The debate on branding Vs marketing is very popular in the business world. Both terms are often used interchangeably, and one can be often mistaken for the other. But a business owner or anyone involved in the work process should be aware of the clear difference between the two very important terms. Both branding and marketing are highly essential for creating a greater brand value and positive brand image. After creating a brand, it is very obvious that you must promote it, which is where marketing comes into play. We will further discuss the differences between the two terms so that they don’t overlap.
What is Branding?
Branding is creating an image for the business as a brand that people can recognize. It means to create a brand identity that people can recognize from certain aspects. Branding shows the complete characteristics of a business, what they have in store, and for whom it is. It sets a path for your business to communicate with your target audience and provide them with a great experience. Branding includes physical characteristics such as the name, logo, print, packaging, and many more. These things will help the customers remember the product; however what sticks to them the most is the provided experience from that brand. If they’ve had a positive experience, they will surely repurchase and, for that, remember the branding elements.
By creating a brand identity your business will stand out in comparison to others. The target audience will be able to recognize a specific brand through the branding elements of that brand. For example, Nike is recognized by their famous swoosh logo and their slogan ‘’just do it’’ and more so for their quality. These are among the few qualities that reinforce the uniqueness of the brand, and the same goes for many other quality brands.
What is Marketing?
Now that you’ve created a brand, how do you make people aware of its existence to generate more sales? This is where marketing or brand marketing comes into work. Marketing involves activities aimed at promoting the brand’s products and services to attract more potential customers to achieve more conversions and, eventually, higher sales. For this, you have to create certain marketing strategies to promote your business to the target audience. After creating a brand and doing extensive market research you will be able to figure out what marketing strategies will be best to communicate your business’s message to the target audience.
The execution of your marketing strategy also depends upon your branding strategy. They both resonate, as marketing and branding go hand in hand with each other. Nowadays, the practice of marketing has become more digitalized, but that doesn’t mean traditional ways of marketing don’t exist anymore. So, your marketing strategy should include a good mix of both of them.
Social Media Presence
Considering that, you must create a strong social media presence and strengthen your website by posting regularly. You can promote through sponsored posts on social media and create a blog to post content with backlinks leading to your website. Other than that, if your business has any physical location, make sure that all the basic branding and marketing aspects are comfortably shown and that you promote it offline and online. The business can also directly communicate with the target audience by arranging effective brand awareness and engagement campaigns.
As we mentioned, Nike is an example of branding, and their marketing is just as excellent. Their most effective marketing campaign is known as the ‘’Find Your Greatness’’ campaign. They gathered ordinary people and encouraged them that it is not always about winning, but it is about the experiences as well. This campaign was a stepping stone in their marketing efforts and has proven to bring positive results for the business.
Difference Between Branding and Marketing
With the previous explanation of both marketing and branding, it is now easier to understand the differences. Both of them go hand in hand, complimenting each other. Creating a brand’s identity depends upon the branding strategies and marketing strategies that promote it to the target audience. So, it is not about brand strategy vs Marketing strategy but how both of them complement each other. Let’s take a look at the basic difference between marketing and branding.
Branding Comes First
Any business will only be able to market a brand after the creation of that brand. Therefore, branding is what sets the foundation for your entire marketing plan. Without creating a brand name, logo, slogan, or packaging, you will have nothing to advertise to the audience or promote on social media and blog websites. That being said, it is evident that creating an emotional value for your brand comes first.
Increase in Sales and Building Customer Loyalty
Marketing aims at generating short-term sales and the marketing techniques can change according to requirements. For example, your brand advertises something specific to the World Cup and generates sales at that time. The brand identity, however, doesn’t change; it remains the same, and it is what helps build loyalty and familiarity with the brand.
Grabbing and Retaining Attention
Marketing helps with grabbing the attention of your target audience but branding is what helps retain that attention. Through your various marketing strategies, such as ad campaigns, social media posts, or blog posts, you may get the attention of many potential customers. Still, branding is what builds trust and helps them become actual customers. Therefore, you need good branding and marketing strategies to help your business stay relevant in the long term and keep generating sales. The whole branding vs marketing debate is useless as they don’t compete but are pieces of the same puzzle. As branding tells you about the who and why whereas marketing answers the how.
Conclusion
Understanding the differences between branding and marketing is essential for any business to carry out its business activities properly. Without knowing the distinction, you won’t be able to figure out how to create proper strategies for them. Now that you know the main differences, it will be easier to create effective branding and marketing strategies.
