Branding versus Marketing. What's the difference?

Here’s a secret: if you are going to invest time and money in marketing, you must have a brand. Confused? Let’s take a deeper look at branding versus marketing.

Evaluating branding versus marketing, what are they and how do they work together?

Branding Versus Marketing

You need a brand.

Marketing is a must.

So, which do you do? Which one do you spend your time, money, and energy on?

If you are feeling your heart skip a beat at the thought of spending money on marketing, stop right there!

I am going to share the difference between branding and marketing and help you discover the steps you need to take to not only get the word out about your business but also attract more clients.

Branding

Branding is about crafting and telling a story. The story of your unique personal brand and business and of you as the CEO of your business.

You are what differentiates your business from any other in your niche or area of expertise. I’ve said it before. You have gifts that no one else has. There may be a thousand other people in your niche or area of expertise, but only you have the unique gifts that are meant to serve the specific people you are here to solve problems for.

Branding is:

Who you are
Your why
Differentiation
Positioning
Mission Statement
Personality
Creating a perception
Core values, visions, and passions
A strategy

Learn more about building a personal brand.

Marketing

Marketing is communicating your story and spreading the message of what you do and the problem you uniquely solve for your ideal audience.

Think of Marketing as:

Communication
SEO
Content Marketing
Social Media
Print campaigns
TV
Radio
Pay-per-click marketing
Influencer marketing
Podcasts

Which Comes First?

Branding! Your brand is at the core of your marketing and must come first. Therefore, without a brand, you don’t have anything to market.

This is where clarity comes into play. You must be clear on what you do and who you serve to create your brand in a way that builds an emotional connection and becomes recognizable and memorable.

Your brand and the emotional connection with your audience are what will keep your customers coming back and referring you.

Likewise, it’s important to remember, that you must build the know-like and trust factor first. Without trust built through your branding efforts, your marketing efforts will fall short.

Long-Term Differences in Branding Versus Marketing

Branding Stays the Same

Branding will always be the same. It will always be about positioning your business and differentiating it. Creating perception and building connections. Emotional connections result in relationships that convert into clients.

You may make changes to your brand, but your brand will always include your core values, visions, and passions. Branding is who you are.

Marketing Changes with Trends

Marketing is communicating who you are and attracting your ideal audience. It is trendy and will change as the industry changes. For example, think about how social media has shifted the marketing paradigm. There are so many opportunities for free marketing using social media, however, you must have content that connects for them to be effective. That content is your personality infused into your business, which is your brand.

You might be wondering if you can achieve success by marketing without building a clear, cohesive, and consistent brand. The answer is yes, but you will achieve a much higher level of success if you have a brand. That success will have greater longevity as well because your audience will trust you and want to return to you.

As I mentioned earlier, your brand is the infusion of your personality into your business. Therefore, your brand is how you build an emotional connection with your ideal audience and develop the know, like, and trust factors.

Above all, you must realize that you can market all you want, but if you don’t build relationships and attract your audience through the know, like, and trust factor, you aren’t going to achieve as much success.

In conclusion, let’s recap the priorities for your brand marketing strategy.