Brand Theory

Brand Theory is an outsourced growth team for forward-thinking B2Bs ready to follow a clear path to profitable customer acquisition.

Our SmartGrowth™ system is a fundamentally different approach — designed to create and scale successful outcomes, eliminate guesswork and generate predictable, repeatable ROI.

What that means:

+ SMARTER SYSTEM
Your B2B didn’t get this far by throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. Its success is built on methodical systems. Scaling profitable customer acquisition is no different. Let’s focus on the right process, with the right steps, in the right order.

+ SMARTER SPENDING
No more “pay & pray.” It’s time to stop tossing your marketing budget into a black hole. Why invest in what you think, when you can leverage data to invest in what you know?

+ SMARTER TECH
Let’s pull the plug on expensive marketing and sales software that’s barely used. And let’s ditch the underpowered tools that are holding your team back. There’s a right-fit solution for your budget and needs, and it will grow with your business. 

+ SMARTER MESSAGING
Your buyers don’t want to hear how great you are. They want to know how you can help them. Leave the ego-centric claims to your competitors. Scale with customer-centric messaging that consistently attracts, converts and retains across the buyer journey.

+ SMARTER CUSTOMER ACQUISITION
When you’re continuously learning from every data point in your pipeline, you’re able to constantly improve the flow of prospects into and through it — shortening the sales cycle, lowering CAC, increasing LTV and driving profitable growth.

Founder

LaunchPad Creative Marketing

Principal/Creative Director

Compass Marketing

Creative Director

The Walt Disney Company

Creative Consultant

The Cimarron Group

Art Director

TBWA Chiat/Day

Designer

Feld Entertainment

Sr. Designer

I founded Brand Theory to help growth-stage B2Bs scale smarter. 

One thing I learned through 30+ years of helping businesses grow … there are no short-cuts, but many ways to get lost.

Wasted marketing spend, misguided website redesigns, the patchwork of tech tools, weak messaging, operational inefficiencies … it doesn’t take much to breed a dysfunctional program that inhibits growth and undermines revenue.

That’s why I developed the Growth 2.0 system — for B2Bs ready to follow a clear path to profitable, predictable customer acquisition at scale.

Our core strengths:

- Customer Development
- Inbound Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Thought Leadership
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Web Design & Development
- Growth-Driven Design
- Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
- Website & Campaign Analytics
- Paid Search
- Paid Social
- Marketing Automation
- CRM

https://www.brand-theory.com/

When B2B brands redesign their website, 

99% make the same 2 mistakes...

👉 The wrong site. At the wrong time.

I get it. 
Your brand is growing.
You want everyone to see your shiny new site.

But hold your horses. 

The last thing you need is a prettier version of the same underperforming website you cobbled together when you were in startup mode.

If you’ve got growth plans, you don’t just need a new website.

You need a conversion machine.

And that starts with:

- Positioning that makes the competition irrelevant 
- A narrative that meets buyers at every stage of their journey 
- An irresistible offer
- A high-converting lead magnet
- A process for creating content at scale
- An omni-channel customer acquisition strategy
- The right KPIs for each growth stage
- A routine for continuous improvement

High-growth brands solve all of this BEFORE they spend a dime on a new website.

They start with a blueprint for their entire marketing system.

So their new website will actually work.

I’m Carter Edsall and I help B2B brands scale by doing the right things, in the right order.

Share your thoughts. 💬 
Share with your people. ♻️

Carter Edsall

Stop Wasting 💰 on Marketing Guesswork. I Help B2B Founders Scale by Doing the Right Things, in the Right Order | Founder @ Brand Theory

Keynote Speaker (CSP®) helping Sales/Marketing/Leadership professionals connect deeper and win more trust...Author of They Ask You Answer...Ranked #1 LinkedIn Voices (Entrepreneurship)...a Dang Good Follow on LinkedIn

Why are Sales and Marketing teams still so siloed in 2024? Here's the part no one likes to talk about:

👉 Most sales teams grossly overestimate their influence on the actual sale.

Why?

Because they haven't been taught how buyers (like themselves) have changed.

Not good.

So check out this video (60 seconds) and give me your thoughts.

Agree or disagree?

Your brand is losing business to 4 competitors.

Whether you think so or not...


1. DIRECT COMPETITORS 💸 
Offer a similar solution to your buyers.


2. INDIRECT COMPETITORS 💸 
Sell a different solution but target your buyers.


3. REPLACEMENT COMPETITORS 💸 
Offer an alternative solution that solves the same problem.


4. POTENTIAL COMPETITORS 💸 
Could become one of the above in the near future.


It doesn’t matter if your solution is better, faster, bigger, smaller, cheaper, easier, or smarter than all of them...

