What is brand marketing? And how to create a brand marketing strategy.

Brand marketing. Two words you’ve probably heard thrown around a lot by entrepreneurs and marketers alike. But there’s a lot more to brand marketing than you might think.

What is brand marketing? Brand marketing is a way to promote your product or service by promoting your brand as a whole. Essentially, it tells your service’s or product’s story by emphasizing your whole brand.

In this article, we’re taking a look at some of the best examples of brand marketing from top global brands and discussing how you can take cues from them as you develop your own brand marketing strategies. We’re also covering what to do and what to avoid with brand marketing to ensure your strategy’s success.

Everything you need to know about brand marketing:
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• What’s the difference between branding and marketing, and which comes first?
• When is brand marketing most successful?
• Three of the best brand marketing strategies in the business
• How to develop a brand marketing strategy for your business in five simple steps
• Things to avoid when you’re developing a brand marketing strategy

What’s the difference between branding and marketing, and which comes first?
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Good question. It’s important you understand the difference between branding and marketing so you can efficiently use them together. In essence, marketing is how you build awareness of your brand and its products and generate sales, and branding is how you express who your business is for and what it’s all about.

Think of marketing as your business-generating toolkit and branding as your overall approach to reaching your target audience. Branding is one of the primary building blocks of your marketing strategy, so it will always come first. If your brand was KFC, your branding would be the “secret herbs and spices” and your marketing would be everything you do to get your customers excited to try your chicken, like your TV and radio ads, billboards and social media ads. No matter what industry you’re in or how large you aim to grow, it’s important to work out who your business is as a brand before you create a marketing plan.

That means clearly identifying your company’s personality. In other words, defining your brand. This means carefully choosing your illustrations, logo, typography and business colors to embody your brand’s values. For example, if you’re a bold brand, you’d likely choose a bright color palette and a punchy copy voice. If you’re a timeless, traditional brand, you’d probably go with more muted colors and a sophisticated font for your website and email template. These design choices are the foundation for your marketing strategy.

When is brand marketing most successful?
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You’re in it for the long game with brand marketing. It works best when your goal is to create repeat buyers (for instance when it comes to everyday products) or to connect with buyers making long-term, expensive purchases like vehicles. This is because a clear brand creates recognition and ignites a distinct feeling about it that will stay with your audience forever.

For example, a tourist will know they can trust Colgate toothpaste to keep their teeth clean wherever they are in the world. Colgate has taken a unique approach to their brand marketing over the years, deciding to educate their audience, rather than just push products to them. They’ve started an Oral Care Center, which hosts a series of videos about oral hygiene, and they also share important facts about how to care for your teeth on all their advertisements, particularly their social media platforms. This brand marketing strategy has helped Colgate to not only sell toothpaste, but to become one of the most trusted oral care brands around the globe.

The more thorough you are in your brand marketing strategy, the greater your likelihood of thriving when you execute those strategies. Investing in a solid brand marketing strategy now will make your future marketing campaigns easier to execute, because you’ll have guidelines to follow and past successes to build upon.

Here are three questions every business should answer when putting together their brand marketing strategy:

1. Who is your target audience?
2. What is your brand’s primary goal?
3. How does your brand define success?

Understanding the answers to these simple questions will help define what your objectives should be, how you should talk to your audience and how you’ll measure your success.

Three of the best brand marketing strategies in the business
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Apple, McDonald’s and Nike are three brands that almost anybody in the world will recognize. How did they reach this point? Effective brand marketing!

Apple’s brand marketing strategy

Apple’s brand marketing strategy is simple. Don’t just create a brand, create a movement. In all of Apple’s marketing efforts, they don’t just sell their newest phone or tablet, they sell a lifestyle. From their crisp white packaging and their provocative taglines (Think Different being one of their most famous) to their event-like product launches, Apple’s brand marketing makes people feel like they need Apple products to improve their lives.

This brand marketing strategy has created a dedicated fandom. Apple recognizes their fandom’s staying power and with it in mind, never strays away from their comprehensive brand. Even when their marketing executions change, their clear, modern and innovative brand marketing strategy remains the same.

Nike’s brand marketing strategy

Nike’s brand marketing strategy involves not just selling a product, but selling a story. From their website to their product descriptions to their social media, Nike takes every opportunity to tell a story about their products, their beginning or their ideas.

Adding a storytelling element to your brand or giving your customers the background of your business story adds a human element to your business and may be a great marketing strategy for you. Remember, your story doesn’t have to be groundbreaking. Simply explaining where you came from and giving your customers something to relate to is far more influential than just selling a product.

McDonald’s brand marketing strategy

According to numerous studies, McDonald’s is one of the most recognized brands around the globe. So it’s no surprise their brand marketing strategy relies heavily on brand consistency. Their golden arches are instantly recognized everywhere from America to India to Australia, and people associate their brand with feeling happy.

How has McDonald’s created such a distinguishable brand? Well, they’ve kept their brand identity and product consistent for over 60 years, while making thoughtful and on-brand improvements. Their logo has remained relatively the same and their marketing taglines have unrelentingly endorsed the same message: we make you happy. Here’s a few ways they’ve said it over the years:

• You deserve a break today (1971-1975)
• That’s my McDonald’s (1981)
• Have you had your break today? (1995-1997)
• Smile (2001-2003)
• I’m lovin’ it (present)

When you’re creating a brand marketing strategy, invest in something that has longevity. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time you create a new marketing campaign or logo. In fact, doing so could create more harm than good because inconsistency and extreme changes will likely confuse and even alienate your audience.