Your Generic Brand Messaging Is Why Nobody's Buying (And You Know It)

Let me tell you what's happening with your marketing right now:

You're casting the widest net possible. Trying to appeal to everyone. Using generic messaging that could work for any company in your space.

And you're wondering why you're catching nothing but garbage leads who ghost you after one call.

I sat down with Esta Singer—brand and marketing architect who helps businesses craft messaging that actually stands apart—and she called out exactly what's broken:

"A lot of companies put their product first. They're saying 'these are the bells, these are the whistles.' They cast a huge net thinking they'll get the most fish. But they go to the masses when they need to know exactly who their audience is."

You're so desperate to get as many eyes as possible that you've made your messaging generic enough for anyone.

Which means it's compelling to no one.

And when you stretch that net wide enough to catch everyone? The holes get so big that all the fish swim right through.

The Buyer Persona You're Not Building

Esta worked with a client who owned a furniture store. Beautiful stuff. High-end.

The client thought: "Saturdays are great for marketing. Families have time to shop online on Saturdays."

Generic thinking. Surface level. Wrong.

Esta dug deeper into the actual buyer persona:

• Do they have kids?

• Are those kids in soccer games on Saturdays?

• Baseball tournaments?

• Dance recitals?

If your target customer is spending Saturdays at their kids' sports games, they're not shopping for furniture.

You're posting at the wrong time. Reaching out when they're distracted. Wasting your marketing budget on people who can't even pay attention.

But you don't know this because you never actually built a real buyer persona.

You know their age range. Maybe their income bracket. Some vague demographic data.

But you don't know:

• What motivates them

• What their actual schedule looks like

• What problems keep them up at night

• What makes them finally decide to buy

• What language resonates with them

And without knowing this, your messaging is just noise.

The Website That Talks to Nobody

Esta nailed what's wrong with most websites:

"I find with a lot of websites that they make it very generic. They make it for anybody who might be visiting."

Your homepage says "We help businesses succeed."

Cool. Which businesses? Succeed at what? Why should I care?

You're trying to be everything to everyone. So you end up being nothing to anyone.

Esta's approach? Make visitors choose:

"Do you want me to click on A, B, or C? Yes, that's me. Boom."

People want to be seen. They want to be heard. They want to know that your brand sees and hears them specifically.

Not generic corporate messaging that could apply to everyone.

Specific, targeted messaging that makes them think: "Holy shaet, they're talking directly to me."

But most of you are so afraid of narrowing your focus that you stay generic. And watch your conversion rates languish.

The Networking Question That Kills Conversations

Esta said something that's going to change how you network:

"I can't stand the 'what do you do' question. It's one of the worst questions ever because it's such a sorting question."

Think about what's actually happening when someone asks "what do you do?":

They're trying to figure out:

• Can I sell something to you?

• Are you useful to me?

• Should I keep talking or find someone more valuable?

You give your one-line answer. The conversation dies. They're looking over your shoulder for someone more interesting.

Esta's response when asked? "Let me tell you WHY I do what I do."

Not what. Not how. Why.

Because the why is compelling. The why is the story. The why makes people actually listen.

And the why is what separates you from every other person doing similar work.

But most of you lead with what. And wonder why networking feels like a soul-crushing waste of time.

The "Stop Looking Over Your Shoulder" Hook

Esta shared her go-to line at conferences:

"What do I do? I get people to stop looking over your shoulder."

Immediately, the person she's talking to stops looking around. They're intrigued. They want to know more.

That's what great messaging does. It stops the scroll. It breaks the pattern. It demands attention.

Your messaging probably sounds like: "We provide innovative solutions for growing businesses." "We help companies achieve their goals." "We're a leading provider of [insert generic category]."

Nobody's stopping their scroll for that. Nobody's leaning in to hear more. Nobody remembers you.

The companies with great messaging? They say something specific and provocative that makes people think: "Wait, what? Tell me more."

But specificity requires knowing your audience. And provocation requires confidence in your message.

Most of you have neither.

The "Purposely on Profit" Example

Esta worked with a woman who's a social professional—helps people manage social media and digital presence.

But her positioning was generic. Forgettable. Like everyone else in her space.

Through Esta's process, they developed the tagline: "Purposely on Profit"

Immediately, you know:

• She cares about social responsibility

• She's not just chasing money

• She values giving back

• She wakes up thinking about how to help others

If you share those values? You're immediately drawn to her.

If you don't? That's fine. She doesn't want you as a client anyway.

That's what specific messaging does. It attracts the right people and repels the wrong ones.

But most companies are too scared to repel anyone. So they stay generic and attract nobody.

The Five Whys That Reveal Everything

Esta talked about doing deep discovery work with clients. Similar to the "five whys" exercise:

You start with a surface question: "What got you into this work?"

Then you keep going deeper. Asking why. Digging beneath the surface answer.

Eventually, you get to a core event—usually something from childhood, often ages 8-10—that shaped their entire trajectory.

Esta said one woman was in business for seven years. Through this discovery process, she literally rediscovered her passion and her reason for doing what she was doing.

Seven years in business. And she'd lost touch with her why.

How many of you are in the same boat?

You started with a clear purpose. But over time, you got caught up in the grind. Chasing revenue. Competing with peers. Building features.

And you forgot why you started in the first place.

Your messaging reflects this. It's about features and benefits and competitive advantages.

It's not about the deeper purpose that drew you to this work. The thing that would actually resonate with people who share your values.