Ignoring competitors is the riskiest thing you can do.

There are more than you think. 
And there will be even more tomorrow.

My advice?

👉 Solve Competitive Positioning.

Before you launch a new website or start burning 💰 on ads, articles, social posts, emails, videos, and all the other channels and tactics on your marketing agenda.

Because how you differentiate from competitors ... belongs in all of it.

I’m Carter Edsall and I help B2B brands scale by doing the right things, in the right order.

Share your thoughts. 💬 
Share with your people. ♻️

Most brands struggle with shiny object syndrome today. Thousands of marketing tools, countless tactics and options. That will increase tenfold with AI. 

Smart agencies will continue to be strategic partners that provide a framework for navigating all the noise to deliver a positive business outcome.

Just like today...
Some brands will DIY marketing and make a mess of it.
Others will DIY with great results.
Some brands will hire experts who know what they're doing.
Others will hire "experts" who don't.

Chief Growth Officer at Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute

Agencies - how are you thinking about AI? What is AI's impact on agencies? What is the potential? What are generative AI's capabilities and limitations - and where can your team shine? Where does legal fit into all of this? As AI advances, how can agencies prepare for the future? Paul Roetzer sat down with Mike Linton on the amazing CMO Confidential podcast recently - it's worth 30 min of your time! 

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g3mfZ6Xm
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gSJmHkQA
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g2uKUA9t

#AI #agencies #AIagency #artificialintelligence #CMO #CMOConfidential #agencylife #marketing Jeff Culliton

Open video: Is Artificial Intelligence An Extinction Event For Marketing Agencies | Paul Roetzer | on youtube.com

Is Artificial Intelligence An Extinction Event For Marketing Agencies | Paul Roetzer |

Marketers love to make marketing sound complicated.

I prefer a dead simple approach: 

Know → Like → Trust.

Because it maps perfectly to the B2B buyer journey.

And it gives your marketing purpose.

Here's how it works...


KNOW. 👀
 
Buyers can’t like or trust you if they don’t know you exist. 
Start with content that tells them who you are and what problems you solve.



LIKE. 👍 

Once they know you, they’ll want to know why you’re different. 
Share your “secret sauce.” Your unique approach. And they will like you.



TRUST. 💰 

Even when they know and like you, they need proof. 
Show results. Use case studies, testimonials, and stats to build trust.



The B2B buyer journey isn’t a straight line.

It’s a meandering, multi-channel, multi-touch marathon.

But when you create the right content for each stage... 
you always get the right message to the right buyer at the right time.

And by the time they know, like, and trust you ... they’ll already be sold.

Crazy simple. 🤯

I’m Carter Edsall and I help B2B brands scale by doing the right things, in the right order.

Would love to hear your thoughts. 💬

Why is your B2B website underperforming?

It’s selling the wrong thing...

👉 Your product.

If your B2B is like most, you’ve got a long sales cycle.

Your website’s job is to sell the first step.

Not the last one.

That might be:

- A demo 
- A consultation
- A free assessment

Whatever it is ... it’s a 1:1 conversation.

That's what you’re selling.

By all means, highlight your product and its amazing features.

But if it’s a high-ticket item with a long sales cycle, 
you’re selling a conversation, not a product.

Most websites miss this.

A button or CTA to “contact sales” or “book a demo” isn’t enough.

- What is valuable about that first call?
- Why should your buyers care?
- What’s in it for them?

This is your “offer.”

Create a page for it. A video. A compelling list of benefits. Testimonials.

Test it. Refine it. Perfect it.

Need your website to perform better? Sell the right thing.

I’m Carter Edsall and I help B2B brands scale by doing the right things, in the right order.

Share your thoughts. 💬 
Share with your people. ♻️

I can’t imagine spending 💰💰💰 on a marketing agency

without answers to these simple questions...

What are the top 3-5 problems my ideal buyers need to solve?
What is the name and price of my solution?
What is the payoff my solution delivers?
What is the currency used to measure that payoff?
Who are my biggest competitors?  Who are my closest competitors?
What alternative solutions do my buyers use?
What is the traditional category for my solution?
What new category am I creating?
What is my unfair advantage?
What is motivating my buyers to seek a solution?
What anxieties, objections, and limiting beliefs are holding them back?
What can I say about my solution ... that nobody else can?

If the answers to these questions aren’t on the tip of my tongue,

I’m not ready to drop 💰 on agencies, ads, content, or a new website.

Neither are you.

High-growth brands don’t win by throwing money at agencies.

They start by answering the right questions.

