
Positioning means defining:
- Who you’re for (not everyone is your audience!)
- What promise you’re making
- What makes you different
- What feeling you want to create in your audience
Strong positioning means you have a clear label in their mind.
When is a weak brand formed?
- When you keep changing your colors and voice
- When you make promises you don’t keep
- When the front looks good, but there’s nothing behind it
- When people feel like you’re just chasing their money
And trust me—they can tell.
Personal example
I once worked with an education brand that claimed to be “professional,” but their website was full of typos, support was slow, and their promises never matched delivery. No matter how much they spent on ads, it kept coming back as mistrust.
I told them: “Your problem isn’t marketing. It’s your brand. People don’t believe what you’re showing.”
A brand doesn’t scream—it breathes.
Mehdi’s wrap-up
- A brand is the feeling people have about you
- Marketing is the bridge that turns that feeling into awareness and purchase
- Brand is shaped by behavior, not claims
- Modern marketing is conversation, not shouting
- The most important question: Who are you for—and why should they trust you?
Today’s simple reflection: Think of a time you bought from a brand and it felt good. Why did it feel good?
Now ask yourself:
- What do people feel when they interact with you?
- What have you promised—and how much have you actually delivered?
Next up: Human Resource Management Where you realize that building a strong team isn’t just about hiring— it’s about building, retaining, developing, and truly understanding people.