Brand Tip #1: Don't Confuse Brand With Branding

You hear the words "brand" and "branding" a lot - especially when people are talking about marketing or advertising. In fact, I've heard a number of "experts" using the terms interchangeably.

But the terms are different - and it's important to know what each really means if you're involved in marketing and want it to be effective.

Brand is all about differentiation. It's who your company or organization is, the unique characteristics that make you stand out as more valuable than your competitors to your customers and the evidence to support those unique characteristics. It's what the purchaser of your product or service can count on from you. It's the promise you make.

Branding, on the other hand, is about tactics - creating the tactical marketing plan to communicate your brand's unique characteristics to influence your customers' purchasing decisions. Branding tactics can include the consistent use of graphics, spokespeople, typefaces, colors, logos - all of the tools used to communicate your brand's distinction.

But don't think the graphics or spokespeople are your distinction. Those branding tactics could change with your next campaign and are not the ultimate reason for purchasing your product or service.

Understanding the difference between brand and branding is important because, in order to build your brand, you need to understand who you are before you can create tactics that will make your brand a success.