Marketing and branding — these words get used a lot when you’re talking about getting the name of your business out there to customers and potential customers. Yes, the two concepts are interrelated in a few ways, but they refer to very different aspects of your business model. So, what’s the difference between marketing and branding? And why is it so important a business owner understand what each one entails?

One of the problems you’ll face here is that “branding” can be a very loose term. Some marketing experts disagree on what it means, or they themselves might be under the impression that marketing and branding are the same thing. But they’re not.

In short, think of it this way: Your brand is the message and marketing is the messenger. You brand is the identity of your business and what people think of when they hear your name. Marketing is how you let people know about your business and communicate your brand. In the long-term scheme of things, marketing is how you draw people to you, but your brand is how you end up retaining them.

Brand Before Business

Ideally, you should have a strong vision of your brand when you establish your business. That’s not to say that your brand won’t evolve over time. It’s also not to suggest that your brand won’t be shaped by the demographic that embraces it and assimilates it into its culture. But still — you as the business owner need to know your brand before your customers do.

What Do People Think When They Think of Your Business?

So, what does it mean that your brand is your identity? Your brand is everything that people associate with you — it’s your mission, your core values, what sets you apart from competitors. What is the personality of your business? Are you playful? Intellectual? Traditional? Edgy?

What culture is your product or service a part of? Are you down-to-earth with no frills attached? Or are you luxurious? In some cases, this aspect of your brand will be determined by the customer base that flocks to you. Is that customer base primarily businesspeople? Fun-loving teenagers? Stay-at-home moms? Health nuts?

Now we get to the reason you need to have an idea of your brand before you develop a marketing plan. Your brand will determine how you market yourself. Think about the businesses that you most frequently patronize: the coffee shop, the pharmacy, the clothing boutique, the gift shop, the grocery store, the bakery, or the fitness center. Ask yourself:

• What is it about each one that resonates with you?

• Why are you the target customer for that business?

• Are the other target customers similar to you, or are they different in some ways?

Getting People to Recognize Your Brand

How will you go about conveying these aspects of your brand through marketing? As the word suggests, marketing is about appealing to the market, finding the customer base and bringing them in. Your brand image will help you determine who your customer base is and what they want from you so that you can properly appeal to them with your marketing plan, whether that’s print ads or a social media presence. A good marketing plan will take into account what people love about your business. It will target the appropriate audience. It will speak to them. 

There’s some overlap, of course. Your brand will determine how you market your product, and in turn, your marketing will affect the way people view your brand. Aspects of your brand will be used in your marketing campaign — your logo, your color scheme and aesthetic, your mascot or spokesperson, and even your slogan. But all of these need to be used in a way that resonates with your audience (aka your customers and your potential customers). If your marketing plan is pushy and all about telling people what you want them to know about you (because you think it will sell) rather than showing them what you are, then you have lost the opportunity to establish your brand identity.

Put businesses aside for a minute and think of it in terms of how a movie is marketed. Have you ever gone to see a movie and walked away with the feeling that it was completely marketed in the wrong way? The previews and movie posters made it look as if it were a lighthearted romantic comedy, that it had a certain storyline and a certain star played a prominent role. You go catch the movie in the theater, and even though you walk away thinking, “Hey, that was a good movie,” it was nothing like how you expected it to be based on the marketing. It was actually a heavy drama, and the plot points emphasized in the trailer were actually very minor, and the movie star given top billing wasn’t in it all that much. Had the movie been marketed accurately, you might not have gone to the movie in the mood you were in, or you wouldn’t have taken your kids to see it with you.

Now you understand the difference between marketing and branding. Marketing is what catches the customer’s attention and brings them in. Branding is what you actually are. And if you’re doing everything properly, your marketing plan won’t sell you as something you aren’t, or else your customers will walk away from you thinking, “Well, that wasn’t what I expected.”

Instead, you want them to walk away thinking, “Yes, that was everything I expected it to be, and I loved it.” Because that’s what’s going to establish what’s known as brand loyalty, and it’s what’s going to keep them coming back for more.