I have been reading several blogs that talk about branding yourself or marketing yourself. But after reading these, they all seem to talk about the same thing. In reality, there is an actual difference between the two.
A brand is a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the use of the product or service and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary. From wikipedia.
Marketing is one of the most important functions in business. It is the discipline required to understand customers' needs and the benefits they seek. In a nutshell it consists of the social and managerial processes by which products (goods or services) and value are exchanged in order to fulfill the needs and wants of individuals or groups. From wikipedia.
Marketing :
- Make a plan & have a budget
- Have an objective
- Determine your audience
- Analyze your results
There are different types of marketing. One type that is becoming more wide spread is Viral Marketing. Mary McKnight does a great job of explaining this. And Brian Brady wrote this blog on viral marketing : Viral Marketing For Realtors: Infect Your Customers and Build An Audience
Branding :
- Establish a logo or nickname of some sort
- What sets you apart?
- Makes you different?
Here is a great post by Bobby Carroll on branding : Branding - Let's Get Personal
Summary : The point that I wanted to make about this today was that I read a post by another AR member today, Nima Rezvan. How Blogging on Active Rain Made Nima of Countrywide Home Loans Popular On The Web
He talked about how he got onto the first page of Google search. First off, this is AWESOME. I truly mean this and this comment is not to be construed as attacking him. But is he marketing himself or branding himself? Sure, is he doing well now because of this? In fact, he is marketing his company.
What if...... he ever leaves his current company. You basically lose that page ranking. You lose all of that hard work and effort. I am sure many of you have worked for at least 2 to 3 different companies in your career, within the same industry. Me? Over 8 companies in 15 years. But 2 companies of 4 to 5 years. We all have our reasons.
How should you brand yourself? Market yourself? Do you utilize localism to define yourself and your market? Do you have a plan? How do you blog? Who is your audience? These are questions that you should be asking yourself on a monthly basis. Things change. Times change. The market & people change.
BONUS : Website or Blog, Which Really Sells? by : Sarah Cooper A great piece that is thought provoking. And you can use this post as both branding and marketing. And you can actually do both on one site. That's my opinion.
Disclosure: Both marketing and branding can be the same at times. But there is a difference when broken down. It comes down to ones' interpretation. And in most cases, you need to brand before marketing.
On another note, something else to keep in mind. Although many people seem to think that "marketing" and "advertising" are synonymous, they are not. Advertising is simply one of the many processes that together constitute marketing . From wikipedia.
Marketing ideas & thoughts :
- Marketing..... Good or Bad (could this be about branding?)
Branding yourself :
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