Hey ,

This week, I’m writing to you from Newport Beach, CA, where I’ve spent the past week conducting a GTM Audit for one of our new clients. A client I didn’t cold call, chase, or beg to get on a call. Hell, a client I didn’t “outbound” at all. This opportunity came directly from the brand equity I’ve spent years building. Relationships, reputation, and trust were already there before we ever had our first conversation. That’s the real power of a social brand: it works for you while you’re focused on everything else.

At Revenue Reimagined, we see founders and sellers frustrated that their LinkedIn posts aren’t driving business or building credibility on a daily basis. They’re using social the wrong way, treating it like an advertising platform instead of a relationship builder. They wonder why they’re shouting into the void. Or worse yet, they (for some reason that is foreign to me) don’t see the value in building a brand. They swear off LinkedIn, claiming it is a gimmick, and choose the bliss of ignorance while watching their competitors eat their market share.

This week’s newsletter is about changing that.

We’re breaking down how to build your brand the right way. The good, the bad, and the ugly, so you can drive real business, earn real credibility, and create opportunities that find you.

Before we get into it, can I just say how much I love in-person connections? I’ll never turn down a chance to hang with some of my favorite humans, which is what I got to do Friday night in CA when Annie and Ben made the drive down for dinner.

Estimated reading time is 4 minutes—feel free to hit reply and share your takeaways or questions.

On Deck:

• The Real ROI of a Social Brand

• Marketing Tip of the Week - Powered by Decoded Strategies

• Episode #93 “Stop Sending 10,000 Emails”

Building a Social Brand: Why it Matters Now More Than Ever

There’s a reason we’re doubling down on social brands this week. Five months into 2025, one thing continues to become clearer than ever. Your social presence is your credibility. It’s your modern-day business card, your reputation engine, and your trust accelerator… all rolled into one.

We work with Founders, CEOs, and sellers every day who are building incredible companies but aren’t getting the visibility or the deal flow they deserve. When we dig deeper, the problem usually isn’t the product, the service, or the business.

Or worse, people have the wrong perception based on what little they do see.

It’s the fact that no one knows who they are. Sure, some of this comes down to basic “brand-awareness” or lack thereof… but a large portion comes down to an "individual social brand.”

In today’s world, your social brand either opens doors or builds walls. There is no neutral.

Let’s break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of building your brand, and then show you exactly how to do it the right way.

The Good: When Social Branding Works Like a Growth Engine

Social Credibility

People do business with people they trust. Before buyers talk to your team, sign an agreement, or pay that invoice, they Google you. They check LinkedIn. They scan your activity. They want to know they are speaking with an expert who deeply understands their business, not just a “salesperson” with commission breath.

A strong personal brand builds immediate credibility before you say a word.

Why It Matters:

• Shortens sales cycles.

• Improves inbound interest.

• Pre-qualifies you as trustworthy.

Being Seen as an Expert (Instead of Just Another Vendor)

By consistently sharing insights, hard-won lessons, and unique points of view, you establish yourself as the authority in your niche. People want to buy from people, not random logos.

Founders, revenue leaders, and sellers who invest in their voice differentiate themselves without having to scream louder.

Why It Matters:

• Moves you out of price wars.

• Attracts better-fit customers.

• Drives up perceived value.

Building a Real Community (Not Just an Audience)

A real brand doesn’t just broadcast, it builds community. Helping others without asking for anything immediately earns loyalty, trust, and, eventually, referrals and opportunities.

Why It Matters:

• Loyal audiences amplify your reach.

• Word-of-mouth accelerates exponentially.

• Your ecosystem becomes your unfair advantage.

Creating Warm Inbound Opportunities

When your name is top of mind because of consistent, high-value content, people start seeking you out for help, advice, and partnerships. Cold outbound becomes 10x easier because your reputation precedes you.

Why It Matters:

• Inbound lowers CAC dramatically.

• You sell from a position of strength, not desperation.

The Bad: Where Founders and Sellers Get It Wrong

Connect and Pitch

You build no trust if your first interaction is an unsolicited pitch. In fact, you actively hurt your reputation. Relationships come before revenue. Always.

Faking Expertise

Pretending to be a thought leader in something you don’t truly understand will erode your credibility fast. People can spot regurgitated content and buzzword-heavy posts a mile away. Real expertise is earned, not manufactured.

Only Talking About Your Company

If every post is about your funding round, your latest product update, or a sales promo, you’re treating your social feed like a billboard. No one cares about your company unless you show them why they should. Talk about insights, challenges, and trends. Not just yourself.

Posting Without Engaging

I see this more than anything else. People who come to LinkedIn just to drop 2-3 posts a day, but never engage with the content of others. Posting and ghosting kills momentum. The algo rewards conversations, not broadcasts. If you’re not commenting on other people’s posts, sharing others’ content thoughtfully, and DMing to build relationships, you’re invisible.

