Marketingdonut

Branding and marketing, and the difference between the two, is not just misunderstood in business. It is misunderstood in most businesses and even in their own marketing departments.

I have worked as a general marketer and a senior brand manager. This easy guide will help you navigate your way between the two areas and see their potential to improve your business.

Branding is my real passion. It was when I started working with Robert Bean of Northstar Partners that I started to understand what branding was really about. Robert worked at BT as head of customer communications when the "It's Good to Talk" campaign was launched. In addition, his work on the Honda brand turned into the "Power of Dreams" campaign.

Robert's definition of a brand is that it is a "promise delivered". You make a promise to customers and colleagues with everything you do, and, you deliver on that promise.

Some businesses know what they are from day one. As long as they stay small and keep the same employees, they may not need to repeat this exercise. However, for most firms, things change - sales drop, people leave or a competitor threatens your patch. Then what do you do?

The key to unlocking the power of your brand is involving your employees. Take them with you through this process and have a brand expert on hand to help guide you. This does not need to be costly or take up too much time. However, once this is done, it could set up a brand strategy for your business that lasts for years.