Feeling lost between branding, marketing, and brand marketing? It’s no surprise! In today’s world, where ads and info flood every corner, understanding these terms is crucial for businesses. Let’s unravel the differences and connections between branding, marketing, and brand marketing. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll pave the way for a powerful brand marketing plan.
So, let’s begin with the basics. We’ll dive into the world of brand marketing—exploring what it means, how it sets itself apart from branding and marketing, and how your company can master it.
What is Branding?
Branding is like your company’s personality—it’s who you are, your values, and your identity. It’s not just a logo or a tagline; it’s woven into everything you do, from how you make products to how you talk to customers. To figure out your brand, ask yourself a bunch of questions. These are good ones to start with:
- What are your main beliefs and values?
- What’s your mission? Why are you in business?
- What drove you to start this company?
- Why do you want your stuff to be used by certain people?
- What sets you apart from others?
- How’s the vibe inside your company?
- How do you dress up your business?
- How do you talk and connect with others?
- What should people think of when they hear your company’s name?
- What feelings should your business bring out in people?
- How should customers describe your company?
Answering these questions gives you a clear picture of what your brand stands for. Don’t just scratch the surface—dive deep! Talk about them with your team and mentors. These questions are all about how your company works on the inside. That’s the heart of your brand, and it’s what people will see on the outside.
Building a brand takes time. Companies often spend lots of time and money on this. Some even get help from experts called branding agencies. But here’s why it matters: Your brand shapes what customers expect from you and how they feel when they deal with your business or products. It’s the starting point for all your marketing efforts and how you connect with customers.
What is Marketing?
Marketing is how you tell the world about your brand. It’s about using different plans and targets to share your identity, make friends with customers, and boost sales.
Think of it like this: while your brand stays the same, marketing keeps shifting. New tools and ways to reach people pop up all the time. Plus, your products or services might change too. So, your marketing plans need to change to fit different groups of customers. But no matter what, it always sticks to your brand’s main ideas and who you are.
Marketing is like a big mix of ways to get the word out about your stuff. It covers a bunch of things, online and offline, such as:
- SEO (getting found on the internet)
- Content plans (deciding what you share)
- Social media (chatting with people online)
- Email Marketing (keeping in touch)
- Paid Advertising
- Mobile Marketing
- Native Marketing
- Videos Marketing
- Special marketing for holidays
- Ads on TV or radio
- Podcasts (like on Spotify)
- Big ads outside, like on billboards
Branding vs Marketing
Branding and marketing might seem alike, but they’re not the same. Branding is about who you are, while marketing is how you get people to notice you. Both are super important in today’s competitive world.
Here’s the deal: branding stays the same, it’s your identity. But marketing changes a lot. It’s the tactics and tricks you use to get noticed, and those can change with the times.
Also, here’s a big difference: marketing can be measured and tracked, like with numbers. But branding’s power is a bit trickier to measure. It’s not always tied to numbers, even though some tools try to do that nowadays. Like this vacuum cleaner brand that saw an 81% jump in people recognizing their name through ads online.
What is Brand Marketing?
Alright, so now that we know about branding and marketing, let’s dive into brand marketing.
Brand marketing is all about promoting a business or product using its brand. It’s like a mix of branding and marketing or a part of the bigger marketing world. Here’s what you should know about brand marketing:
Brand marketing isn’t a quick fix like a one-time sale or ad campaign. It’s a slow, steady strategy that’s rooted in a company’s core and uniqueness. Think of it like playing the long game.
This kind of marketing takes time to show results. Building a brand is like making a new friend—it doesn’t happen overnight. It needs constant reinforcement in every ad or exposure opportunity. You might not see big changes right away; it could take months or even years.
Brand marketing keeps going and can show up in lots of different ways. Since it’s a long-term thing, it needs ongoing effort and can use all sorts of methods. There’s no one-size-fits-all way to make people know your brand. That’s why marketers use different tactics like videos, special ads, or supporting communities.
