Marketing vs Branding

It’s easy to misunderstand the difference between marketing and branding. While both are technically considered under the umbrella of marketing and both are used for the purpose of increasing revenue, they do it in different ways. Marketing is what you do to get your message or promise to customers, while branding is how you keep the promise made through delivery to your customer. So, we’ll just dive into the difference and how knowing this difference can help your overall selling strategy.

Marketing
Marketing is communicating what you have to offer through sales or advertising.  An advertisement is an attempt to set up a meeting between potential customers and your company. Marketing keeps your company top-of-mind among the decision-makers you are trying to do business with. Marketing is calculated and discovers the means to get potential customers. It is the persuasive side of the product sale as it convinces the customer why they should buy.

Branding
Branding has everything to do with identity: who are you and what kind of business are you? What’s your name, and why should I remember it? How do you and your brand make me feel? The answers to these questions should be answered through the branding of your company and its products. Your brand is what makes your business tangible and have personality.  Let’s be honest, the first thing people see is your name and logo, basically the receptionist of your company. Brand recognition is people recognizing your name or your logo, but the actual building of the brand encompasses a lot more. It needs to focus on what people will think of and how they will feel when they hear your name or see your logo.

5 Important Comparisons between Marketing and Branding:

Marketing is how. Branding is why.
Marketing is tactical.  Branding is strategic.
Marketing generates a response. Branding builds loyalty.
Marketing is your “Script.” Branding is your “Cast of Actors.”
Marketing is “you’re the BETTER one.” Branding is “you’re the ONLY one.”

Marketing and Branding Working Together
The main difference between branding and marketing is that marketing promotes the intended value whereas branding reinforces it.  If you have a weak product or service to begin with, marketing may get you a sale or two, but branding can improve the image and perception of your subpar product or service. Your brand goes beyond colors, logo design or a catchy tagline to provide the experience and feeling potential customers are seeking. At the end of the day, identifying who your customer is and what they need can point you in the right direction of what you should be doing to gain your customer’s trust and deliver what they want.  Marketing and branding work together to increase sales and boost your company’s reputation.