Strategic Branding: Playing The Long Game

I don’t need to explain it, we are in peak capitalism/consumerism culture. Everything is “buy now”,
buy this,
you need this,
you need it right this second,
time is running out… I want to talk about not doing that LOL.

When it comes to strategically marketing your brand, I’m much more concerned with your long game. Strategic branding isn’t about instant conversion—it’s about trust, alignment, and being remembered when the timing is right.

Rather than going through the “how do I get someone to buy this right now?” thoughts, (not that making sales isn’t important), let’s back up. What if they don’t buy it now—and instead, you set things up for a couple months down the road, or even a couple years?

If you are selling a service or product that has a higher price point, this is especially important.

Strategic branding isn’t about getting someone to buy right now. It’s about being remembered when they’re ready.

When Your Messaging Gets Lost (Even If You Know Better)

It happens to the best of us, myself included.

I was recently chatting with my sister about Millson and Main—it’s existence, what I’ve changed, what I shouldn’t have changed… we’re going to blame astrology for this honestly, because I saw some guy say Aries was going THROUGH IT for the last two years and like, can confirm.

Two years lines up perfectly with me getting bored and just obliterating system I had for truly no reason.

Anyway. In my 2025 reflecting, I was looking at clients I have now vs clients I had in the past, who I think my ideal clients are, and realizing that actually doesn’t line up with reality. And once I had this realization, I realized how much my own website had absolutely lost the plot.

I was changing it constantly—tweaking things, throwing spaghetti at the wall. People were asking if I did logos constantly, so obviously it wasn’t clear how to work with me or what it even gets you.

And I’m like, “Yes, I do logos — but I also do this, and you can book sessions with me here, or download this thing here…”

What I could have said was: design work without a foundation and a plan is just a guess — and guesswork is expensive.

The irony of this is that it’s exactly what I help my clients with… strategic branding. Instead, I was trying to speak to everyone, and therefore speaking to no one. Constantly reinventing the wheel. Fixing things that weren’t broken. Making things look cool instead of actually saying anything.

Turns out, you don’t need fifteen offers to prove your expertise. You need clarity.

But, you know — we’re our own worst customer.

Why Being Remembered Matters More Than Being Seen

In reflecting on what I do, my ideal clients, and the projects I’ve loved (and those I haven’t), I realized something important: my current clients are repeats.

Which means really, my website was generating a whole lot of nothing—because the people hiring me were sold on my strategic branding skills back in 2018. They’re back on my calendar now because of their past client experience, and the reputation it holds, and likely nothing to do with what I was saying online more recently.

People don’t come back because of your website alone, they come because of the strategic brand you’ve created.

These are your long-game, ideal clients. And I’m not taking people coming back for business card updates or something. These clients worked with me on their branding, went away and grew that to multi-million-dollar companies, and now don’t match their clientele anymore and need to regroup. Or another client is launching a totally different new company.

I have so many people tell me they’ve followed me for years. I just had a second (third?) session with Monica, who wrote in her very first booking form that she knew I was the one when I posted about my “Alexa, let’s get fucking festive” Christmas lights routine back in 2018 😂

Basically — when they’re ready, I’m the person they call.

Because I play the long game. I’m not trying to get you to check out right now. I’m not trying to force a buy this second.

I’m just planting seeds.

Brand Values, Trust, and the 2026 Shift

And in this current capitalist hellscape we’re living in… I really think this approach is going to matter more than ever going forward.

People are tired. They’re tired of the buy-now energy, and buying a brand name just for the sake of a brand name isn’t enough anymore.

What matters is what that brand stands for. Where their values lie — especially in such a polarizing climate.

People want to know:

• Do your values align with mine?
• Are you supporting causes I support — or at least not supporting ones I’m actively against?

Everything feels political now. And that doesn’t mean you need to loudly broadcast your views on every topic — but people want to feel safe in where they’re spending their hard-earned dollars.

Looking professional isn’t the differentiator anymore. It’s the guts behind your brand that sets you apart.

When they decide to buy, who they choose won’t be based on who sent the most emails, had the highest ad spend, or the most on-trend Instagram stories.

It’ll be because something specific about you clicked.

That’s why brand positioning matters so much. Especially now — even with AI in the mix — looking “professional” isn’t the differentiator anymore.

The difference isn’t being seen.

 It’s being remembered.