Branding vs Marketing

How do you define your business and how do you build awareness?

Branding utilizes a combination of art and science to illustrate the core values and essence of your business; marketing is how you communicate that message to your target audience. To build an effective marketing campaign, you must first distinguish and establish a unique persona for your brand.

But how do you define and cultivate a standout brand? Begin by asking yourself a series of questions that will help to determine your voice and goals:

Does your company have a specific attitude or style?

Are you edgy? Geeky? Ultra-professional? Funny? Alternative? Holistic? Your company’s personality can help you determine what type of audience you want to attract and which type is most likely to gravitate towards your brand. Consider what want your clients to think or feel when they see your brand. Use your brand to connect and convey how you are unique and why it is a good fit for their needs.

What do you want to achieve with your brand?

Do you want to cultivate a brand personality that sells a product, a service, content or information? You can combine your brand attitude with your company goals to create unique marketing strategies and opportunities.

What sets you apart from your competition?

Research your competition to see what types of branding they use and how effective it is at engaging your target audience. You can learn a lot from their successes and their failures. Tailor your brand to avoid their mistakes and build upon their wins.

What drives your business?

Are you passionate about your business vertical? Is your main goal to maximize profits? Are you willing to sacrifice some revenue to provide a better service or product? You can incorporate these goals into your brand and overall strategies. If your main goal is to build an empire or create a franchise, develop a brand that will easily translate to new areas and audiences as you expand. If your goal is to provide exceptional products and services while maintaining modest growth and revenue, ensure you are properly communicating that to your customers through your brand.

Find a Marketing Agency That Naturally Fits With Your Brand

Now that you better understand your image, goals and target audience, you will need to figure out how to clearly and effectively communicate your brand and intent to potential customers.

This is where an experienced, like-minded digital marketing agency can make the difference between blending in with your competitors and becoming an innovator in your industry.

Tips for Evaluating a Digital Marketing Agency

Specialized vs general digital marketing agencies

There are no shortage of digital marketing agencies out there, which is why it is important to understand what an agency offers and their level of expertise. You wouldn’t want to hire a marketing agency that specializes in dental marketing to oversee an e-commerce site and you wouldn’t want to hire a fledgling general agency to manage an enterprise-level Adwords campaign.

While some of these things may seem obvious, it is essential that you go even deeper when evaluating an agency. There are still plenty of competing agencies that offer high levels of skill and experience, so how do you differentiate between them? This is where understanding your brand and goals can be the difference between moderate success and excelling in your field.

Find a digital marketing agency that speaks your language

This is where an agency’s experience and attitude play a crucial role in creating a truly special marketing campaign that synergizes your brand and your goals.

At Geek Powered Studios, we love working with other types of “geeky” companies. This doesn’t mean that we only work with enterprise software companies or video game developers (though we do love them). So, who else do we work with and what do we mean by “geeky”?

Basically, anything that we or our clients can “geek out on.” Sometimes that means an e-commerce client with an edgy, playful brand or a healthcare blog that “geeks out” on holistic remedies and alternative medicine. Find a digital marketing agency that is passionate about your brand and your products/services.

Experience is crucial

All of the passion in the world will only take you so far. This is where an experienced digital marketing company, that also shares your passion, can take your brand and marketing efforts to the next level.

It seems like every digital marketing company offers most of the same services. You can expect that they offer web design, development, SEO, PPC, and social media. And while some of them do have significant experience in these general schools, do they have the experience that translates to your unique brand and goals? You wouldn’t hire a car mechanic to fix a boat, so why would you hire a marketing agency that doesn’t understand your brand?

Do Your Homework

Identify your company’s passion, strengths and weaknesses
Research your ideal audience and customer base
Envision a brand that incorporates your passion and strengths; a brand that speaks to your audience
Find an agency that shares your passion, synergizes with your brand and has the experience to follow through on your goals

Keep these basic steps in mind and you will be able to develop a branding/marketing strategy that reflects the best aspects of your company’s personality and builds long-term success.

If you think Geek Powered Studios might be a good fit for your vision, please get in touch with our team and we can help guide you on the best path to a healthy brand and marketing campaign.