Branding vs Marketing

Written by michelle on Mar 19, 2018

Branding is strategic. Marketing is tactical.

Branding is the entire experience you provide your customer. Marketing are tangible measurable tactics like the website, communication, PPC, SEO, Print Ad’s.. Branding is like dressing your business for the part. Providing a set of expectations. 

A brand will help encourage someone to buy a product, and it directly supports whatever sales or marketing activities are in play, but the brand does not explicitly say “buy me.” Instead, it says “This is what I am. This is why I exist. If you agree, if you like me, you can buy me, support me, and recommend me to your friends.”

Marketing may contribute to a brand, but the brand is bigger than any particular marketing effort. The brand is what remains after the marketing has swept through the room. It’s what sticks in your mind associated with a product, service, or organization—whether or not, at that particular moment, you bought or did not buy.

The brand is ultimately what determines if you will become a loyal customer or not. The marketing may convince you to buy a particular Toyota, and maybe it’s the first foreign car you ever owned, but it is the brand that will determine if you will only buy Toyotas for the rest of your life.

How are you branding vs marketing?

Why does this matter?

Too often do we mix these two up and it results in a myriad of problems. One of the biggest issues is when communicating with our marketing director wheater external or internal. Using the same language and definitions help move progress along faster and without as many hiccups.

It also matters because most companies, a good two-thirds of the businesses are not using their brand correctly, they are missing out. Which means you can blow your competition out of the water just by USING your brand in strategic planning and growth for your organization.

One of my clients recently said, “Our brand is something that continues to shape the way we talk to each other and communicate our business to our customers” When used like this – there’s nothing that your business can’t and won’t be able to do!

In a world where customers are ever more difficult to engage, a well-thought-through brand story and engagement program can add tremendous value to your organization. Interested in a brand audit? I’d love to help!