“Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand.” – Seth Godin
As business owners, it is essential that you understand the difference between branding and marketing despite how similar they seem. While the two are undoubtedly related and connected, there are slight differences between the two.
Understanding both branding and marketing in great detail will be vital for business owners so that they can utilise them as a unit effectively. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between branding and marketing.
Related: Branding and Marketing – How Do They Differ?
What is branding?
Branding has the purpose of identifying your brand—and marketing is how awareness is built around that brand. Branding is your strategy, while marketing consists of your tactical goals and steps to accomplish them. In order to determine who and what the brand is, it is important to look into aspects that go beyond the products or services offered by the brand. The focus here is to identify the identity of the brand. Here are some important aspects that need to be identified:
- Mission and vision of the brand
- Core values and principles of the brand
- Inspiration behind the brand
- Point of differentiation of the brand compared to competitors
- Communication style of the brand
- Company culture
- Wants and needs of the target audience that can be fulfilled by the products or services offered by the brand
- Impression that the target audience have towards the brand
- Expectations that the target audience have towards the brand
- Experiences of target audience when interacting with the brand
These aspects of branding that is important to look into are all related to the brand’s internal operations and its internal culture. Remember that what a brand build on the inside, is what will radiate and emanate externally.
What is marketing?
When referring to the difference between branding and marketing, marketing is defined as the the tools a brand utilises to deliver the message of the brand. All of the marketing efforts will be directly and specifically targeted towards sectors of your target audience while keeping in check the core values of the brand.
Marketing is a vast and wide concept. It can contain a varied mix of keywords, text, charts, graphs, videos, and photos. Marketing can be performed by a variety of online and offline methods such as:
- SEO
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Pay Per Click Marketing
- Print Campaigns
- Televisions
- Radios
It is important to be adaptable in marketing as the methods utilised may change drastically from year-to-year. Always keep up with the methods that are proven effective in the time being and don’t ever stop improving!
Which Comes First—Marketing Or Branding?
Branding must come first as it is at the core of the brand’s marketing strategy. It is essential to clearly define your brand before devising marketing methods, strategies and tactics. Branding remains the same while marketing methods will always evolve to suit the current industry and cultural trends.
There will always adjustments made to a brand in the sense of expanding products, services or customer service efforts offered—but not its principals, missions or values. Branding happens every time the brand interact with customers, therefore it is something that needs to be improved every single day by the brand. Branding defines the identity of the brand is while marketing is the how to capture the customers’ attention.
The Importance Of Understanding Branding vs. Marketing
The differences between branding and marketing comes down to conversion. Exclusively utilising the best marketing methods will not be as effective without the connection consumers feel towards the brand. Here is where branding shines. Timeless connection is generated by branding. Even if the brand’s current marketing efforts successfully engage customers, it is the ongoing branding that keeps them coming back.
With competitors offering the same products or services that is offered by the brand, it is branding that makes them loyal and choose the brand over and over again and also differentiate it with its competitors. In short, your success is far more substantial by establishing a good branding.
Related: Connection Between Branding And Marketing
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