The Clarity, Confidence, Consistency Framework

Esta's framework for building authentic client connections is beautifully simple:

Clarity: Get clear on your value and message

Confidence: When you're clear, your confidence changes—your tone, posture, everything becomes more compelling

Consistency: Once you're clear and confident, be consistent. That's what builds trust.

Most companies struggle with all three:

No clarity: Generic messaging that could apply to anyone

No confidence: Hedging, qualifying, trying to appeal to everyone

No consistency: Marketing says one thing, sales says another, customer service delivers a third experience

And you wonder why nobody trusts you.

The companies winning? They know exactly who they are, what they stand for, and who they serve. And they communicate that consistently everywhere.

But this requires doing the hard work of actually figuring out your positioning. And most of you would rather keep iterating on generic messaging than do the deep work.

The Internal Consistency Nobody's Managing

Esta shared this perfect example:

A nonprofit came to her. Their social media person was posting one thing. Their email marketing person was posting something else.

Different messages. Different tones. Different focus.

The leadership couldn't understand why nothing was working.

Because your internal team isn't on the same page. How the hell is your external audience supposed to understand what you do?

Esta nailed it: "The consistency has to be internal as well as external. You all have to be on the same page."

Most companies have:

• Marketing creating one message

• Sales delivering a different pitch

• Customer service providing yet another experience

• Leadership talking about different priorities

It's chaos. And customers can feel it.

Your marketing attracts people with one expectation. They show up to a sales call and get a completely different vibe. Then customer service delivers something else entirely.

That's not a customer journey. That's whiplash.

And you're losing deals because of this inconsistency. Because people don't trust brands that can't even be consistent with themselves.

The Values You Have vs. The Values You Live

Esta mentioned companies that have values on the wall but don't actually embody them.

You know exactly which companies I'm talking about.

"Innovation. Integrity. Customer-First." Written in fancy lettering in the lobby.

Then the actual experience:

• Innovation? They haven't updated their product in years

• Integrity? Their sales team uses manipulative tactics

• Customer-first? Good luck getting support to respond

Your stated values don't mean shaet if you're not living them.

And customers can tell. Immediately.

Your messaging says one thing. Your behavior says another.

That gap is what destroys trust and prevents relationship-driven revenue growth.

The companies building high-retention client relationships? Their values aren't marketing copy. They're operating principles that guide every decision.

The Paradox That Kills Small Businesses

Esta called out something critical for startups and small businesses:

"They assume everyone can use our product. They want to cast as big a net as possible. But when they stretch that net so wide, the holes get really big and all those fish swim through."

You think: "If we narrow our focus, we'll miss opportunities."

Wrong.

When you narrow your focus, you:

• Speak directly to a specific audience

• Evoke the right emotions in the right people

• Build a loyal base that advocates for you

• Become known for something specific

Then, once you've dominated that niche, you can expand.

But most of you want to skip the focused phase. You want to be everything to everyone on day one.

And you end up being nothing to no one.

The Brand as Person Nobody's Building

Esta's perspective: "Your brand is a person. They want to like you, and you want to like them."

Most brands feel like corporations. Faceless. Impersonal. Generic.

Nobody wants a relationship with a corporation.

They want a relationship with a person. Someone with:

• Values they can understand

• Personality they can relate to

• Passion they can feel

• Purpose they can believe in

Your brand messaging should read like you're talking to a friend. Not like you're filing a press release.

But most companies are so afraid of being "unprofessional" that they strip out all personality. All humanity. All the things that actually make people connect.

Then they wonder why their marketing doesn't work.

Watch the Damn Episode

This conversation with Esta went even deeper into buyer personas, messaging frameworks, and why your "what you do" is killing your networking success.

If you're struggling to differentiate, getting generic leads, or wondering why your message isn't resonating—this episode is your roadmap.

Watch the full episode here because Esta's frameworks for building business relationships through purposeful messaging are the foundation for everything else you're trying to do.

P.S. That furniture store example with the Saturday posting schedule?

How many assumptions are you making about your customers without actually knowing them?

You think you know when they're active. What they care about. How they make decisions.

But you're guessing. And your guesses are costing you money.

Build an actual buyer persona:

• What's their day look like?

• What problems do they face?

• What motivates their decisions?

• What language resonates with them?

• What times are they actually available?

Stop marketing to "everyone" and start marketing to someone specific.

The specificity you're afraid of? That's what creates connection. That's what drives conversion.

P.P.S. That clarity, confidence, consistency framework?

Audit your business right now:

Clarity: Can you articulate in one sentence who you serve and how you help them? If not, you don't have clarity.

Confidence: When you talk about your business, do people lean in or look over your shoulder? Your confidence (or lack of it) is showing.

Consistency: Are your marketing, sales, and customer service delivering the same message and experience? If not, you're confusing people instead of building trust.

Most of you are failing all three. And wondering why growth is so hard.

It's not the market. It's not the competition. It's not the economy.

It's your messaging. It's generic, confused, and inconsistent.

Go watch the episode. Work with Esta or someone like her. And for god's sake, stop trying to appeal to everyone when you need to connect with someone specific.

The riches are in the niches. Always have been. Always will be.

Karl Pontau hosts The Human Connection Podcast, where we talk about the stuff that actually matters in business: the humans running it. Because whether you're B2B or B2C, it's really H2H—human to human. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode where we probably say something that'll make your HR department uncomfortable.