BRANDING VS MARKETING: What's the difference?

You are not alone if you can't clearly define the differences between branding and marketing.  Many people can't, including Fortune 500 CEO's. But whether you are a start-up or just trying to grow - I guarantee knowing the difference will help you be successful. You won't find all the answers here, but my quick primer may be a good start:

Branding: A Promise
A brand is a "promise" that a company or product delivers.
For the Customer: It's getting what they expect.
For the Company: It's a promise to customers and colleagues in everything you do.

​To be successful, you must deliver on that promise consistently. The idea that a brand is a logo, a name or a color is where business failures begin. It's about meeting expectations in what you deliver, and how you deliver it.

Think of the most recent PR gaffs by airlines or clothing companies. Were they meeting your expectations for their brand? Probably not if you remember the issue. Those brand failures were not due to an ugly logo. When we love a brand we feel connected, and think we "know" the company. We develop brand expectations for service, quality and delivery. In short, we trust the company. In this way, customers should be considered a large part of defining a brand. 

So really your brand is "everything" within your company. It is imperative to define what your company stands for if you want a successful brand - even if that brand is YOU. You have to identify your target audience and what they want, define and communicate why you are better than your competitors, and know your brand's purpose. Your brand in turn will direct how you solve problems, how you package products and what products you sell.

Some businesses know WHAT they are from day one, and as long as they stay small and keep the same employees, then they may not need to repeat this exercise. However, for most businesses, things change - sales drop, people leave, or a competitor threatens your sales. Then what do you do? If you define what your brand stands for now, then it becomes easier to make decisions later - who you should hire, what products should you sell, how your communications should sound, and even what your office environment should look like.

The key to unlocking the power of your brand is involving your employees and customers. How do they describe your brand? What are their expectations? Are you delivering on your promises?

Marketing: A Process
Marketing is defined by the Chartered Institute of Marketing as "The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably".

Marketing, then, is an integral part of your brand. It helps you to communicate the promise that you want customers and prospects to know about. Your marketing should also be based on your brand positioning, personality, values and tone of voice that have all been defined and communicated among your staff.

In essence, marketing is what you do to get your message or promise to customers, while your brand is how you keep the promise made through delivery to customers and colleagues. And marketing requires answers such as:

• What is your company’s mission? While it’s easy to focus on specific tasks such as improving your Google Analytics or website traffic, it’s sometimes easy to forget the larger picture. In other words, will the marketing strategy you create fulfill your goals and mission for your business? You can reach a goal of 100,000 visits a day, but not be satisfying customers. 
• Who is your ideal customer? It’s important to avoid making assumptions about your clients and your ideal audience. It’s important to know your ideal client so that you can adjust a marketing strategy accordingly. For instance, it wouldn’t be wise to target all prospective homeowners for a home building company, if the home builder specializes in luxury homes. You want a marketing strategy that is tailored to the specific audience. It will save time and money.
  
• Will you be introducing new products or services soon? As you embark on a marketing strategy, are there future updates and enhancements customers should know about now? Will it prove useful in their decision to buy? Tell them! Take the guess work away from your client. Share your plans and what you know about your products. 
• What are issues that customer service regularly faces? One of the key strategies in successful sales is addressing common concerns among prospective buyers. Can you can accurately assess these issues? If not, find out about those prospective buyers and what reservations or hurdles need to be answered as part of a marketing campaign. Crafting a marketing strategy by familiarizing yourself with these issues, you can proactively alleviate consumer doubts.
• Who are your competitors? By learning your market competition you can create a strategy that aggressively reaches into the market. What are the advantages you offer? Why are your products better? Successful results from any marketing require that you know and have refined these answers.
• What is your voice? One of the key factors in any marketing strategy is the voice that is used. You’ll want to ensure consistency throughout all media (website, ads, marketing materials, video and on your phone). Consistency is one of the key factors that makes a powerful impression on prospective clients.  If you’re unsure about your voice, start by defining the personality of your business. Once defined, do all your materials match that personality? Are they consistent? Are they professionally executed?
• What is your specific goal?​ Do you simply want to increase exposure? Are you expecting sales to double? By knowing your specific goal, you can create a marketing strategy to be successful. Stay focused on the goal. A marketing campaign can never be all things to all people, and it should be modified based on your goals. 

Need more help to define your brand, or create a successful marketing campaign. We can help. Ask us how. 

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