↳ So they can build the right narrative.
↳ So they can create the right content.
↳ So they can acquire the right buyers.
↳ So they can establish repeatable results.
↳ So they can optimize profitability.
↳ So they can scale predictably.

My advice? Do what they do.

I’m Carter Edsall and I help B2B brands scale by doing the right things, in the right order.

Share your thoughts. 💬
Share with your people. ♻️

Reverse-engineer the success of a high-growth startup,

and you’ll see what they solved first:

👉 Positioning.

Without positioning, there’s no differentiation from competitors.
No relevance to customers.
No value to the market.

Want proof? 

Here are 7 brands that nailed positioning before scaling:

🎯 Canva
Nailed positioning as “design for non-designers.” Perfected a freemium model and viral sharing before scaling paid media. Grew through word-of-mouth.

🎯 Dropbox
Nailed messaging around "your files, from anywhere.” Mastered product-led growth with a viral freemium model before going big with paid acquisition.

🎯 Slack
Positioned as a "collaboration hub" to differentiate from email. Built for internal use first, refined product-market fit. Grew through word-of-mouth before ads.

🎯 HubSpot
Coined "inbound marketing" to differentiate. Created valuable content to attract ideal customers. Built a community before scaling paid acquisition.

🎯 Shopify
Differentiated by focusing on small merchants first. Perfected self-serve model before expanding upmarket. Grew through merchant success stories.

🎯 Zoom
Differentiated on ease of use and “reliable video conferencing.” Leveraged referrals and freemium before scaling marketing spend.

🎯 Notion
Positioned as an “all-in-one workspace.” Focused on power users and teams first. Leveraged product-led growth and community before expanding marketing.

The (not so) secret to their success? 
Positioning first.

The pattern? 

1. Differentiate with positioning
2. Find your ideal customers
3. Achieve product-market fit
4. Optimize unit economics
5. Then scale marketing, sales, and operations

Some brands are so enamored with their product, they skip right to #5.

Not the brands on this list.

This is how to scale profitably and predictably. 
Instead of throwing money at growth before you're ready.

I’m Carter Edsall and I help B2B brands scale by doing the right things, in the right order.

Share your thoughts. 💬 
Share with your people. ♻️

America's founding fathers weren’t just revolutionaries. 🇺🇸

They were master marketers...

Leveraging timeless marketing principles to win our independence:


Compelling Brand Story 📜
The Declaration of Independence wasn't just a political document - it was a powerful brand narrative of freedom and self-determination that resonated deeply with the colonies.


Clear Value Proposition ✊
"Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" - a concise, memorable statement of the new nation's unique offering.


Consistent Messaging 📣
From the Boston Tea Party to Continental Congress speeches, the founders maintained a unified message of independence across multiple touchpoints.


Influencer Marketing 🇫🇷
Benjamin Franklin's diplomatic efforts in France were essentially an 18th-century influencer campaign, leveraging his fame to gain crucial support.


User-Generated Content ✍️
The Federalist Papers encouraged public debate and participation, much like modern brands fostering community engagement.


Memorable Branding 🦅
The stars and stripes, the Liberty Bell, the bald eagle - powerful visual symbols that still represent the American brand today.


Word-of-Mouth Strategy 🏇
Paul Revere's midnight ride was the 1770s equivalent of a viral marketing campaign, rapidly spreading a crucial message.


As we celebrate Independence Day, let's appreciate not just the political acumen of our founding fathers, but their marketing genius too. 

They didn't just create a nation .
They built a brand that's endured for nearly 250 years. 🇺🇸

B2B brands get “burned” by digital agencies all the time. 

Here’s how:

1. Paid Ads 😫 
“We spent $5k/month on Google, but got no conversions.”

2. Blog Content 😡 
“They promised 100 leads/month, but nothing happened.”

3. Social Media 😭 
“They posted every week, but we didn’t get any new customers.”

4. Lead Magnets 😮 
“We spent a fortune on an e-book, but the leads are terrible.”

5. Website 🥹 
“They redesigned our website, but it hasn’t changed anything.”

The common theme? 

Execution before strategy.

PPC agencies get paid to run ads.
Social media agencies get paid to create posts.
Web design agencies get paid to do websites.

But don’t blame the agencies.

They get paid to do their thing.
Not to scale your business.

That’s why high-growth B2B brands start with strategy.

A plan for how ads, content, lead generation, website, and other tactics all work together to drive revenue growth.

Before they spend a dime on execution.

I’m Carter Edsall and I help B2B brands scale by doing the right things, in the right order.

Share your thoughts. 💬 
Share with your network. ♻️

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