Brand and branding seem to be used interchangeably in business and society in general. Even if some of us know that there is a difference, that difference can seem a little vague. When we hear either word, most of us will quickly start to think about the visual assets of a business, logos and marketing literature. However, while the idea of brand includes those elements, it also encompasses a great deal more.

Brand can be seen as a substitute for the word ‘reputation’. When we think of a company’s reputation, what do we think of? We think of the customer experience, the service, the products and anything else involved in our experiences of the company.

Brand is an overarching strategy that takes into account the big picture and the small details. If a company dedicates the time, focus and investment into making sure that every area of their business adheres to their brand strategy, it can do wonders for them. Conversely, if a company is unwilling to put in the effort or simply ignorant of how they’re perceived, it can really damage their business. While a sizeable investment is necessary for some businesses, many small businesses could make adjustments to their brand and strategies at a much lower cost. Brand is important as it is how your small business is perceived by customers and potential clients.

In this episode of the number one small business podcast, we’re joined by Giles Redmayne, a renowned expert and industry leader when it comes to this topic. Giles will be sharing with us the differences between brand and branding, how we can apply brand principles to our own small businesses and some of his experiences from his 20 years in the industry.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast

What’s the difference between brand and branding?

About Giles

Giles Redmayne is a founding partner and the business director of brand and design consultancy, Purpose. He’s been in the industry for more than 20 years and worked with and consulted major brands including Orange, Virgin Atlantic, Epson and Apple.

Giles is here with us on this episode of the number one small business podcast to discuss his area of expertise and how small business owners can optimize their brand to attract new customers and retain existing ones.

Actionable Tips

* Find an expert to speak to. How will you know that they’re an expert? If the conversation quickly turns to visual assets and logos, then there is something wrong. Brand strategy fundamentally starts with your business, the challenges you face and your goals.

* Talk and engage. Have a non-committal meeting with an agency or run a workshop with them. Talk through your challenges and what you hope to achieve. You don’t have to commit to anything long term, but commissioning consultancy on a modular basis can create a lot of value.

* You need to be prepared to engage your whole business toward building a strong brand. Be realistic about the level of commitment required to build a brand in terms of time, investment and focus. So many projects fall short because people don’t take into consideration the full scope of the undertaking.

Top Quotes

* “Brand is a strategic plan that influences an entire organization. Branding is the application of that within visual assets and communications.”

* “When you flip the word ‘brand’ for ‘reputation’ it resonates in every boardroom up and down the country. The word ‘brand’ has perhaps become too associated with supermarket shelves or consumer goods.”

* “The first inclination is to think that I couldn’t possible afford to do that. But many of the key brand principles are common sense. It’s about finding out what’s at the core of your business that can differentiate you from the competition.”

* “One of the easiest rationales for investing in...