Are you building a business from scratch? If so, you might be feeling overwhelmed with all the buzzwords being thrown around. It can be challenging to keep them straight! Two concepts that are often thrown together yet are distinctly different are marketing and branding. So, what’s the difference between marketing vs. branding?
And, why is this differentiation significant in business? The truth is if you want your business to succeed, you must understand the differences between the two! So, what exactly is marketing? What is branding? And, most importantly, how can you utilize both in building a successful business?
Defining Marketing Vs. Branding
Before we discuss the difference between marketing and branding, it’s essential we first define these terms.
Marketing Definition
Marketing refers to “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
In simpler words, marketing is the process and strategy utilized to promote your product or service. Marketing is the actions you take to build relationships with customers and lead them to buy what you’re selling. There are different types of marketing out there such as: email marketing, digital marketing, direct marketing, mobile marketing, and inbound marketing and more!
Branding Definition
Branding, however, is the practice of actively shaping your brand’s identity. Branding defines who you are as a company; it’s your missions and values. Your key brand elements such as your logo, website, and style guidelines are also considered branding.
However, branding is not just a logo or a symbol that represents your brand, it is often a combination of physical and emotional cues triggered by a symbol, logo, or message that is specific to your company. Any product can be quite easily copied by other players in a market. For example, Pepsi and Coca-Cola. They taste remarkably similar, but for some reason some people feel more “connected” to Coca-Cola and thus prefer it, and vice versa.
Let’s take a look at different water brands. The product is water, but to convince people to buy a particular water, companies have developed different water brands. Each brand represents something different.
Here are a few examples:
- Fiji Water: It’s pure, healthy & natural
- Evian: Makes people feel youthful
- Perrier: It’s refreshing, bubbly and sexy
- Voss: It’s stylish and modern
Thus, it’s evident that branding is what makes your company or product unique, compared to your competitors. Branding gives a specific meaning to a company, product or service in the consumer’s minds. It is a strategy that is designed to help people quickly and effectively identity and experience a brand, and thus, allow them to choose a specific product over another.
If marketing brings people to engage with your company or organization, then branding keeps them coming back to you!
A way to think of this is to imagine a hamburger. Your company is the burger, and your branding is the “special sauce.” Your marketing would be everything you do to get your customers excited about eating a hamburger (such as commercials, ads, and other various campaigns).
The Differences Between Brandings Vs. Marketing
Now that you understand the definitions of these two terms, let’s discuss the differences. While marketing is utilized in helping to promote your product or service, branding shapes your brand and, further, who you are as a company. It would be best if you incorporated strategies for both marketing and branding as they have different goals and results.
- Marketing grabs a customer’s attention; branding keeps their attention
- Marketing can drive sales, while branding pushes loyalty and brand recognition forward
- Branding should come first and marketing second
- Marketing strategies change all the time, while branding should stay consistent
In short, marketing is a fantastic way to grab a customer’s attention, but branding retains their attention in the long term.
It doesn’t matter what industry you are in; many competitors are likely vying for the same customer base. If you want to get customer attention, you must learn to market well. However, once you have the customer’s attention, you can’t stop there. This is when your branding should come into play. You should aim to build a brand that people connect with. This will keep them coming back to buy from you.
Why You Need Both
Think of marketing and branding as a pair. Someone may see your branding, for example, your logo on a bumper sticker, and be interested. But that initial impression is not likely to result in a sale. This is where marketing comes in.
While marketing and branding are two different business components, and they work hand in hand and rely on each other to succeed in closing a sale. Thus, it’s clear that marketing efforts will be most successful when a solid foundation of branding is in place.
Need Help With Branding Or Marketing?
Now that you understand the differences between marketing and branding and why they are essential for business success, it’s time to implement them.
However, as a business owner, where do you start? Does your company have solid branding in place? What are your branding strategies? Have you defined your brand? Have you developed a comprehensive marketing plans? Do you know your target audience?
If you don’t have either of these defined and set, we can help you reach your goals – affordably and efficiently. At Elevare, we are experts in branding, including logo design. We also offer various marketing services, from website design and development to running ad campaigns, running social media accounts, and content marketing.
If you need branding or marketing help, contact us today for your free consultation!
