“Brands are mostly defined by perceptions.” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive
The two most important elements that sets the success of a business aside from the product or service it offers is its branding and marketing. Branding is the expression of the important values and truth of an organisation, business, product, or service. Its purpose is to convey characteristics, values and attributes of the brand that clarify what defines the particular brand and what does not. Branding sets the the tone for the whole organisation as everything concerning it such as marketing, customer service and other aspects must be consistent with the tone, image, perception and impression the brand wants to portray.
Marketing differs from branding in the sense of purpose. Branding has a purpose of introducing the brand to the world as a whole whereas marketing focuses on tactical strategies to make gain customer awareness of the products and service its offering. Despite all these differences, branding and marketing is closely knit with each other. Marketing makes a customer buys from a specific brand whereas branding makes customers loyal and keep buying from the brand. Keep reading to find out how branding and marketing correlates.
Related: 5 Questions Business Should Answer During The Creation Of Their Branding Strategy
How does a good branding affect marketing?
Good branding improves and increases conversions
Brand impacts marketing hugely in conversions. Good branding contributes significantly to how consumers are persuaded to purchase the products or services offered by the company. Here is how good branding helps improve conversion:
1. Education – Businesses will successfully influence the buying decisions of customers by educating them on the value of their brand, and how the brand can aid in solving specific problems faced by the customer. Educating is usually done through content marketing campaigns that are designed to not only reach, but educate customers and move them through the sales funnel.
2. Differentiation – Communicating clearly to the customers about brand attributes such as values, missions,Clearly communicated brand attributes such as mission statement, value proposition, or pricing can influence them to buy from that business over their competitors. A good branding will help to differentiate a business from its competitors and highlight their point of uniqueness.
3. Perceived Value – How potential consumers perceive the business will have a huge impact on whether or not they want to make transactions with the business. A good branding aids in increasing the perceived value of a business by making it look more credible, trustworthy and professional. People buys from businesses they trust.
Good branding creates meaning and emotional connections
These days, we are always exposed to different kinds of marketing and advertising tactics no matter where we go. Despite the heaping amount of marketing and advertising, what they lack these days is meaning. Marketing experts and gurus such as Seth Godin has quoted that “Connection, meaning, humanity, things that change them in some way. No one is impressed by your features or even your price. What we talk about is art, generosity, and products and services that make a difference.”
With the constant changes in marketing, one thing that does not change is the fact that businesses need to be able to not only win a share of their wallet but their hearts and minds as well. A good branding will deliver a message that clearly communicates meaning and value to the business’ target audience. Emotions influence buying decisions more that we ever know before. Branding not only creates meaning but also emotional connections. Brand work can help businesses to identify their target persona and craft a brand promise and create content that helps trigger that emotional connection to the business.
Brand loyalty is the main purpose for all branding and marketing campaigns. A good branding can inspire brand loyalty. A good branding can inspire loyalty. Money has very little influence to gain brand loyalty, but has everything to do with how customers perceive your brand. Good brand work, such as defining a customer promise, can inspire brand loyalty. Brand loyalty has very little to do with prices or money, but has everything to do with how your brand is perceived by the consumer whether through reputation or previous contact and experiences with your company and promotional activities.
Related: What Exactly is Content Marketing For Branding?
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