does your branding make you money (or just look cute?)
- Erikka Shockley
- Oct 13
- 3 min read
Let’s be honest ... some of y’all have branding that’s adorable.
The color palette? A vibe.
The logo? Chef’s kiss.
The Instagram grid? Could hang in a museum.
But here’s the thing…
If your branding looks cute but your sales still suck ... it’s not working.
Because design doesn’t pay your bills.
Strategy does.
→ “pretty” isn’t the goal ... “profitable” is.
Somewhere along the line, the internet convinced small business owners that “aesthetic” equals “effective.”
Spoiler alert: it does not.
You can have the trendiest logo & still confuse the hell out of your audience.
You can have a perfectly curated feed & still not make a single sale.
PRETTY DOES NOT PAY. Clarity does.
Your branding isn’t supposed to win a beauty contest ...
it’s supposed to build trust.
And trust happens when people instantly know who you are, what you do, and why they should care.
✨Ask yourself...
→ Can someone tell what I sell in 5 seconds?
→ Do my visuals match the level of professionalism I want to be known for?
→ Does my brand feel consistent, or does it look like a Canva identity crisis?
If you hesitated on any of those, your branding might be the problem ...
not your offer.
→ branding that converts feels familiar ... not forced.
You don’t need to look like everyone else in your industry.
In fact, please don’t.
If your brand looks exactly like 12 other businesses on Instagram, congratulations ... you’ve accidentally made yourself forgettable.
Good branding doesn’t copy trends; it creates recognition.
It’s not about what’s cool right now ... it’s about what feels like you.
Think about your favorite brands.
They don’t scream for attention.
They’re consistent, confident, and recognizable without trying too hard.
✨Here’s what that looks like in practice...
→ Using the same 2–3 fonts everywhere so your content looks cohesive.
→ Repeating your colors + tone until your audience starts associating them with you.
→ Saying things in your own voice ... not what you think sounds “professional.”
→ If your audience can recognize your work before they even see your logo, you’re winning.
→ you don’t need a $5,000 rebrand ... you need direction
Let’s normalize this...
your branding doesn’t have to be perfect to be profitable.
You don’t need to hire a high-end agency or scrap everything you’ve built. You just need direction ... and a consistent vibe that actually makes sense.
Half of what I do for clients isn’t a full rebrand.
It’s a clean-up.
Taking what they already have & aligning it with their business goals.
Because sometimes, it’s not that your design is bad ...
it’s that it doesn’t say anything.
✨Try this...
→ Simplify your visuals (less is more).
→ Update your brand photos if they look like they were taken in 2018.
→ Write a one-sentence brand statement that sums up what you do & who it’s for.
→ Once you have clarity, your design finally starts pulling its weight.
→ cohesion > creativity (sorry, designers)
Look, I love a good creative concept as much as the next designer, but cohesion will always win.
It doesn’t matter how fancy your fonts are if your audience feels like they’re seeing a different version of you every week.
Cohesive branding makes people trust you faster ...
and trust leads to conversions.
That means...
✔️ Consistent colors across your website, social, and print.
✔️ Same logo variations (not 12 different Canva edits).
✔️ Repeating your tagline or brand promise until people start quoting it back to you.
Because here’s the truth ... people don’t need new, they need familiar.
They buy when something feels right. Cohesion creates that feeling.
→ the confidence factor
Let’s talk about the part nobody mentions..
When your branding looks good, you show up differently.
You post more confidently.
You talk about your business with pride.
You stop second-guessing whether you look “legit enough.”
And that confidence is what converts ... not the logo itself.
Your visuals are the armor that help you show up like the professional you already are.
So no, your branding doesn’t have to be fancy.
It just has to feel like home ... to you + your audience.
If you’re stressing over fonts but still can’t clearly explain what you offer, it’s time to zoom out.
Your brand’s job is to support your business ... not distract from it.
Good branding:
✔️ Tells a story.
✔️ Builds trust.
✔️ Feels consistent.
✔️ Makes people confident spending money with you.
Bad branding:
❌ Looks cute on Canva.
❌ Confuses your audience.
❌ Keeps you hiding behind the design instead of selling through it.
So ask yourself again ... does your branding make you money, or does it just look cute?
Signed,
Your marketing & small business bestie 💅
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