Branding Vs. Marketing
If you’re running a business, or you’re interested in starting one, you’ve likely heard the terms ‘branding’ and ‘marketing’ getting thrown around. And you should! Both concepts are important to the way you present and advertise your business. The problem is, these terms get used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. Branding and marketing are two business tools that work in tandem. They contribute to the same goals for your business, but each have distinct characteristics and individual roles in achieving them.
What is Branding?
Branding is the strategy which helps you establish who and what your business is. It’s about creating an identity that customers or clients can use to distinguish you from others in your industry. When you’re creating your brand, you need to take into consideration how you want people to feel and think about your business. Some things to think about include: your logo, brand colours, design elements, brand voice, personality, and purpose. All of these brand elements will impact how you connect with your audience and how they associate with you.
Through branding, you can create long-lasting, impactful relationships with your customers by creating a story and personality behind your business. Strategic branding can help set you apart from your competitor by creating connections and an experience.
When you’re building out your brand strategy, ask yourself questions like:
- What is my story?
- What core values do I want my brand to express?
- When people see my business, what do I want them to feel?
- Do my colours, logo, and design elements reflect my brand personality?
- Can a client or customer distinguish my business from my competitor’s?
The bottom line: branding is about establishing who you are and how you want people to think and feel about your business.
What is Marketing?
Now that you know who you are, it’s time to tell people about it. That’s where marketing comes in. Marketing is a series of tactics that get people interested in who you are and what your business is.
It is the act of promoting your brand to influence action. Actions can include product sales, podcast listens, newsletter subscriptions, and more. When building out a marketing plan, think about:
creating an effective website, email newsletters, social media advertising, search engine optimization, and content promotion.
It’s important to remember that there is no one size fits all for marketing. That’s why it’s crucial to establish your brand, and know who your audience is. Knowing who you are and who you want your customers to be will help you determine where you should market yourself. If you have a clothing business that is designed for 18-24 year old females, creating content and ads on TikTok and Instagram would be a better use of your resources than Facebook because of the demographic on these platforms. If you run a home hardware store, you could explore Facebook advertising and Google Ads to reach your target demographic of homeowners. There are many options to explore in digital marketing to reach your customer base and create action for your business.
When building out a marketing plan, ask yourself questions like:
- Who is my target audience?
- Which platforms are they on?
- What is my call to action?
- Ex: shop now, learn more, listen to the latest episode, subscribe today
- How are customers finding my product or service?
- Where are customers looking for my product or service?
The bottom line: marketing is about making people aware of who you are and influencing them to act to support your business.
Let’s summarize it
Branding:
- Comes before marketing
- Creates a brand identity
- Builds customer loyalty
- Keeps your audience’s attention
Marketing:
- Comes after branding is established
- Tells people about your brand identity
- Increases sales or relevant action
- Grabs your audiences’ attention
Are You Looking for Support?
Whether you’re starting a business that needs branding, you’re looking for a brand refresh for your current business, or you’re ready to take the next step in your marketing plan, The Small Social can help! Our team of dedicated and talented professionals are here to support you no matter what stage your business is at. We work with business owners across a wide variety of industries, which gives us unique insight. We will work with you to conduct research and develop a custom plan to best fit your needs.
If you’re ready to get started, send us an email at
hello@thesmallsocial.com to book a discovery call today.
Let’s grow together!
