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by spoon lancer<\/a> via 99designs by Vista.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n Marketing is defined as the set of tools, processes and strategies you use to actively promote your product, service and company. Think of marketing as the actions you take to connect with your customers and get them to buy your products or services.<\/p>\n Branding, on the other hand, is the marketing practice of actively shaping your brand. Branding is about defining who you are as a company. It\u2019s your mission, your values, and what makes you special and unique. It\u2019s your key brand elements, like your logo, your website and your brand style guidelines. If marketing is what gets people to engage with your company for the first time, branding is what keeps them coming back for years to come.<\/p>\n Think of it like this: if your brand was a Big Mac, your branding would be the \u201cspecial sauce\u201d\u2014and your marketing would be anything and everything you do to get your customers excited to take a bite (like your commercials, social media ads and other campaigns).<\/p>\n Alright, so now that we know what they are, let\u2019s talk about the key differences between marketing and branding:<\/p>\n While marketing is used to promote your product or service, branding is used to actively shape your brand and who you are. You need a strategy for both, and they have different goals and different results.<\/p>\n No matter what industry you\u2019re in, chances are, you\u2019re just one company in a sea of competition. And if you want to make waves and get your customers’ attention, marketing is an absolute must.<\/p>\n\n by felipe_charria<\/a> via 99designs by Vista.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n But once you have<\/em> your customers’ attention, you need something that\u2019s going to keep<\/em> that attention\u2014and that\u2019s where branding comes in.<\/p>\n People want to do business with brands they can get behind and brands they believe in\u2014so while marketing will help break through the clutter and get your brand in front of the right people, if you want to keep it there, you need to build a brand that people can connect with.<\/p>\n So, in a nutshell, you need the right marketing strategies to set your brand apart from the competition and say to your customers \u201cHey! I\u2019m here!\u201d\u2014but you need branding to foster a relationship, create a long-term connection and keep them coming back after that initial \u201chello.\u201d<\/p>\n At the core, most marketing strategies (think SEO, content marketing or advertising) are meant to drive results\u2014and, more often than not, the results those strategies are trying to drive have to do with sales.<\/p>\n Which is great! If you want your company to succeed, you (of course) need to drive sales.<\/p>\n\n by felipe_charria<\/a> via 99designs by Vista.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n But branding takes a different\u2014and more long-term\u2014approach. Branding isn\u2019t the best solution if you\u2019re looking to drive sales. But it is<\/em> the best solution if you\u2019re looking to build brand recognition, drive positive brand sentiment and foster customer loyalty, which is just as (if not more) important\u2014and which, coincidentally, will have a major impact on your ability to drive sales in the long run.<\/p>\n So, when it comes to sales, think of marketing as a sprint, while branding is more like a marathon.<\/p>\n You know the old saying, \u201cwhich came first\u2014the chicken or the egg?\u201d Well, if we\u2019re talking about the business version of that saying, it would probably be more along the lines of \u201cwhich comes first\u2014branding or marketing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n by nnorth<\/a> via 99designs by Vista.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n In the grand scheme of building your business, branding always comes before marketing. And for good reason! You can\u2019t exactly market a brand you haven\u2019t designed yet.<\/p>\n Before you even think about putting a marketing strategy in place, you need to focus on your branding. Who are you as a brand? What do you want to bring to the marketplace? What are your core values? And, most importantly, how are you going to communicate that to your target customers?<\/p>\n Only when you have the answers to those questions does it make sense to start thinking about marketing. Once you have your branding in place, you\u2019ll have a better understanding of who you are, who your customer is and the best ways to connect with that customer, and you can build a marketing strategy that brings that to life.<\/p>\n Now, don\u2019t get us wrong\u2014as long as you\u2019re trying to build a successful business, you\u2019re going to need to actively market that business. But the strategies you use to market your business are temporary; each marketing tactic is going to have a clear beginning, middle and end.<\/p>\n Branding is different. No matter where you are in your business, you\u2019re always going to be working on defining who you are as a company, shaping your brand\u2019s perception with your audience and fostering a deeper, more meaningful relationship with your customers. As your company grows and evolves, you\u2019ll need to grow and evolve your branding right along with it.<\/p>\n Bottom line: marketing strategies will come and go (as they should!) But branding? Branding is forever.<\/p>\n You’re going to be responsible for developing and implementing your marketing strategies. And if you grow your business and hire a team, they\u2019re not really going to be impacted by your marketing.<\/p>\nDifferences between marketing vs. branding<\/h2>\n\n
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<\/a>Marketing can be a great way to get a customer\u2019s attention, but branding is a great way to keep their attention<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Marketing drives sales, branding drives recognition and loyalty<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Branding comes first, marketing comes second<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Marketing strategies come and go\u2014but branding is forever<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Branding has just as much of an impact on your team as it does on your customers<\/h3>\n
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