Branding Series Part 1: Why Branding Matters More Than You Think

This week on my site I’m doing a series on branding for arts organizations. It’s adapted from the section of the Arts Marketing course I teach at UNC Greensboro. Brand marketing is one of the areas I think is woefully underdeveloped at arts organizations and is part of what’s preventing organizations from attracting a larger and more diverse audience. I hope this series is helpful! Add your thoughts in the comments and come back throughout the week to read more.

Branding is Essential

If you work in a nonprofit arts organization, branding might not be at the top of your to-do list. Between selling tickets, writing grants, and juggling community partnerships, anything that doesn’t drive immediate results can feel like a luxury. That’s why branding — especially the kind that isn’t directly selling something — often gets pushed aside.

But here’s the truth: branding is not optional. It’s not fluff. It’s not a bonus round. Branding is the groundwork that makes all your other marketing more effective.

What Is Branding, Really?

When most people hear “branding,” they picture logos, fonts, and color palettes. While those are part of it, branding goes much deeper. Branding is about the relationship you build with your audience. It’s the perception they have of your organization — what they expect from you, how they feel about you, and whether they remember you at all.

Think of branding as your organization’s personality. It’s how you show up in the world, across everything you do — from your website to your signage, from how you respond to social media comments to the way your staff greet people at the front desk.

The Customer’s Journey (and Where Branding Fits In)

In arts marketing, we often focus on the final step of a customer’s journey: the sale. We run ads, send emails, and post on social media, all trying to get people to “buy now” or “reserve a ticket.”

But long before a customer decides to attend your concert or exhibition, they’re asking a different set of questions:

• What is this organization?
• What do they do?
• Are they for someone like me?
• Do I trust them?
• Do I even care?

That’s where branding comes in.

Good branding answers those early questions. It helps people:

• Know you exist
• Understand what you do
• Form an emotional connection
• Trust your quality and consistency

Branding walks people partway down the path toward a purchase, so your sales messages don’t have to start from scratch every time.

Branding is Context

Let’s say a friend invites you to a live concert. If they say it’s country music, you probably have a general sense of what to expect — even if you don’t know the specific artist. That’s because country music, as a genre, has done years of branding work. You have a mental image. You know the vibe.

Now imagine they invite you to a “Witch House” concert (yes, it’s a real genre). Unless you’re deeply into obscure music scenes, you probably have no idea what that means. No frame of reference. No expectations. The branding hasn’t reached you — so it’s much harder to say yes.

This is exactly how your potential audience feels when they see a post or hear about your organization. If you haven’t invested in branding, they have no context. That makes it harder to trust you — and much easier to ignore you.

Why Arts Organizations Often Under-Invest in Branding

There are good reasons. Budgets are tight. Teams are stretched thin. If a marketing effort doesn’t lead directly to sales, it can feel wasteful.

But here’s the irony: without strong branding, your sales tactics work harder and convert less.
Ads have to do double duty: explain who you are and what you’re offering. That’s inefficient — and expensive.

What Strong Branding Looks Like

You don’t need a full rebrand or a fancy design agency. Start by showing up consistently:

• Use the same tone, voice, and visuals across platforms
• Create content that’s just about who you are — not just what you’re selling
• Let people behind the curtain — introduce your team, show your process, highlight your values
• Use storytelling, humor, or education (what we call “edutainment”) to build a relationship

In short: be findable, be understandable, and be memorable.

Takeaway

Branding is not a bonus — it’s a multiplier.
It makes everything else you do easier, more effective, and more sustainable. Whether you’re selling tickets, raising money, or trying to get someone to join your newsletter, branding gives you a head start.

So if you’ve been hesitant to invest time or effort into brand marketing — consider this your invitation. The sooner people know who you are and what you stand for, the sooner they’ll say “yes.”

In the next post, we’ll look at how to build a brand that actually works — starting with the strategy behind it all. Come back and read the rest of the series and by the end of the week, you’ll be fired up to put branding higher on your to-do list.