6 REASONS BRANDING IS IMPORTANT IN MARKETING

People often get confused between?marketing and branding?and assume that they are one and the same. Although they fall under the same tree, they lie on different branches. If you are looking to start your own business or you are hoping to strengthen your?brand awareness, then this article is for you. Grab yourself a cuppa and a biscuit and begin to understand the differences between?branding and marketing, but also why you need one in order to strengthen the other. If growing your customer base and expanding your?brand recognition?is one of your priorities right now, keep on reading and let’s get into the nitty gritty of the?relationship of branding and marketing.

First and foremost, to remove any confusion, let’s get on the same page:

What is?branding?

Branding involves developing and implementing a number of identifiable features to your business so your consumers can associate themselves with your business. Branding increases the recognisability of products and services amongst your consumers, giving you that competitive edge within the market.

Creating a bridge between your products and your?ideal customer?that helps to shorten the buyer’s journey to choose your products without any kind of hesitation, branding is vital for marketing activities. It helps to define how customers recognise your brand.??Typically comprising of a name, tagline, logo or symbol, design and brand voice, it also refers to the underlying values of the business and overall experience a customer undergoes when interacting with a business — as a customer, supplier, social media follower, or a mere bystander.

What is?Marketing?

Marketing is the way you?communicate your brand, products, and services to the public in order to convert leads into customers.?Analysing consumer behaviours and the commercial management of a business helps to attract, acquire and retain customers, through instilling brand loyalty by satisfying consumer needs and desires.?Marketing is the tangible execution of your brand to build engagement and drive sales.

Branding improves your marketing practices:

The definition of branding depicted above, illustrates that??branding is far more than a businesses logo and slogan.?And this is true. Your brand should leave a positive belief about your business when consumers think of your products or services. This perception also increases the business’ value and?increases your business’ recognition?amongst your consumers. System 1 believes that a?brand should have an emotional impact on a consumer.?Relying on the 3F’s, Fame, Feeling and Fluency, they believe that a brand should play on consumers’ mental shortcuts to ensure that a business’ products and services are the obvious, automatic and default product of choice.

Taking advantage of these mental shortcuts, branding can be one of the most important elements of your business when generating sales leads. Using both a?branding and marketing strategy?to target and influence your customers, both new and existing, branding can help your business to increase its share of voice within the marketplace.?Using branding to improve your?marketing strategy?can help your business to generate sales.??This in turn will mean that your business will have a competitive advantage within your industry and ensure that your brand is your customer’s first choice when looking for the products or services that you offer. Relying on the 3 F’s depicted by System1, we can see the importance of your branding when marketing your product offerings.?