You’ve probably wondered about the difference between branding and marketing, and you’re not alone.
As a business owner or aspiring marketer, understanding branding vs marketing is crucial to doing both effectively.
What is Branding, Exactly?
Branding is who you are as a business – your identity, character, and values.
It’s your strategy, the foundation of your marketing efforts.
To determine your brand identity, you need to ask yourself some deep questions that go beyond industry clichés and service descriptions.
These questions will help you understand your internal operations and culture, which will ultimately shape your brand.
💡 For example, you might ask:
What makes us unique?
What values do we stand for?
What kind of personality do we want to convey?
Invest time in answering these questions thoroughly, and bounce them off colleagues and mentors.
By clearly defining who you are, you’re setting up a strong brand foundation that will underlie every aspect of your marketing efforts.
What is Marketing, Then?
Marketing is the methods, tools, and tactics you use to communicate your brand identity and message and drive customer interest, engagement, and ultimately, sales.
Marketing campaigns continually change and evolve based on various parameters, including consumer sentiment, the economy, competitors, and seasonality.
They’re targeted towards different audience segments while supporting and reflecting the core values of your brand.
Marketing is a vast umbrella, incorporating various tools, tactics, and vibes, depending on the audience and moment.
It can be heartfelt, funny, or serious, and can include content like text, keywords, images, videos, and memes.
Marketing can be executed through traditional offline methods and online digital-based tactics.
Some common current marketing approaches include social media marketing, content marketing, and email marketing.
Which Comes First, Marketing or Branding?
Branding is at the core of your marketing strategy, so branding must come first.
Whether you’re a small business, startup, or large company, it’s essential to clearly define who you are as a brand before devising your marketing methods, tools, strategies, and tactics.
A brand encompasses your company’s values, such as quality, community, convenience, communication, or an ongoing commitment to a specific need or pain point of your target audience.
Branding underlies every move you make and every interaction with customers – every transaction, phone call, or email.
Marketing is a layer above that; marketing happens in ‘campaigns’ – targeted activities that run for shorter periods, like a native ad campaign or social media campaign.
While marketing methods will change in response to industry and cultural trends, branding should remain consistent.
Connecting Branding and Marketing
A company looking to increase sales and revenue could rely just on standalone marketing tactics, like SEO keyword research or paid ads.
But if you want to increase awareness, engagement, and conversions, then you need strong branding too.
If customers don’t feel ‘in touch’ with your brand, they won’t be as loyal, and your conversions will be lower.
Branding is what generates a deep and ongoing connection with customers.
Market competition is fierce, and there is always another company offering comparable products and services.
In many cases, the most important differentiator is not the product or the price point; it is the brand.
Without strong branding, your business may succeed, but with it, your success will be far more substantial.
Launch your campaign! Create full-funnel campaigns that drive real business results.
By understanding the difference between branding vs marketing, and excelling in both, you can build a strong brand and extend your business success with the right marketing.
Related to Marketing:
The Difference Between Marketing Vs Business Development Vs Sales
