Difference Between Marketing and Branding

  When you’re starting a business, there are so many buzzwords that it can be difficult to keep track of them all. And two concepts in particular have a tendency to be conflated: marketing and branding. So, what’s the distinction between marketing and branding? We’ll break it down for you in this article. The truth is that marketing and branding are not the same thing. And if you want your business to succeed, you must understand the differences between the two—as well as how to use each effectively to propel your company forward. So, exactly what is branding? What exactly is marketing? What are the distinctions between the two, and how can you employ both to build a successful, impactful business?

Definitions of marketing and branding

Marketing is defined as the collection of tools, processes, and strategies used to actively promote a product, service, or company. Consider marketing to be the actions you take to connect with your customers and persuade them to purchase your products or services.

In contrast, branding is the marketing practise of actively shaping your brand. Branding is the process of defining who you are as a company. It is your mission, your values, and what distinguishes you. It refers to your key brand elements, such as your logo, website, and brand style guidelines. If marketing is what draws people in for the first time, branding is what keeps them coming back for years to come.

Marketing can be a great way to get a customer’s attention, but branding is a great way to keep their attention

A brand strategy seeks more than just a transaction.

What Is Brand Strategy?

Brand strategy is the plan for brand expression, and developing (or having developed) the brand strategy is one of the first tasks for a business owner after developing their business plan.

Unfortunately, most business owners overlook this and proceed directly to marketing after having a logo designed.

The brand is developed as a strategic entity that expresses the brand messages, beginning with who the business aims to serve.

These messages and their expressions are intended to shape the audience’s perception of the brand in order to influence a long-term relationship.

What Is Marketing Strategy?

The marketing strategy is the plan for brand promotion or activation that is developed in conjunction with the brand strategy. Although the marketing strategy is the brand’s front line, it lacks direction without the brand strategy’s tools.

No matter what industry you’re in, you’re just one company in a sea of competitors. And, if you want to make a splash and catch your customers’ attention, marketing is a must.

But once you’ve gotten your customer’s attention, you’ll need something to keep it—and that’s where branding comes in. People want to do business with brands they can stand behind and believe in, so while marketing can help break through the clutter and get your brand in front of the right people, if you want to keep it there, you must build a brand that people can connect with.

Branding comes first, marketing comes second

The brand strategy including audience research, positioning, personality, brand voice, messaging, storytelling and visuals provide the tools for the execution of the marketing strategy.

Do you remember the old adage “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” If we’re talking about the business version of that adage, it’s probably more along the lines of “which comes first, branding or marketing?”

In the grand scheme of things, branding always comes before marketing. And not without reason! You can’t exactly market a brand that you haven’t yet designed.

Before you even consider implementing a marketing strategy, you must first focus on your branding. What do you stand for as a brand? What do you intend to bring to the market? What are your guiding principles? Most importantly, how will you communicate this to your target customers?

Only after you’ve answered those questions does it make sense to think about marketing. Because once you’ve established your brand, you’ll have a better understanding of who you are, who your customer is, and the best ways to connect with that customer—and you’ll be able to create a marketing strategy to bring that to life.

Summary

BASIS FOR COMPARISON	MARKETING	BRANDING
Meaning	A range of activities carried out by the company to bring together buyers and sellers to promote exchange of goods and services is Marketing.	Branding is the practice of assigning a brand name to a product, that helps consumers recognize and identify the company producing it.
For whom?	For business	For customers
What it does?	Cultivates customers	Builds customer loyalty
Influences	Customer’s immediate decision to buy.	Buying decision by leaving an impact on the consumer’s mind.
Showcases	Benefits	Dreams
Strategy	Push	Pull
Value	Promotes intended value	Reinforces value
Drives	Periodic sales	Enduring reputation
Creates	Needs	Relationships
Speaks to	Intended audience	Emotions

Branding is a set of short and long-term expressions of the brand to attract and nurture the target audience to become and remain customers.

Since 2017, InnoSewa has been a full-service digital marketing and branding agency, growing businesses of all sizes. Working with us provides you with years of experience in both fields as well as a partner in tailoring your approach to your specific business needs as a branding company and marketing agency rolled into one.

Our full-service branding and marketing solutions include social media marketing, video production, and content writing. We provide online reputation management services to help you keep track of your brand’s perception and improve the quality and quantity of online reviews. We also work on your web design and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies as part of a comprehensive approach to increasing your online visibility and sales.

Contact us today to learn more about how a marketing and branding firm can improve your company’s performance and position you for long-term success.