Who’s who?

Often, the terms ‘marketing’ and ‘branding’ are confused. In fact, some people would be mistaken for thinking they were the same thing, but we’re here to tell you they’re absolutely not! Although they both have similar goals, they are ultimately different tactics.

And what might these differences be? Read this article to clearly understand what marketing means, what branding is, and how to use them both to your advantage when it comes to your business.

What’s branding?

Branding is anything to do with the way your business is presented. Think logos, colour schemes, messaging and values or anything else that your business uses to convey itself to the wider market.

Although the way your business gets there can depend on stylistic choices, branding is the message you’re sending and the emotional connection you create with your customers.

Think of our branding – how does the Identity Agency come across? We’re aiming for a knowledgable, light-hearted, relaxed approach – that’s why we tend to skip the fancy words and get straight to the point.

What’s marketing?

Marketing covers anything and everything your business does to reach customers and make sales. Marketing can be flyering, television adverts or anything that actively shows your business off.

Any tactics like social media posts, SEO, PPC ads, billboards or magazine advertising are examples of marketing – and there are many more than that!

Like branding, marketing is full of many different processes to get a final result. Your branding will even affect your marketing. For example, you might use your brand personality (a branding aspect) to set the tone of voice for your advertising campaign (marketing).

The reason they probably get confused with each other may be because of their connections – but remember, marketing is usually based on branding, not the other way around!

Key differences

Still a little confused? Okay – I’m in trouble, aren’t I? I’ll continue anyway! How do they compare?

Marketing gets the customer’s attention, but branding persuades them to make a purchasing decision. Your marketing will allow potential customers to relate to your business, and the brand will strengthen this relationship to entice a sale.

If businesses want to be successful, they should focus on branding first and marketing second. That is, they should prioritise outlining their key values and message before they start to advertise their products (they still need to focus on both – we can’t stress this enough!)

Otherwise, they might not see as many sales opportunities, as a consistent and favourable brand image will strengthen their products or services. Branding can drive sales for the long term, whereas marketing is more of a short-term solution.

Ok, we’re through!

Both branding and marketing have the same goal of promoting your business and netting you customers, but they go about it in different ways. We’ve explained that branding is about your business first and foremost, whereas marketing is how it’s promoted. Thanks for reading. I’m going for a nap now, this was a tough one. I love working from home!