Business vs Brand vs Branding – What’s the Difference?

Do you know what the difference is between a business, a brand, and branding?

If you clicked on this post, you’re probably not quite sure… so let’s clear that up for you! 🙂

What is a Business?

Your business is your foundation. 

It’s the organization that produces your products and services. 

It’s what you do + what you offer.

It’s your business model + your structure.

It’s your systems and processes.

In a spiritual sense, it’s the masculine energy – the container that holds the creative flow!

Without a business, there’s nothing to brand, which is why you should have a good understanding of what kinds of products and/or services your business offers before starting the branding process (more on that later).

Primary focus of a business: to provide a product or service in exchange for money – it’s transactional.

What is a Brand?

Contrary to popular belief, your brand is not your logo, color palette, and website.

Your brand is actually an intangible thing, meaning it can’t be seen or touched. 

Your brand is a perception that exists in the minds of your audience and consumers. It’s your reputation and how people think and feel about you after interacting with you and your brand on social media, reading about you on your website, talking to you in person or on the phone, using one of your products, or experiencing one of your services (these are called “brand touchpoints.”)

Although you have no real control over how people perceive you, you can influence people’s perceptions of you, which is done through your branding (again, more on that later…)

Your brand is essentially the heart, soul, and personality of your business – the human side! It’s the part that feels, has compassion, and can emotionally connect with others, which is SUPER important as people are more likely to invest in (and continue to invest in) a brand they have a positive emotional connection with.

Your brand is the part that makes your business unique and helps you stand out… because it offers that extra-special-something people can’t get anywhere else – You! You will be better able to connect with people and make a difference in their lives by embracing what makes you unique and sharing your gifts, skillsets, perspectives, insights, energy, and stories with others!

In a spiritual sense, your brand is the feminine energy. The creative flow that happens within the container/structure of the business.

Building a brand typically means serving a greater purpose beyond your products and services, and just doing things to make money. It’s about creating real change and positive impact on the world! This deeper purpose is what gives your business a heart and a reason for people to care about what it is you’re doing. Furthermore, people are more likely to support businesses that stand for something bigger than themselves!

Having a clear purpose for your brand and business can help you differentiate yourself in a crowded market, attract the right audience, create products and services that truly serve them, foster deeper connections, and build brand loyalty.

All that being said, building a brand alongside your business is important as it’s what sets you up for longevity and sustainability!

Primary focus of a brand: to connect with people – it’s emotional.

What is Branding:

Branding is HOW you connect with your audience.

It’s the work you do to educate, create brand awareness, and build a positive brand reputation. It’s the expression of who you are and what your brand represents. It’s not just your logo, color palette, and website, it’s EVERYTHING you put out into the world, from your messaging, to your visuals, to your energy, and beyond! It’s the experience you create and how you want people to FEEL when they are experiencing you, your business, and your brand.

Branding is all about communication, nurturing relationships, and shaping people’s perceptions about your brand. The goal of branding is to create a consistent experience across all brand touchpoints (website, social media, phone calls, in-person events, etc.) This is what helps you build recognition and trust, which can lead to more brand loyalty and referrals (which ultimately means less marketing work for you!)

Branding is not something you do once. It’s something you consistently do and continue to develop over time as you, your business, and your brand evolve.

THE BRANDING PROCESS

The branding process is a strategic and creative journey designed to empower you and your business. This process can ultimately help you create the kinds of products + services your clients truly want and need, plus the kind of messaging and visuals that clearly and effectively communicate the value of what you do so that it will be easier for potential clients to see why they need to choose you!

The goal of branding is to build a whole “brand ecosystem” that not only looks professional, cohesive, and unique to you and your brand but speaks directly to your target audience. Your messaging and visuals should feel aligned with your brand’s essence, the kinds of clients you’re looking to attract, and the experience you’re looking to create for them!

Below is a general overview of what my current brand-building process looks like:

PHASE 1:
BRAND FOUNDATIONS

1. BRAND STRATEGY

This step will help you get clear on your goals, your purpose, your mission, your message, and all the important foundational components that make up a strong brand foundation. It’s the part that helps you get clear on your messaging, and the messaging is what guides the visuals.

Brand strategy is the part that most business owners skip and is usually the reason why they struggle to connect with people and grow their business, so this part of the process is SUPER important (and will now be the main focus of my business, as I’ve learned this is what my clients need the most help with!) Establishing a strong foundation first is what helps you grow your business faster! Plus, it gives us a clear direction to go in when it comes to creating your visuals!

2. BRAND IDENTITY DESIGN

Once you are clear on your foundational components, we will use that information to create a cohesive, professional-looking brand identity. Your brand identity is the visual representation of your brand and will be unique to you and your brand. This can help you stand out, improve brand recognition, and attract the types of people you’re looking to work with. 

This includes things like:

• Mood board + color palette
• Logos
• Fonts
• Photo style
• Custom icons/illustrations
• Branding board

3. COLLATERAL DESIGN

Once we’ve created your brand identity, we can create some branded marketing collaterals to help you promote your business!

These would include things like:

• Business Cards
• Flyers
• Brochures
• Social Media Branding
• Newsletter Graphics

PHASE 2:
ONLINE PRESENCE

1. WEBSITE STRATEGY

This will help us establish the goals of your website and outline your pages so we know what it is we’re trying to create and what we’re trying to get your website to do for you. Once we’ve established all of that, it will be easier to gather and create the content for your website!

2. WEBSITE DESIGN + DEVELOPMENT

Once I have all the content I need for your website, I can start the design process!

This process includes things like:

• Helping you set up your domain and hosting setup
• Connecting your domain and hosting to WordPress
• Helping you setup and booking calendars, contact forms, and other tech-related things
• Creating a custom website that matches your brand identity
• SEO implementation

3. ONLINE MARKETING

In addition to all of this, I can help you with your online marketing strategy, design, and tech setup! This may be the last item on the list, but I can help you with this kind of stuff after your brand identity is designed and before we create your website!

This would include things like:

• Social media marketing strategy
• Email marketing strategy
• Setting up + branding your newsletter
• Setting up + branding your social media accounts
• And more!

TO SUM THINGS UP:

• Your business is about transactions.
• Your brand is about connections and reputation.
• Branding is what you put out in the world to create deeper connections, a positive reputation, and more transactions. 🙂

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Do you have a better understanding of what the difference is between a business, a brand, and branding? Do you have any additional questions? Feel free to comment below!