What does branding mean to your company? Christian Klepp is the Co-Founder and Director of Client Engagement at EINBLICK Consulting and a expert on everything branding. Christian is also the host of B2B Marketers on a Mission podcast. Christian destroys misconceptions on what businesses need in order to do branding correctly, when the right time to focus on branding is, and what a brand truly is.  Busted Myths:B2B businesses need to stop thinking about branding as a nice to have that they can focus on more later when they have more money. Just because you have salespeople does not mean you don’t need branding. Salespeople and branding are two very different things of which businesses need both.A brand is not your logo, website, ad, or swag, these are just results of branding.  Takeaways Branding provides a company with its “blueprint”. Without the blueprint, the team that is building the house won’t know what the house is supposed to look like, even though they may be very skilled at what they do. Branding forms the strategic framework which is needed for every aspect of the business, from marketing to sales and beyond.While marketing should have a firm grip, branding requires a larger, collective responsibility within the organization. B2B companies have been undergoing shifts for the past five years because certain longstanding methods and practices have become less effective due to digitalization, new market entrants, and competitors.Results for brand effectiveness cannot be tracked using the same way that sales are tracked. Branding is an investment that is made now in order to reap long-term gains. Your brand is a collection of perceptions that your customers, stakeholders, and partners have of your company, your product or service, and your company’s values. Branding starts with a verbal expression of the brand. This begins with the mission, vision, and values of the brand. Then consider your positioning, or the perception you want others in the market to have about your company. Next, examine your value proposition, that is, what you are delivering to your customers that is of value to them. To decide whether something is of value to your customers, determine if it is helpful, useful, and meaningful to them. You can use HUM as an easy way to remember this.When determining what clients to target, consider which accounts have been the most profitable for the company, have worked with the company the longest, and have recommended the company and its services to others?To do branding correctly, you need to answer these two questions. Who is your target audience? Why are they the right fit for what you offer? Then research the market to understand where your customers search for answers. Finally, talk to your customers!The B2B buyers’ journey is complex, so it’s important to know which stakeholders are involved at each step. Categorize your stakeholders as champions, influencers, and blockers. Each stakeholder will care about different things, so message accordingly. Quote of the Show:“A brand is a living, breathing thing” - Christian Klepp Shout Outs:Mark Stouse - Episode 85 of B2B Marketers on a Mission: https://youtu.be/UliiB4eseV8David McClean  Book Recommendations:Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-klepp-einblickconsulting/Podcast: https://www.einblick.co/podcastsCompany website: https://www.einblick.co/ Ways to Tune In:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hard-corps-marketing-show/id1338838763Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/37228621-2f9c-4905-a223-1844effb49ddSpotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/1vVLpNI1LssMTiL6KdsamnStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-hard-corps-marketing-showGoogle Podcasts: https://play.google.com/music/m/Im7mytmu2wa2mekhoeixlja5hpe?t=The_Hard_Corps_Marketing_ShowYouTube: https://youtu.be/I-UxZXGWXlo