Building a Brand vs. a Business: What’s the Difference?

Your brand = your business, right?

Well, not exactly. A business is a company—it comprises your marketing, your product and services, your staff and fellow visionaries. On the other hand, a brand is your business’ image and identity.

It’s easy to simply say, “Oh, so it all relies on my logo, right?” Logos and your visual identity is a big part of your branding but that is not the major player. Branding isn’t just aesthetics. Building a brand means that you need to take into consideration the emotion it evokes from your audience. It always boils down to how you want your target prospects to perceive you.

Let’s take a look at Apple. As of 2019, they’re valued at $206 billion! Sure, they’re just another tech and mobile brand but the reason it draws people in and makes them come back for more is that they evoke a feeling of luxury—from their prices to the metallic finish of the products.

At the same time, they give off a non-intimidating vibe by cutting out the tech talk at first glance. Their marketing is always driven by value and benefits. Apple built its company in a way where once you go Apple, you never go back. You become a part of the family, identify with their core beliefs, and even subconsciously fawn over the minimalistic product range and clean edges.

Now, let’s take a look at Starbucks.

One major factor that makes it the successful brand that it is today is convenience. Almost every city has a Starbucks on every corner. This makes them the go-to for friends who want to catch up or an hour or two of quiet time for college students studying for their finals.

And while Starbucks doesn’t have the best coffee in the world, it still stood out to people because of the quick service (you get your coffee in just a few minutes) and how they named their cup sizes.

The founder, Howard Schultz, was inspired by the way the Italians do coffee—a quick shot in the morning before work and a nice way to chat with friends and neighbors. He wanted to create a culture that revolves around coffee. This led to him naming the sizes Tall, Venti, and Grande, making the brand even more memorable.

Why should I focus on building a brand? 

To stand out.

That’s basically the biggest thing you should be aiming for. Having a functional and effective product is good but almost everyone in your industry can have the same offer with the same features. Some of them have the advantage of a cheaper price tag or more years in the industry.

Beyond making your product stand out, your brand gives you the edge because it helps you build relationships with your target market—which leads to more sales and return clients in the future.

To identify with your mission and become your loyal brand ambassadors. The tipping point from being a good business to being a multi-million company is the moment your brand ambassadors start doing your marketing, sharing and caring and being a part of your business’s future.

Remember that people buy with their emotions, which is only supported by logic later on. Your branding appeals to those emotions. You want people to become a part of your brand.

People aren’t buying a product. They’re buying an ideal. They’re buying an experience. They’re buying a lifestyle. They’re buying convenience.

How to start building a brand that’s memorable

There’s a few things you need to check off your list if you want to build a strong image and identity for your customers. Here are three questions to ask yourself if you want to create a memorable brand:  

“How do I address my customers?” 

Be conscious of the way you speak because this is your brand’s voice. This tells a lot about your relationship with them.

Is your brand voice more like a caring and soothing type, giving an impression of a mother figure that comforts and supports? Or is it more youthful, fun, and carefree—it’s like the friend you’ll make at summer camp who you know you’ll have a long-lasting friendship with?

“How am I different from other (YOUR INDUSTRY) companies out there?”

Answering this question will give you some insight into your USP or Unique Selling Proposition. Maybe your business coaching programs aren’t the corporate, serious type and you’re more into a quirky, empowering style. This makes you stand out because prospects will have the feeling that you’re more relatable.

Or maybe you don’t have the usual coffee place. Maybe each cup is infused with the tiniest bit of alcohol content, which makes it the best coffee shop for when friends go for an end-of-the-week get-together.

“If my business turned into a person, her/his personality would be….” 

Contrary to popular belief, branding is a two-way street. It doesn’t just end with how your target market feels about your business. How you want your business to be perceived also plays a major role. (It does start with you, you know!)

Take into consideration what kind of relationship you’d like to have with your target clients then build from there. Want to be the design studio that new business owners flock to for their marketing materials?

Most new entrepreneurs might hesitate to invest in graphics since they think it’s okay to DIY. If that’s the case, educate them about the importance of good graphics and how it catches people’s attention when actually done right (since most people are visual learners). This positions you as their guiding light in the world of graphic design.

To conclude, your brand and your business go hand in hand. To be more specific, it’s the pushing force of your business. It’s the foundation for your marketing and your branding is what sells your products and services.