The debate continues to rage. Which is more important, branding or marketing? Or are they two gears in one machine?
As we discussed last week, marketing is the process of getting people who need your service or product to know, like and trust you — so they’ll buy from you.
So what is branding and where does it fit into the picture?
Your brand is your identity
In the Old West, ranchers burned a mark into the haunch of each new cow in their herd, identifying it as one of theirs. Their brand was as good as their signature. It was their name or the mark associated with their ranch.
These days, we don’t round up all our customers and burn our mark into their hide. (Thank goodness!) Instead, we use words and images to burn our name into their memories.
It’s a simplistic explanation, of course. But done right, it creates an emotional promise to our customers. And as long as we consistently deliver on that promise, our brand can remain stable or grow, depending on how we manage the brand.
A strong brand, then, stands for who you are. It provides basic information about your business and is often communicated on both conscious and subconscious levels. How? By communicating all at once the whole tangled mass of perceptions associated with your business or product name.
So which is more important, marketing or branding?
In my opinion, neither.
Both marketing and branding are forms of communication. Marketing is the strategic use of words and images to make an offer. Branding is the strategic use of words and pictures to create an aura around your entire business.
Your customers may be attracted to your brand first and then respond to an offer. Or they may respond to an offer and then become loyal to your brand.
The two work together to create your overarching value proposition. And that brings me to the point of this article…
Should you stress positioning over the message?
In a previous post I listed the top five global brands in 2010. These brands are so strong, they’ve become part of our collective psyche. That alone is a pretty convincing statement as to the importance of building a strong brand.
But does branding belong in your marketing messages? If the brand is that important, shouldn’t every marketing piece be drafted around your positioning statement?
Definitely not.
People don’t buy a positioning statement. They may want to participate in the culture of your brand or feel the emotions associated with your brand. But ultimately, when they fork over the money, they’re buying a product.
Marketing 101 says no marketing piece should ever go out that doesn’t make an offer. Otherwise, your customers won’t know what you want them to do. And your response rates will reflect that.
That’s why your call to action is the most important part of any promotion.
In fact, studies have shown that brand content in a marketing promotion actually lowers response rates, while promotions built around a strong offer pull ten times the response rate.
Now that’s significant.
Not only that, as the brand content increases, the cost per sale increases as well. So while your brand is important for building loyalty among the masses, your bottom line still depends on a strong offer, communicated well.
How do you balance brand-building with marketing?