But here’s the big goal: brand marketing is about growing the business. Even though there are many things you might want to achieve with it, like making people know your brand or getting more views on a social media video, the main point is to get noticed, get customers, and make the business bigger.
It’s super important because it’s all about trust and loyalty. Brand marketing helps people believe in and stick with a company. That’s why even though it takes time and it’s not always easy to measure, it’s a crucial part of a company’s marketing plan. You can’t put a price on how people feel about a brand, and that’s what brand marketing is all about.
Brand Marketing Strategy
Every time you do marketing stuff, it’s good to have a plan to get the best results. That means deciding what you want to do, doing it, and then checking how it went so you can do even better next time. Brand marketing follows the same idea. Let’s dive into what a brand marketing strategy is all about and how to make one.
What is a brand marketing strategy?
A brand marketing strategy is like a big plan that aims to make people see a brand in a good way over a long time. It uses different ways to do this, like ads, social media, videos, and more. A good strategy keeps getting stronger as it goes, making more people like and trust the brand as time passes.
How to build a brand marketing strategy?
let’s break down how to build your brand marketing strategy step by step.
- Define your brand: Start by figuring out everything about your brand – what it stands for, its values, how it talks, and how it looks. You might want to create a brand book that guides all the design and creative elements.
- Know your audiences: Understand who your brand speaks to. Different people see your brand in different ways. Think about how your brand message might change for different groups while staying true to your brand’s main ideas.
- Make marketing stuff: Once you know your brand and audience, create things for your marketing campaigns. Try different ways to reach people, not just on social media. Use ads, YouTube, or local channels if it fits your business. Start with a couple of campaigns and grow from there. Then, make the messages, images, and words for each campaign based on where you’re putting them.
- Launch, test, and learn: Put your campaigns out there. Keep an eye on how they do compared to what you wanted and how others in your industry do. Test different things to see what works best. For that, A/B Testing will help you.
- Improve and grow: When you see what works, make it better. For instance, if a video gets lots of attention, make another one like it. Always make sure it matches your brand. That’s the key to making a strong brand marketing plan that lasts.
Let’s talk about how social media shakes up brand marketing!
Social media is a big deal for brands. People spend a lot of time on platforms like Facebook or Instagram, chatting with friends, checking out products, and following brands. Did you know 97% of Gen Zers use social media for shopping advice? That’s huge! Brands can’t ignore this.
But it’s not just about posting ads. Social media is a chance to chat with customers and make them like your brand. Surveys say 71% of users would tell friends about a brand after a nice chat online. When brands reply fast and well, it makes customers happy. That’s some powerful marketing right there. Think of social media as a way for your brand to talk with customers, and it can really boost your brand marketing.
Brand Marketing Examples
Let’s check out a cool brand marketing example from Samsung!
Samsung wanted to make people aware of their smart steam cleaner, the AirDresser™. So, they ran a campaign using native advertising. These ads popped up within articles on top-notch websites. The campaign was a hit! The ads were seen more—viewability shot up by 75%! Plus, lots of people clicked on the ads, with a 0.34% click rate. This shows how native advertising can make brands stand out and get people interested and taking action.
Let’s talk about how Ferrero Rocher made people love their brand!
Ferrero Rocher wanted folks to really like their brand during the holiday season. So, they ran ads that showed cool DIY holiday tips in articles that matched what people liked. These tips were super helpful and informative. People loved it! It made them feel more connected to the Ferrero brand emotionally. The campaign brought over 100,000 people to the Ferrero website, and the retention rate went up by an average of 8 points. This shows how a content-based ad campaign can make people think even better about a brand.
Let’s sum it all up about brand marketing!
Now you know what brand marketing is all about, why it matters, and how to begin. We went back to the basics to understand branding and marketing to see how they team up in brand marketing. With this knowledge, you’re set to start a brand marketing plan that grows over time and makes your brand stand out bright!
