Marketing and Branding Go Hand-in-Hand
To succeed in the world of business, you’ll need to have a great method for creating awareness of your business and promoting it. This is known as marketing, and few businesses succeed in today’s competitive world without a strong marketing campaign.
However, the best marketing in the world won’t help much if people don’t recognize your product over the course of time. They might see your ads, but if they can’t instantly tell what your product is and how it differs from similar offerings, they will not be inclined to become customers. This element is known as branding.
The fact is, marketing and branding go hand in hand: you can’t have one without the other. Figuring out how to utilize them both effectively is no easy task. However, this article will help you navigate the complex world of selling your product, which begins by finding that all-important connection between your brand and your marketing.
Marketing: How Does It Work?
Technically speaking, marketing is any activity your company undertakes in order to sell your product. Of course, this can refer to an incredibly wide variety of things. Among the most common are print ads, television commercials, and online ads on high-traffic websites.
Other less common, but no less effective, methods of marketing include blogs, affiliated marketing, and the dissemination of free merchandise, such as stickers and tote bags. Many modern marketing professionals also take advantage of modern technology. This means utilizing social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, while also using targeted ads, keywords, and search engine optimization (SEO).
Clever marketers also utilize “viral” marketing strategies. Viral marketing is shared from customer to customer, usually via the internet. If your business is able to do this effectively, you can save a great deal of money on your advertising campaign. Instead of paying thousands of dollars to run ads everywhere, you can rely on your customers to share your information for free.
What About Branding?
Branding is an element of marketing, but it’s one that’s important and complex enough to receive its own entry in any dedicated marketing course. If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you understand that your product must be quickly identifiable in the minds of customers and potential customers.
Think of some of the most famous brands of all time: McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Shell, and so on. When each of these companies advertises a product, you can instantly recognize what company and what product is being advertised because of their iconic and highly memorable brands.
Your company’s logo is part of your brand, but that’s not all there is to it. When your customer sees your logo, it should create an instant connection in their brains: one that they associate with something positive. An excellent example of this is Coca-Cola’s famous Christmas ad campaign from the 1930s (still seen to this day) featuring Santa Claus, as designed by artist Haddon Sundblom. By designing a series of ads featuring Santa enjoying Coca-Cola, Sundblom was able to make the connection in consumers’ minds of Coca-Cola as a cold and refreshing drink, while also using the “star power” of Santa Claus from popular culture.
Your strategy when it comes to branding should be to make a product that stands out from the crowd: when customers see your advertisements, they’ll instantly know what product is being offered. Then they’ll automatically make a connection between that product and a positive feeling, leading to continuous customer loyalty and a willingness to share and recommend your brand to friends and family members.
Where to Begin
When it comes to marketing and branding, where should you start? Well, you should always begin with strong branding. Otherwise, your marketing won’t be likely to reach anyone, regardless of how much your budget may be, because you won’t be able to forge that connection in your customers’ minds.
Before spending any money on your marketing budget, you should spend some time considering your brand. This means finalizing a great logo design, finding the right fonts for your ads, and deciding if you’ll utilize any catchy slogans or other ad words to sell your products.
You should also hold a meeting with your employees, ensuring everyone is on the same page with regard to your brand. After all, the company culture and the behavior of everyone at the company are a part of your brand too. It will be part of what ultimately sticks in customers’ minds when they are looking for a product or service that you offer.
This may sound a little intimidating; after all, branding isn’t just one aspect of your company. Effectively, it’s everything: every element of your company and how it’s presented is part of your brand. It’s a good idea to get professionals on the job to assist you. For example, InnoVision Marketing Group holds a branding workshop that can help you tie every element together while finding the perfect brand for your business.
Creating Perfectly Branded Ads
Once you’ve established your brand, you must then consider what will be the most effective way to market it. Depending on the product, this may mean print ads and billboards, or it may mean social media marketing and targeted ads. Videos are often an excellent choice as well, as research has shown that customers are more likely to engage with a video as opposed to another method of advertising.
How will you get your message out? Will you hold contests and promotions to engage with your customers? Will you work with affiliates to help spread the word of your product or service?
Once again, teaming up with the right agency can help you achieve your goals in this regard. At InnoVision, we refer to ourselves as the anti-agency, since we focus on more than just a short-term payoff. Instead, our goal is to ensure the long-term success of your business, a goal that starts with your marketing and branding.
