11 Differences Between Branding and Marketing You Need to Understand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

11 Differences Between Branding and Marketing You Need to Understand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career What’s one difference between branding and marketing that people often misunderstand? The following answers are provided by members of  Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the worlds most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched  BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. 1. One Helps the Other There is a huge difference between branding and marketing that so many people don’t understand. Branding is building the visual, tonal and audiovisual messaging behind a company or product, whereas marketing is the promotion of that service or product to a targeted demographic.   Bryanne Lawless, BLND Public Relations 2. Marketing Is About Increasing Revenue Marketing is all about increasing revenue. Its not just  about growing  traffic and leads, because  without increasing sales, there would be no marketing (or at least there shouldnt be). Branding, by definition, is a lasting mark that a company has on its audience. Good  branding can lead to an increase in referrals because it left a lasting mark on a company that people remembered.   Josh Harcus, Hüify 3. Its About Push Versus Pull While branding and marketing both work together, there is one simple difference. Branding is a pulling force that draws consumers in â€" its the framework that defines all marketing tactics. Marketing, on the other hand, is a pushing (or guiding) force that directs consumers closer to the brand. Marketing communicates a secondary message that is part of a  larger brand message.   Jarrett McCraw, Mighty 4. Your Marketing Efforts Reinforce Your Brand Your brand is incredibly important. Its your mission, your vision, and what separates you from the rest of the competitors. People often mistakenly think  that marketing efforts  are purely meant to drive sales and dont realize how any marketing project has to align with your brand first. Even if your marketing brings in new customers, it will cause more harm than good if it dilutes your brand.   Elle Kaplan, LexION Capital 5. Great Branding Amplifies Good Marketing Its all too often that people brand after they market. Good marketing is amplified by great branding. Brand first, and then market second to help the people who youre marketing to see the value of your brand. You can shout messages all day, but without a solid brand, the people have nothing to stick that message to.   Lee Salisbury, UnitOneNine 6. Branding Is Unique to Your Company Anyone can set up the same or similar marketing campaigns and channels â€" its just a matter of execution. A good brand, on the other hand, is the result of building trust over time and having it come through in every aspect of your business. No one should be able to copy your brand if its truly reflective of what makes you unique as a company.   Roger Lee, Captain401 7. Its What You Do Versus What You Are The best way Ive heard it summarized  is marketing is what you do, and branding is what you are. Branding has much more to do with tone and voice in the long term. It deals with how you are perceived by the world. Marketing is about function â€" what services, products, goods you offer, etc.   Kevin Yamazaki, Sidebench Studios 8. Branding Is About Reputation and Marketing Is Relationship Building Branding is how you look and feel to your audience, while marketing becomes a more one-on-one experience with prospects and customers in which a relationship is formed and nurtured. Branding is more of something that goes out to the crowd in a less personalized way.   Drew Hendricks, Buttercup 9. Marketing Is Operational and Numbers-Oriented A big misconception that I see, especially among fresh graduates interviewing for marketing positions, is the belief that all jobs marketing are creative jobs. Much of marketing  is operational, and like any other function in a business, marketing is about action â€" building processes and systems to support your brand (what/who you are), and then tracking and  measuring the success of targeted  initiatives.   Patrick Linton, Bolton Remote 10. Its Strategic Vesus Tactical Marketing is wrapped around campaigns that push customers to act, whereas branding determines whether a customer becomes a loyal customer and brand ambassador. Marketing is what searches out new buyers and gets them to buy. Branding is whether they stay and/or return. Branding is a long game and theoretical, whereas marketing is strategic and measurable.   Marcela De Vivo, Gryffin 11. All Brands Can Be Marketed It sounds almost silly to say it, but truly not everything can be sold, so to speak. If a product is branded well, it can sell itself. But, sometimes the marketing narrative can be more compelling than the brand. I saw a commercial which I assumed to be the latest BMW ad, only for it to be an ad for a tire maker. The commercial was doomed to fail because of how ubiquitous the BMW brand is.   Cody McLain, SupportNinja