Branding vs. Marketing vs. Advertising

If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner, you’ve likely learned that marketing is now a key part of your job description. But unless you have a background in writing and marketing, like me, you might be confused about all of these new terms you’re expected to know. Brand? Marketing? Advertising? Aren’t those all the same thing?

While branding, marketing and advertising are similar, they aren’t the same. Here’s the easiest way I know how to describe them:

Your brand is the personality of your business.

Marketing is how you communicate your brand.

Advertising is paid marketing.

You should start your entrepreneurship journey by defining your brand. To get started, continue the “personality” analogy I started in my definition. Ask yourself, “If my brand was a person”:

• Would they be a man or a woman?

• How do they dress?

• What clothes do they wear?

• How do they speak and carry themselves?

• What kind of house do they live in? What kind of car do they drive?

Once you have your brand personality identified, you can work on a brand voice — how your company personality looks and sounds on your website and in marketing materials — and begin marketing.