Building a business is somewhat easier than ever.
Although there are numerous platforms and certainly a great amount of information you can find, there are still many buzzwords that get thrown around. Marketing and Branding are some of these concepts, and unfortunately, they are vaguely explained or mixed up in some cases.
However, understanding the difference between these two concepts can give you and your business a well-deserved boost.
Marketing and Branding: Defining THEM
Branding is defined as the practice of creating a name, symbol, or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products. It is also defined as the promotion of a particular product or company by means of advertising and distinctive design.
Marketing refers to activities a company undertakes to promote the buying or selling of a product or service. It includes advertising, selling, and delivering products to consumers or other businesses. Some marketing is done by affiliates on behalf of a company.
Closely Related But Not Quite The Same
Since both concepts are so related to each other, it is common for people to mistakenly treat them as synonyms, but understanding how to effectively use each can really take your business to the next level.
Branding is a bit more of who you are as a company and as a brand. Your mission, your unique selling proposition, your core principles, and even that which inspired you to build your business, is all an important part of your branding.
All of this will have an impact on how people perceive you as a company, and it will also help you find the right people that will become a happy customer.
While branding actively shapes your brand and identity, marketing is a way to promote your product or service. A good way to see it is as Marketing getting the customer’s attention and branding helping you keep that attention.
Marketing is well known by most businesses (not to say that is well implemented), and there are hundreds of tools that can be used to reach your specific goals.
It does not matter if you’re interested in digital marketing alone or you want to mix some traditional marketing such as T.V or print campaigns, all of your efforts should be aligned with your brand.
Marketing and Branding Work Together In Harmony
Every successful business should have brand guidelines to work with. These guidelines will contribute to powerful and consistent brand identity, and designers usually work very closely with these. Not only will this make your marketing efforts more consistent, but it will also influence how people perceive you.
Think of Coca-Cola, Google, Apple, or any other giant brand out there. From color to shapes, everything they do screams their names – as soon as you see that, you think of them. That is successful branding.
Marketing, on the other hand, will get your brand in front of your target audience. Advertisements will often be the first time someone will encounter your brand.
Good marketing will inspire people to get in contact with your brand, it will inform your customers, and will close the deal. To achieve the best results, your marketing efforts should always be aligned with what your brand represents and what your company stands for.
Marketing and Branding For Your Business
Both your brand and your marketing efforts should work together to become trustworthy in the eyes of your loyal customers. Marketing can get your brand in front of a billion people, but your brand is not consistent, there’s a chance that your efforts will fall short.
The same way around, branding will be the base of your marketing efforts, but even if you have a strong brand, misaligned marketing can hurt your reputation.
Understanding the difference between both concepts is the key to crafting a marketing strategy that drives real results.
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S-FX.com Small Business Solutions is a boutique web design and technology consulting agency geared towards start-up businesses, small businesses and non-profit businesses. We specialize in implementing low cost technology solutions to maximize efficiency and reduce business operating costs.
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