A successful business is the result of careful attention, planning and execution in many facets of that business. Branding and marketing are two facets of business that are integral to success, but they are often misunderstood. Navigating the complications of business marketing and branding can be tough, especially if you aren’t totally sure how they are different. Keep reading to find out what you need to know about branding and marketing to make your business successful.
A great way to think about the difference between branding and marketing is to think in terms of dating. Imagine that you are about to hit the dating scene. You fire up your computer and sign up for a dating website. The concepts of branding and marketing can be compared to dating.
Branding: Define Yourself
Branding can be boiled down to the impression that you have on your audience. Returning to the dating analogy, before you take a picture for your dating profile, you need to assess your look. If your clothes are out of date, you need to update your wardrobe. Your appearance communicates a lot of things instantly, so it is important to be sure you are projecting the right image. The same is true for your business. Branding your business means that your appearance (logo, storefront, employee uniforms, vehicles) needs to be modern, attractive and most importantly, consistent across all platforms.
Another important part of branding is defining your company values. In the online dating scenario, you would fill out information about yourself like hobbies, personality type and what you are looking for in another person. Defining your own values will help you find the right kind of person for you. Clearly defining your business values helps potential customers know what you are all about and what they should expect from your business.
Marketing: Get Out There
Marketing is the strategy that you use to reach your target audience. Whether you use digital or traditional marketing, or a mix of both, depends on the type of people that you want to reach and what you want them to do.
Marketing can be compared to how you choose to meet other people in the dating world. Do you stick to online dating only or do you go out to a club? Maybe you join a focused group like a gardening or hiking club. It all depends on the type of person that you want to meet. The same is true for marketing your business. Whether you depend on billboards, direct mail, social media or email campaigns all depends on the type of people you want to reach.
