You’ll hear the two thrown around in unison, but do you actually know how to differentiate the 2? Well, it’s important to know the difference, because the two aren’t the same.
To put simply, branding is strategic and marketing is tactical, so let’s take a look at what we’re talking about.
Branding
Is the essence of your business, it’s;
- Values
- Associations
- Reputation
- Motivators
- Tone of voice
- Brand Personality
- Differentiation
- Your promise and your WHY
Branding is the relatability factor, we all know that we buy based on emotion. Therefore, we are more likely to buy from a brand that shares the same values and viewpoints as our own. For more check out our blog ‘Why being different matters’.
Marketing
Marketing, on the other hand, is tactical, therefore it’s relevant to selling. It’s;
- Understanding different audiences
- Targeting those audiences
- Knowing how to speak to them
- Price setting
- The delivery of your message
- Customer satisfaction (sales/incentives)
- Understanding the want/need
Your marketing will have a purpose and an objective, for instance, it could be a promo for a sale you have coming up. It’s how you get people to know about it.
Branding is the way you build relationships, your marketing should always coincide with your overarching brand message, which is created from the combination listed above. I mean you’re not going to go claiming you’re a perfume company that doesn’t test on animals, then showcase a model in a fur coat; it would be a contradiction to what you’re brand stands for.
Bigger companies will have brand guidelines, and I suggest for any business to start these from the get-go, so get on to that now. It’s easier to teach people from the start then to try and implement at a later stage with multiple employees. Guidelines help to break down everything about your brand, so when someone within your company wants to run a promotion, for instance, they’ll have a guide to reference so everything stays consistent.
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