If you came to me and said, “Koree, what’s the difference between branding and brand strategy?” I’d have a lot to say about it. Hello, it is me giving you this answer. At the core, there’s a simple difference between brand and brand strategy that’s very important to understand as you’re growing your business.

But first, sometimes I think it’s easier to take things out of our industry and give other examples. So, let’s think of throwing a dinner party. (If you know me, you know I love hosting a good party!)

Branding is like the evening of the party — the external things you do to set the tone for the night. It’s the way you welcome guests into your home, the specialty cocktail you make for the night, the decorations and the “tablescape” if you want to throw Sandra Lee in there, how you serve the food, and even down to how you dress for the evening.

Brand strategy is everything you did leading up to the dinner party. It’s deciding what kind of party you want to host, looking up all the recipes, shopping for and cooking the meal, planning the seating arrangements, setting out the plates, and so on. It’s all of the decisions you make behind the scenes to help guide your party choices so everything aligns with your vision and creates a cohesive “vibe” for the night. It’s what helps you avoid wearing a ball gown while hosting a back-yard barbeque. 

As you can see, they go hand in hand. But just like how you can’t have a successful dinner party without the preparations, you can’t have a cohesive brand you can leverage and grow without doing the brand strategy first.

Let’s dive in and go a bit deeper into the big differences between branding and brand strategy so you can learn where you need to shore things up to unlock your business’ fullest potential!

Branding = Visuals

Simply put, branding is the external, visual representation of your brand strategy. It’s also the visual representation of your brand position.

Clearly, it’s the visuals, no pun intended. (If you want a refresher on these terms, check out Brand Strategy Glossary: 16 Terms You Need to Know)

It’s the things like your colors and logos, the style of your photography, the copy on your website, the email sequence you’re developing, and the sales material you have. They’re an outward representation of your brand.

For example, a company like Starbucks has really solid branding. You see that green circle on a white cup and you automatically fill in the company name and the siren that’s synonymous with Seattle coffee.

Or to take it back to the dinner party example, it’s the signature cocktail you serve as guests enter. Through repetition, your guests will come to expect and associate margaritas with you. (No? That’s just me?)

But how were those decisions made to use that particular shade of green or the siren in the logo? That’s all based on strategy.

Related Reading: Brand Strategy: 8 Reasons Why It Matters Most to Your Brand

Brand strategy = Foundation that guides the visuals

A brand strategy is the internal foundation that all of your outward marketing and sales content is based upon. This is the single most important step in the marketing (or business development) process.

It’s also often the most overlooked step if you’re not working with someone who is focused on the importance of this strategy.

It’s the articulation of the core components of your brand, like:

• Your goals
• Your mission 
• Your core values
• Your competition
• Your audience strategy 
• Your differentiator
• Your brand position
• Your message strategy

All of the external content and/or visual pieces of your brand must be rooted in the answer to these strategic questions. It’s a compass that you can measure all decisions against. With the clarity gained through a brand strategy, you can grow your business so it reaches its fullest potential.

Let’s go back to that dinner party example. Trying to throw together a brand without doing this strategic work first is like hosting a dinner party without looking up recipes and going to the grocery store for ingredients.

You’re gonna have a lot of hangry people knocking on your door. Then, you’ll be in a scramble to feed them before that margarita sinks into their bloodstream. It’ll be disappointing for them and a big ol’ mess for you.

But if you take the time to make a list and plan ahead, you can execute a delicious meal and a fabulous party without having a Michael-Scott-learning-Toby-is-back meltdown. (And let’s be honest, I love me some themed decorations, but things are pretty casual in my neck of the woods, so an overly-fancy tablescape isn’t going to happen. However, you dang well know that the food is important and very intentionally planned beforehand!)

The idea here is that a brand can happen without a brand strategy to guide it. I won’t exaggerate and tell you it’s impossible because it’s definitely possible, but there’s a catch. Without a solid strategic foundation, there’s a decent chance your external brand will end up feeling disjointed, confusing, and, ultimately, leave people screaming NO — especially as it evolves over time.

Related Reading: Audience Strategy: The Most Important Part of Brand Strategy

Overall, branding and brand strategy are two sides of the same coin. A successful, scalable business can’t have one without the other. You need the branding to be a visual representation of your business, a quick way for your audience to remember you. But you also need the brand strategy so your branding conveys exactly your exact mission, message, and goals.