Is Branding and Marketing the same thing? No! They are not...Why and How

Often times I hear people use the word Branding to reference to Marketing...Some companies even say they provide Branding service when in actuality what they provide is Marketing services. So I wanted to make sure you know the difference. So here we go! Let's un-complicate the complicated.

Think of Branding as the whole filing cabinet and of course the cabinet has draws. One of those draws are labeled Marketing. Inside of the draw there are files. The actions you take in Marketing are the hanging files.

Let's explore what Marketing is....Marketing activities are short term specific actions taken to build the infrastructure of your brand to establish brand recognition. Marketing is the psychological aspect of business, that can't be overlooked. This is how you get customers to notice your message and your presence in the world. Some of the things that fall inside the marketing file draws are things such as; but not limited to:
1) Logo's
2) Websites
3) Social Media
4) Online & Digital Marketing
5) Advertisements (Print, Radio or TV)
6) Apparel with company logo's

These are just a few example to give you a better concept of what Marketing is and what it does. As you can see, Marketing is more of the visual presence for the company.

Now let's explore Branding. Branding is the driving force behind the sustainability of a company. Branding is a long term strategy that ensures your marketing is effective and efficient. It is the process of making strategic decisions and taking actions that support the development of the overall company brand. Branding shifts a company from brand recognition to brand equity. Developing Brand Equity is the secret sauce to being a sustainable and profitable company.

Some of the things that fall inside of the entire Branding cabinet are things such as; but not limited to:
1) Pricing Strategy
2) Content Strategy
3) Team Development and also Acquisition
4) Positioning of the Brand
5) Ideal Client Acquisition

6) Marketing Campaigns
7) The Culture of your Company
8) The Experience your Customers will have
9) Supports the Business Model
10) Works on the Development of the Company Identity

So as you can see Branding addresses the emotional and visual presence of the company. And this is just a few examples; however you get the idea.

When you Brand with Intention you reap the rewards of having a cohesive brand that has equity! Your brand will begin to deliver a very nice return on investment that you can cherish for many years to come. The goal for your branding strategy is to outline key steps that start from the inside of the company and then branch outside. If you do it this way instead of from the outside of the company to the inside, which unfortunately is what most businesses do, you can bring your brand to life.

Both Branding and Marketing are needed, they complement each other. This the key to successful branding and marketing...

I hope you've learned something new so you can apply your #KnowledgeIsPower....Now go Boost the Impact of your Brand! Stay connected on Facebook @NatashaDavisVisionary & Twitter @NatashaIBCEO.

Take a peek at our www.ImpactYourBrand.Gr8.com link to get more tips on branding and more...