You ever look at a brand and think, damn, they’re doing the most… but in the best way? That’s been me lately—deep diving into how tiny brands with teeny budgets are absolutely owning the space. They’re not necessarily louder. Just clearer. More human. More unapologetically them.

Meanwhile, I had a quiet meltdown over my own homepage last week. Nothing dramatic—just a “why is no one clicking anything” kind of existential scroll-through. (Spoiler: it wasn’t the visitors, it was me.)

That led me down the rabbit hole of heatmaps, ad audits, and a serious rethink on what actually matters in service-based branding. It turns out that it’s the simple stuff done with soul.

In this edition of Be On Brand, I’m breaking down:

• What your heatmap is trying to tell you (and why I was ignoring mine 🙈)

• How small, values-led brands like Sabbi and The Dirt Company are outshining big players

• What’s working on TikTok ads in Q2 (with a real viral example you can swipe from)

• And a spotlight on one of my favourite service-based strategists (and dear friend), Dee Hutchinson, who is absolute clarity in human form 🧡

Let’s get into it 👇

💻 WEB WERK

Heatmaps Don’t Lie (And I Was Ignoring Mine)

Here’s what no one tells you when you launch your shiny new homepage: no one’s reading that beautifully written paragraph you obsessed over. They’re skimming, scrolling, and bouncing before your clever headline even loads.

I ran a heat map on my own site last month, and it was humbling.

🔸 My “hero section” got skipped.

🔸 The CTA button no one was clicking? Buried below the fold.

🔸 People just wanted the offer and the services.

So I scrapped the fluff, cut the copy in half, and moved the call-to-action way up. Moral of the story? Your homepage doesn’t need to tell your whole brand story—it just needs to get someone to the next click. Want to see how it's evolved?

📍Pro tip: Test with Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity and prepare to eat a little humble pie.

🎯NO BEIGE BRANDS

The Brands That Are Leading  With Soul  (and Strategy)

I’ve said it before—brands don’t need to be loud, but they do need to be clear. And the ones that are standing out right now? They’re bold in their values, not just their visuals.

Here are a few that are doing it beautifully:

🧡 @sabbi_thestore – Aussie brand with cheeky slogans, playful colour, and wearable art. Born on the Gold Coast. Sabbi doesn’t sell clothes—they sell joy and personality and at less than 12 months old, they have created a movement of loyal followers that is changing the game.

🌈 @thedirtcompany – Refillable laundry detergent that’s clean on every level. A brand rooted in sustainability and kindness, with a product that fits seamlessly into your life and values.

🧘‍♀️ @thebroadplace – Mindfulness for modern creatives. Their philosophy is grounded in clarity, creativity, and high-integrity living—and their content feels like a breath of fresh air in your scroll.

💭 If your brand was a conversation—who would it include, and what would it stand for? That’s the difference between a nice brand and a necessary one.

sabbi_thestore

177K followers

View more on Instagram

🤖 ADS, ALGOS & AUDIENCES

TikTok is Still the Wild West—Here’s What’s Working in Q2

TikTok ads are either crushing it or collecting dust—and I’ve seen both this quarter.

The ones that are working?

🧠 What’s converting right now:

• Hook-led content: “No one talks about THIS enough…”

• Lo-fi visuals: filmed on a phone, no filters, no fuss

• First-person storytelling: “I bought this at 2am… and now I’m obsessed.”

One standout? The Farmer’s Dog ad. Just a person and their dog, telling a real story. No gimmicks. Huge emotional hook.

✨ Your reminder: Done is better than perfect, and lo-fi often performs better than agency-polished.

⚙️ Tool to steal: TikTok Creative Center – free, fun, and full of high-performing examples for your niche.

If you're tired of burning cash on underwhelming Meta ads, slide into the TikTok Creative Center. It's free. It’s weird. It works.

@thefarmersdog

Facts You Didn’t Know About Dogs’ Eyes - Part 1 (follow for part 2!) 🐶👀 #dogeyes #dogfacts #dogfacts101 #dogsoftiktok #dogs

🌟ON BRAND SPOTLIGHT

Dee Hutchinson – Business With Heart, Strategy With Bite

If you’re a service-based founder who wants to grow without burning out, you need to know Dee Hutchinson.

Dee is a business strategist and mentor helping women build businesses that are clear, confident, and wildly aligned. She’s part coach, part consultant, part sass-and-wisdom dispenser—and one of those humans who makes you believe in your next chapter.

🧠 What she’s doing right:

• Making strategy feel simple (without dumbing it down)

• Fusing mindset + action in a way that sticks

• Building a brand that feels personal, powerful, and full of truth

💬 “You’re not like most people. Your track record of success says it all. You know that to achieve extraordinary results you need to do things differently.” — Dee Hutchinson

✨ What you can learn:

If you’re tired of one-size-fits-all strategy and endless advice with no traction, Dee’s your guide. Her work is the reminder that you don’t need more noise—you need deeper clarity.

🎯 PS: Ready for Your Brand to Work as Hard as You Do?

If you’re ready to level up your homepage, ads, or entire vibe—book a call and let’s build your next move. No fluff, just a clear plan and real results.

👉 Book an On Brand Session

Catch you next month—hopefully with fewer homepage regrets and way more clicks.

Martiene x