Branding Is An Important Part of Marketing
We’ve talked before about the difference between branding and marketing, but it’s important to remember that even though these two concepts aren’t interchangeable, that doesn’t mean they don’t go hand in hand. In fact, branding is an important and indisputable part of marketing. And your marketing efforts will affect the way your consumers perceive your brand.
If you’re still a little bit confused, don’t worry — lots of people confuse branding and marketing. In essence, branding is your business identity. Marketing is how you convey that identity to consumers. Maybe it helps to think of branding and marketing in metaphorical terms: Branding is the message, and marketing is the messenger. They overlap because your marketing efforts will incorporate elements of your brand, and your marketing efforts will also affect the way people perceive your brand.
Branding is Vital for a Strong Marketing Campaign
Your brand is how people recognize you. Think of all the brands you know and what you associate with them. This might include the basics like a logo, color scheme, mascot, or slogan. All of these are important parts of a brand and will factor heavily into a marketing plan. But branding goes beyond that. Branding is about establishing a culture around your business — your values, your customer base, your mission, and so forth.
Take Starbucks for example. Yes, you might recognize the mermaid logo, as well as the brown and green color scheme. But there are other parts of the Starbucks brand. Think of the ultra-modern industrialist décor or the eco-friendly and socially conscious causes the company supports. Think of the way the menu lists the sizes in Italian: a small is a tall, a medium is a venti, and a large is a grande.
Besides the logo and color scheme, none of these aspects factor into a Starbucks marketing campaign. But they’re things that we all recognize about Starbucks, and they make consumers feel as if they are part of a culture. They feel special when they ask for their drink size in Italian, or they feel responsible when they know a portion of their purchase is helping the rainforest.
Once you have a strong brand, it becomes easier to target what consumers want when they patronize you — and thus you’re able to start developing your marketing plan.
Branding Always Has to Come First
You’re probably thinking, “Does branding always have to come first?” The simple answer is yes, it should. Don’t make the mistake that many companies have by assuming that they can move forward with a marketing plan and let their brand develop itself. When you do this, your branding could become inconsistent — if it even happens at all. In other words, you can’t market a brand when a brand doesn’t exist.
Another way to look at it: Marketing campaigns will come and go. Some will fail and some will succeed. Some you’ll try again in a different way. But your brand? Well, unless you undergo a major rebranding, your brand stays the same.
Usually, when a brand changes, it’s something that happens because of a changing culture, industry, or customer base, and the company is striving to keep up with the times. Consider the quasi-competition to Starbucks: Dunkin, formerly known as Dunkin Donuts.
As donut shops became outdated and coffee shops became more prominent, Dunkin slowly changed its model over the years to keep up with the times. Its menu expanded to meet consumer demands. And its marketing began to emphasize coffee and healthy breakfast options instead of donuts. By the time it rebranded itself as Dunkin, the cultural perception of the company was already there.
In this situation, you can see how marketing efforts shaped society’s perspective of a brand. But it was also important that the minds behind Dunkin said, “We’re no longer just about donuts. We’re about so much more.”
How to Incorporate Your Brand Into Your Marketing
As you go about developing your brand, it’s important you come up with a set of guidelines that will help you remain consistent. This will also provide direction for anyone who is participating in your marketing efforts, whether that’s members of your own team or an outside marketing agency.
Consider who your ideal customer is. What do they want from your business? What do they care about?
Now your marketing efforts can meet that ideal customer on their level — you speak their jargon, and you understand their cultural priorities. In short, you’re relatable. This not only helps establish your brand as something they can like and trust, but it also shows them how your brand fits their needs.
Remember to keep an open mind when you’re developing your brand, and don’t be so set on branding that you lose sight of how important marketing is. The two of them should go hand in hand and complement one another.