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Here's a secret: if you are going to invest time and money in marketing, you must have a brand. Confused? Let's take a deeper look at branding versus marketing. Branding Versus Marketing You need a brand, everyone says. Marketing is a must, everyone says. So, which do you do? Which one do you spend your time, money and energy on? If you are feeling your heart skip a beat at the thought of spending money on marketing, stop right there! I am going to share the difference between branding and marketing and help you discover the steps you need to take to not only get the word out about your business, but also attract more clients. Branding Branding is about crafting and telling a story. The story of your business and of you as the CEO of your business. You are what differentiates your business from any other in your niche or area of expertise. I've said it before. You have gifts that no one else has. There may be a thousand other people in your niche or area of expertise, but only you have the unique gifts that are meant to serve the specific people you are here to solve problems for. Branding is: Who you are Your why Differentiation Positioning Mission Statement Personality Creating a perception Core values, visions and passions A strategy Marketing Marketing is communicating your story and spreading the message of what you do and the problem you uniquely solve for your ideal audience. Think of Marketing as: Communication SEO Content Marketing Social Media Print campaigns TV Radio Pay per click marketing Influencer marketing Podcasts Which Comes First? Branding! Your brand is at the core of your marketing and must come first. Therefore, without a brand you don't have anything to market. This is where clarity comes into play. You must be clear on what you do and who you serve to create your brand in a way that builds an emotional connection and becomes recognizable and memorable. Your brand and the emotional connection with your audience is what will keep your customers coming back and referring you. Likewise, it's important to remember, that you must build the know like and trust factor first. Without trust built through your branding efforts, your marketing efforts will fall short. Long-Term Differences in Branding Versus Marketing Branding Stays the Same Branding will always be the same. It will always be about positioning your business and differentiating it. Creating perception and building connections. Emotional connections that result in relationships that convert to clients. You may make changes in your brand, but your brand will always include your core values, visions and passions. Branding is who you are. Marketing Changes with Trends Marketing is communicating who you are and attracting your ideal audience. It is trendy and will change as the industry changes. For example, think about how social media has shifted the marketing paradigm. There are so many opportunities for free marketing using social media, however, you must have content that connects for them to be effective. That content is your personality infused into your business, which is your brand. You might be wondering if you can achieve success by marketing without building a clear, cohesive and consistent brand. The answer is yes, but you will achieve a much higher level of success if you have a brand. That success will have greater longevity as well because your audience will trust you and want to return to you. As I mentioned earlier, your brand is the infusion of your personality into your business. Therefore, your brand is how you build an emotional connection with your ideal audience and develop the know like and trust factor. Above all, you must realize that you can market all you want, but if you don't build relationships and attract your audience through the know like and trust factor, you aren't going to achieve as much success. In conclusion, let's recap priorities for your brand marketing strategy. Recap of Priorities: Absolute clarity around your brand and brand messaging Infuse your personality into your business and create a brand Differentiate yourself Create compelling, cohesive and consistent content for your brand messaging Build an online presence Begin marketing efforts Continue to build relationships Provide invaluable customer service Nurture your audience Continue marketing efforts Savor the success Connect with Me Learn more about your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE. To learn about The Brand Marketing Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE. Book a Brand Marketing Strategy Session HERE. Ask Me Anything HERE. Connect with me, Robyn Graham: Website | Instagram | LinkedIN | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest