Brand: The Most Misunderstood Motion in B2B Marketing

Brand: The most overlooked growth lever in B2B

Brand gets talked about a lot.
But in most B2B companies, it’s still misunderstood.

When the budget gets tight, brand is the first thing on the chopping block.
Because it's seen as a cost center, not a growth driver.

But brand isn't fluff. It's leverage.
It’s the reason you get invited to the table before you even know there’s a deal.

‍

What brand actually means in B2B

Brand is how buyers experience your company before they ever talk to sales.

It’s the reason someone types your name into Google instead of “top [category] tools.”
It’s why a CFO doesn’t block the deal.
It’s what turns “just another vendor” into the safer, more familiar option.

Brand isn't a logo refresh.
It’s the reputation you build through consistency, relevance, and value over time.

‍

The signals of a working brand motion

You don’t need a brand book to know it’s working.
You need real buyer signals. Like:

• Sales conversations that start with “I’ve been following your content for a while”
• Branded search volume trending up month over month
• More deals sourced from organic and direct
• Inbound leads referencing your point of view, not just your product

If you're not seeing those signs, you don’t have a brand motion.
You have marketing output without a lasting impression.

‍

What we’ve seen move the needle

We’ve worked with nearly 300 B2B companies. Here's what actually builds brand:

1. Customer-led storytelling
Short-form content where customers share their approach, not testimonials. No script. Just smart people sharing what worked.
It builds credibility without feeling like a sales pitch.

2. Founder or leadership POV
Weekly posts from the CEO or product leader that unpack how they think. Not promo. Just real perspective.
Over time, this compounds into trust that no ad can replicate.

3. Useful content that earns shares
This could be a resource hub, a buyer’s guide, or a well-researched breakdown on a topic people actually care about.
If the only people reading your content are internal, it’s not brand.

‍

Why brand matters more than ever

Demand capture is expensive.
Buyers are skeptical.
And most B2B categories are overcrowded.

If you’re not building a brand, your paid spend is doing all the heavy lifting.
You’re competing on timing and budget, not preference.

Strong brand means lower CAC, faster sales cycles, and higher win rates.
Because buyers already believe in your value before they enter the funnel.

‍

How to measure brand momentum

Brand isn’t impossible to measure. You just need to look in the right places.

• Branded search trends over time
• Self-reported attribution on forms (track how many say LinkedIn, podcast, word of mouth)
• Engagement from your ideal personas on content platforms
• Direct traffic and repeat visits to educational content
• Mentions in sales calls (tracked through Gong or rep notes)

No single metric tells the whole story. But patterns matter.
If your brand is working, the signals show up across the funnel.

‍

Brand needs ownership and investment

If your brand motion doesn’t have clear goals, budget, and a team to run it, it’s not a motion.
It’s a side project.

You don’t have to spend like an enterprise company to build brand.
But you do need a plan. A way to distribute content consistently.
A feedback loop on what’s resonating.
And leadership buy-in that this is a long game worth playing.

‍

What to ask your team right now

Take a look at the last 90 days of activity. Ask:

• Have we shipped anything that makes us more trusted in-market?
• Can our buyers articulate what we stand for?
• Are we showing up where they’re already learning?
• Does our sales team hear “I’ve seen your stuff” before the pitch even starts?

If the answer is no, you’re not building brand.
You’re just making content.

We’ll go deeper into the demand and expand motions next.
But if you're looking to drive more efficient growth, this is the starting point.

Brand isn’t a campaign. It’s the foundation.
And it’s time more B2B teams treated it that way.

-----------

Refine Labs is the leading B2B demand generation agency that has helped over 300+ B2B companies accelerate revenue growth and improve marketing ROI with innovative marketing strategies.

Learn more at www.refinelabs.com. Connect with us on LinkedIn and YouTube.
Listen to our Podcast with weekly episodes Stacking Growth.