Q&A Section #3: Branding, CRMs & Ecommerce Confusion
Branding vs. ads, CRM tools for beginners, and that one ecommerce question everyone’s too shy to ask. QnA #3 breaks it all down.
Branding vs. ads, CRM tools for beginners, and that one ecommerce question everyone’s too shy to ask. QnA #3 breaks it all down.
Hey friend, it’s Arvin.
Every week, I get questions.
From clients, students, random convos, even voice notes at weird hours.
So I thought, why not pull some of the best ones together and share them here?
Some are from you. Some are from chats that made me think, "Oh, more people need to hear this."
Let’s jump in.
Q&A Corner
Got a question you’ve been dying to ask? Drop it here (or upvote the ones you’re curious about).
I’ll answer it directly on Slido and feature it in our weekly Q&A issue.
Question : Does branding still have a big impact on sales, even if the store’s already running a bunch of ads on the marketplace? What about new stores?
Answer :
Absolutely.
Branding still matters a lot.
Ads might get you clicks, but branding is what gets you trust.
And trust is what gets you sales.
Think about it like this: Ads are like someone waving at you from across the street.
Branding is what happens when they come closer and you realize,
"Oh, this person looks legit. I like their vibe. I feel safe buying from them."
For new stores especially, you don’t have the luxury of reputation yet. People don’t know you.
So instead of dumping money into ads right away, focus on looking trustworthy first.
That can be through product reviews, clean visuals, consistent tone, even just being responsive in chat.
If your storefront looks sketchy or inconsistent, even the best ad won’t convert.
It’s like inviting people to a party and then they show up to find broken chairs and weird lighting. They’ll leave.
So yes, branding is a silent sales rep working 24/7. Invest in it.
Question : Just checking, when you say "ecommerce," do you mean brands that have their own website? Like Samsung or Apple?
Answer :
Kinda, yeah.
But ecommerce just means you’re selling something online.
That could be through your own website, like Apple.com, or through marketplaces like Amazon or Shopee.
The difference is mainly in control.
If ecommerce is owning a house, then marketplaces are like renting a booth at a market.
You can do both, but they work a little differently.
On your own site, you control the customer journey.
On a marketplace, you borrow traffic and have to play by their rules.
Question : Any CRM tools you'd recommend for small businesses, especially those just starting out?
Answer :
Yup, a few solid ones with good free plans: Mailchimp, MailerLite, Sendinblue (now called Brevo), and ConvertKit.
Each has pros and cons, but at the start, just pick one that feels easy to use. Don’t overthink it.
But also, don’t stress about CRMs too early.
If you don’t have a list yet, there’s nothing to manage.
Focus on collecting emails first.
Once you’ve got a small list, then start organizing and automating.
That’s it for this week Q&A series, what is your favorite question?
Got your own question?
Drop them on slido or reply to this email, I would love to help!
Talk soon,
Arvin
Quick heads up for tomorrow
If you’re a paid member, you’re getting the next “What’s Up in Marketing?” drop.
My weekly rundown of the most interesting stuff happening in marketing-land.
I sifted through hundreds (literally, hundreds) of articles so you don’t have to doomscroll your way through the internet.
Just open the email, skim the gold, move on with your life.
Here’s what’s coming:
Two Korean students take a shot at ElevenLabs and co
Zuck tries to kill advertising agencies
Reddit updates that might have Google sweating
TikTok's new ads feature
Google SEO & SEM guidelines and feature updates
How to sell products in the GPT search
X experiments on engagement
More on that tomorrow. Stay tuned.