You know what's wild? This month marks 5 years since I launched Pané Marketing. 🤯
Five years ago, I started this business to help small business owners get their footing with marketing. I was creating DIY tools, sharing graphic design tips, and offering affordable social support - think courses, memberships, and wildly underpriced social media management (had to start somewhere, LOL)
But my goal back in 2020 was simply to help you show up, get visible, and stop being overlooked without an online presence.
And honestly? That core mission hasn’t changed.
I'm still deeply committed to helping small businesses make a bigger impact. Because if you're out here doing the damn thing - aka building something from scratch and showing up for your people - I want to make sure when your people finally do find you, their first thought is: “How the hell didn’t I find you sooner!?”
The only thing that's different now is the 'how'.
Because while I will still live and die on the hill that content can grow your business... there’s a catch.
And I wasn’t clear enough about the catch five years ago.
Content is just the part we see.
Your brand is what we feel.
That “holy f*ck, I need you in my life” energy? That comes from the brand strategy, it's the experience that connects every piece and reinforces the trust someone needs to take action.
I’ve spent the past five years working 1:1 with small businesses and watching soo many of my talented peers burn out or go back to corporate because they thought their content wasn't content-ing and gave up.
And I can say without hesitation, it was rarely a lack of effort.
They were showing up, posting, and doing the “right” things from a marketing perspective.
But what they weren’t doing was linking those marketing pieces together with an actual system - aka a brand strategy.
That’s the part that rarely anyone talks about, but is the part I live for.
Because you can post three times a day (please don’t), batch like a beast, even run ads...but still have no one biting.
If your content doesn’t lead somewhere (emotionally or logistically) and it’s not backed by a strong brand that builds trust, clarity, and momentum, it’s just noise. No matter how “on brand” it may look.
It’s not enough to just be seen anymore.
You need to be understood. You need to be felt. You need to form a connection.
And that’s not on your content. That’s on your brand.
Content is just the messenger. So if your message is fuzzy, your user experience is clunky, or your presence across platforms doesn’t match the value of what you do?
Your content can’t carry that weight on its own.
Let me give you an example.
You know those videos where a dog gets rescued on the side of the road? They’re sweet, heartbreaking, and make you want to snuggle your dog a little tighter. Basically, they make you feel something. (which is what a lot of content gurus are telling you is the end goal)
But one video doesn’t build trust. It sparks attention.
Now, imagine it was posted by a local animal shelter. You scroll through their feed. You see the staff walking dogs and playing with their favorite toys, you get a peek behind the scenes, and feel the values of the organization coming through.
You start to trust them and want to support them. But when you click the link in their bio… there’s no website. No adoption info. Just a phone number and a broken 404 link. 🫠
That’s a failed brand experience.
Because your brand experience isn’t just how you look, it’s how easy you make it for people to trust you and take action.
And that example is what happens when your content attracts… but the rest of your brand isn’t built to carry the connection forward.
You can have all the content in the world attracting the right people in, but if the experience doesn’t back it up? You’ve already lost the lead.
Now when looking at my own business, I'm farrrrr from doing everything perfect, but yes, most of my clients find me (and book me) through content alone.
Some have been silently creeping for months. Others binge my site or socials for 20 minutes and book a discovery call that same day (which still blows my "I have to overanalyze every decision" brain, but hey, we're all different buyer types and I'm here to help make the decision easy for all of y'all haha)
But anyway, that stranger-to-client moment can happen fast, but only because I’ve worked hard to build a seamless experience to support it.
From Instagram posts to my website to my inquiry process and follow-up, every touchpoint has been thought through with the audience in mind.
So if you’re sitting there wondering why your content isn’t converting?
Maybe it’s not the content.
Maybe it’s your website. Maybe it’s your booking flow. Maybe your messaging is confusing. Maybe your offer page is doing too much or too little. Maybe people are trying to say yes, and you’re accidentally making it too hard for them to take action.
That doesn’t mean you need to blow everything up and start over.
Most people don’t need a full rebrand. They just need someone to walk through their brand experience with fresh eyes and say, “here’s where people are getting lost,” and refine.
That hawk-eye overview is the sh*t I live for.
I spot the details. I go into the rabbit holes. I consider the psychology, the visuals, the messaging, the communication flow, and the overall user experience because it all matters.
Every piece has a job. And when it’s working, it works together (go figure).
Because truthfully, attraction, nurturing, and conversion aren’t separate phases. They’re one big web. And most people’s “marketing and branding web” has more holes than they realize.
So yes, I love content. And I’ll always teach people how to use it to grow their business. But what I really love is helping people create content that actually works because the brand behind it is built to support it.
This is exactly why I’ve been evolving how I work with clients behind the scenes, moving deeper into high-touch partnerships that go beyond content creation and get into the entire brand experience. And it's why I've launched things like the Your Brand Is Showing Podcast.
Because from design, voice, and messaging to structure, strategy, and user experience - literally everything is working together to attract (or repel) your next lead.
Now, if your wheels are turning and you’re thinking, “Okay, this full picture overview is the kind of support I actually need,” hit reply because I've got something cooking and I’d love for you to be the first to know what it's all about 👀
Until next time,
Marissa
