9 Key Differences Between Branding Strategy and Marketing Strategy

There is no question that branding and marketing are two crucial things to keep in mind when dealing with a business. While they are both critical strategies in business, there is quite a difference between them.

Marketing is essentially a fixed pattern of methods and tools employed to promote the business. Often this includes billboard ads, newspaper segments, and even social media promotions. On the other hand, branding focuses more on the brand’s identity, the logo, the colors, and even the vision and mission.

This article will explore and analyze nine key differences between branding strategies and marketing strategies.

1. Branding is the Identity, and Marketing is the Message

Before we dive into the actual strategies, we first understand the basics of branding and marketing. Branding is the identity that covers everything from how unique a brand is to the more in-depth characteristics like the logo and brand colors and culture.

Marketing is the message conveyed through branding. Marketing strategies take into account the business basics through branding like brand colors and logos. They utilize it to disseminate the news: social media posts, advertisements, promotions, and even publications.

This is easier to understand and control as compared to branding. Branding is, however, not as simple and easy as it seems.

2. Marketing is Received, Branding is Perceived

Contrary to popular belief among business owners, branding isn’t something that you can take complete control of. How a brand is seen and accepted is totally up to the consumers. This is why branding is perceiving. On the other hand, marketing is entirely up to the team of people in charge of the business.

Your branding is not your idea. Sure it might depend on how the culture is built and what values you prioritize in the business. Still, the primary variable of branding is ultimately how the consumers perceive it.

Marketing, however, is much more reliant on business owners. It is totally up to the marketing team of the business what marketing strategies they’ll be applying. It’s up to them what product they’ll prioritize, what price they’ll bank on, and how they’ll promote it.

3. Branding over Marketing

Despite us having established that both branding and marketing are essential, it has long been set in the business world that branding is the foundation, which means that it is what should be prioritized.

Without proper branding, no matter how much effort your marketing team puts on promotions and advertisements, they will be minimal progress, if at all any. This, however, does not mean that once you have logos, package designs, brand colors, and a slogan, you’ll be set to go. You still have to build a culture and the shaping of a brand’s worth.

4. Marketing Invites and Branding Retains

Like we’ve already mentioned, marketing covers value proposition, essential brand messaging, data on target customer demographics, and other high-level elements. Essentially it is what racks in the customers. Branding retains these customers by maintaining a reputation through several things like product quality, affordability, or credibility.

This system applies to all forms of business. No matter what product you sell or what service you provide, marketing will always serve as the gateway for your product or service, and branding will make them buy products from you again or avail of your services.

5. Branding is the Strategy and Marketing is the Tactic

At first glance, strategy and Tactic seem to be the same thing, just like branding is similar to marketing, but several nuances should be taken into account. A process is an overarching plan. It’s generally what dictates the business’s flow over the decades, and almost minimal to no changes are made at all. For Tactic, however, it’s essentially a day-to-day approach for the company.

Branding covers an extended period, and almost little to no changes should be occurring. It’s problematic for a business always to change their product’s quality and price range because certain expectations of your consumers should be kept. However, for marketing, consumers’ attention span and preferences are dynamic, meaning they change on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis. As a business, it should be your goal to always be up to date in marketing.

6. Branding Includes the Personnel does the Personnel and Marketing

The employees in your business are precious. They build trust between the consumers and the brand. At the same time, trust between employees and the company should also be strengthened.

Your personnel are critical when it comes to business. Branding through personnel means building a reputation as a business with excellent customer service or building relationships with customers through dedicated personnel.

The difference between both is that even though they are both being done through personnel, branding is more of an appeal and a culture. At the same time, marketing is merely done by personnel, like handing out fliers or promoting through social media, which are still technically done by personnel.

7. Branding is Case-to-case, Marketing has Trends

Contrary to what people might think, branding doesn’t have an exact formula. The way people perceive your brand, the way reputation flows is on a case-to-case basis. They’re unique for every brand, and no situation is the same when it comes to branding. Despite this, however, you can still follow several guidelines, like defining how you want to be perceived, organizing your business based on goals, communicating your promise, and being consistent.

8. MISCONCEPTION: Branding is Marketing

This is a very grave misconception. Branding requires a much deeper understanding than marketing because understanding the culture being built in a brand is much harder than following trends in marketing, like advertising on Instagram.

Building a culture and reputation is something that takes more than knowledge. Experience and wisdom are applied, and character, expression, message, and advocacy, are built over time.

9: MISCONCEPTION: You Dictate Your Branding

People think that companies have total control of their branding, specifically over their culture and reputation. Although the company has some levels of influence when it comes to building a reputation, it is totally up to the consumers. This is why some brands adapt over time because of the demands of their consumers.