The Result of These Mistakes:

• Longer sales cycles.

• Lost inbound opportunities.

• Eroded trust before you even get started.

The Ugly: When a Poor (or Missing) Brand Hurts You

Damaged Trust

When a CEO, founder, or seller has a weak or inconsistent brand, it creates doubt. Buyers assume you aren’t serious, sophisticated, or capable… even if that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Lost Deals You Never Knew About

Deals are lost before they start. Prospects who might have been interested bail early because you don’t look credible, visible, or relevant online. Worse? You never even know it happened.

Playing Catch-Up Against Competitors

If a competitor with equal or even lesser offerings builds a stronger social presence, they will be seen as the leader in your space. Perception becomes reality.

In the absence of a strong brand, the market fills in the blanks for you… and often, not favorably.

How to Build a Social Brand the Right Way (Starting Now)

• Pick 2-3 Key Topics You Want to Own

  • Choose areas where you have deep expertise and strong conviction. This creates consistency and clarity around your brand.

• Post 3-4x Per Week

  • Mix personal stories, tactical insights, lessons learned, and industry commentary. (Tip: Your failures and mistakes often perform better than your wins.)

• Engage with Others Daily

  • Comment thoughtfully. Start real conversations. Lift others up. Social isn’t just about posting; it’s about being part of the community.

• Focus on Value, Not Virality

  • Don’t chase likes. Chase impact. Ask yourself before every post: “Will this help someone today?”

• Play the Long Game

  • Your brand won’t explode overnight, and that’s okay. Building real trust and authority compounds slowly… until it suddenly looks like you “came out of nowhere.”

The Bottom Line

When done right, your social brand isn’t just about posting, it’s about creating leverage across every aspect of your professional life.

Look at people like Darren McKee, the current masterclass in social branding. Darren has built an audience not by chasing trends, but by consistently providing real value and real expertise. His posts are sharp, honest, and tactical. He’s a trusted voice because he shows up authentically and helps others win first. The result? His brand creates compounding opportunities that most people dream of.

You don’t need a massive following to build this kind of impact.

You need consistency, authenticity, and a relentless focus on adding value over chasing attention.

As we head into 2025, your social brand will matter more than ever. Not for vanity metrics, but as a foundational piece of your reputation, influence, and growth engine.

Because today, you aren’t just building a company.

You’re building you.

And the people you want to work with? They’re paying attention.

Thanks ZoomInfo for Keeping This Newsletter Free!

ZoomInfo is the Go-To-Market intelligence platform that empowers businesses to grow faster with AI-ready insights, trusted data, and advanced automation. Our solutions provide a complete view of your customers, making every seller your best seller.

Marketing Tip of the Week - Powered by Decoded Strategies

You must tell a story in your marketing.

But most companies get storytelling wrong.

Even with the best intentions, they’re telling the wrong story. Which means they aren’t resonating with customers.

Here’s the major trick to getting storytelling right:

You need to be telling your customers’ story.

NOT your brand story.

Don’t lead your marketing by telling your origin story.

Or the “why” behind your company.

Avoid going on and on about how you’re a trusted partner.

This stuff is cool, but it’s not about your customer. It’s about you.

Focus your story-based marketing on your customers’ wants, desired outcomes, problems, and pain points. Position your brand as the trusted guide who is there to help them achieve success.

Episode #93 “Still Sending 10,000 Cold Emails? Stop. Watch This First.” — The Deal Lab Founder Kellen Casebeer Reveals What To Do Instead.

Most of you think outbound is simple: Send 10,000 emails and - BOOM - meetings!

Reality check: it’s not working.

And worse? It’s killing your domain, your pipeline, and your sanity.

In this brutally honest episode of Bridge the Gap, we sit down with Kellen Csebeer, founder of The Deal Lab, who’s on a mission to rebuild outbound from the ground up. No fluff. No spam. Just strategy and segmentation.

What we cover:

• Why your outbound sucks (and how to know it)

• Why demand isn’t desire, it’s desperation

• How long it REALLY takes to make outbound work

• The dangerous myth of instant ROI

• Cold email vs. cold reality

Shoutout to Pursuit for Keeping This Newsletter Free!

Finding A-Players who actually drive revenue in an ever-changing market is tough. Our partners at Pursuit hire for hundreds of companies and know what it takes to engage passive talent. If you need to hire top sales or marketing talent, we encourage you to reach out to our friend Jake at Pursuit.

Agree? Disagree? Have Questions?

We love engaging with our community—reply to this email with your thoughts, and let’s chat!

Talk soon,

Adam, Dale, & Jake
Helping companies bridge the GTM Gap™.