The term brand marketing is a common misnomer in that branding and marketing are two separate sides of the same coin. Branding is the visual identity of a company and a promise of excellence to a wide audience. Marketing is how that promise is communicated to the public both visually and verbally. By developing a strong brand, a company creates a high level of expectation and a need to fulfill it.
Your brand should be derived from who you are, who you want to be, and how people perceive you. Think about who are you in the marketplace? Are you the upstart pushing something totally new? Are you an experienced and reliable practitioner? Are you the low cost alternative, or the high quality option? By answering these questions you can decide who your brand is targeting. In his article for Entrepreneur, John Williams talks about the elements that make up a great brand. By consistently delivering on that promise, you’ll begin to build equity for your brand that immediately associates it with the level of quality your clients have come to expect.
Once you’ve begun developing your reputation for consistent quality, you’ll need to communicate that to those who have yet to experience your service. Marketing is an integral part of your brand, in that it helps to communicate your promise to a wide audience. As part of your brand strategy, marketing can help you develop a clear voice through your website, your advertisements, and even how you answer the phone. Strong marketing will show people who you want to be, and let them know exactly what to expect from the promise of your brand.
Ultimately, how well you deliver on your brand’s promise determines how you’re perceived. By meeting the expectations your branding and your marketing create with consistent excellence, you confirm that the promise you make is the promise you keep.
