The Difference Between a Branding and Action Campaign: When to use What

Advertising is about reaching your customer. To be effective, you must cater your message to your business goals and your target audience. Without specific goals in mind, it can be difficult for you to measure your campaign's success. You should always design your ad campaign with a clear strategy in mind. 

There are times when it is more impactful to focus your message on branding, while at others, you want to inspire action. Most businesses use branding and action campaigns at different times and in a variety of ways. While both are powerful and useful tools, they serve different purposes. It is when you combine them that you maximize the impact and results. 

What Is a Branding Campaign?

The primary goal of a branding campaign is to raise awareness and create recognition for your company. It states who you are and what your business is about, shaping how consumers see you. Name recognition is crucial for building trust, as 73% of consumers are more likely to trust a brand they know. While ongoing branding campaigns are always important, they work particularly well for new businesses. It works well for in-between promotions or sales to keep your business top-of-mind for customers. 

Building your brand is more important than ever before. Consider that 77% of consumers use a brand name to refer to certain items, such as Kleenex for a tissue or Coke for a soft drink. Branding allows you to build and nurture your relationship with consumers, creating loyalty. It doesn't stop when you have reached a certain level of recognition, but it should be a long-term, ongoing strategy to attract new customers and connect with your existing ones. 

What Is a Call-to-Action Campaign?

A call-to-action (CTA) campaign encourages the customer to make a purchase. The strategy is very specific and crafted with the goal of having the customer make a decision. Over 90% of those who read your headline will also read your CTA message. The words you use should guide the consumer to the action you want them to take. 

As with any ad campaign, you should create your call-to-action campaign with concrete goals in mind. Not only have CTAs proven to boost conversion by 21%, but you can increase the efficacy by making them personal, such as changing the wording from "your offer" to "my offer." Personalizing your CTAs leads to 42% more conversions than untargeted ones. 

How To Choose the Most Effective Tactic for Your Business

There are several questions you should ask yourself before choosing your campaigns, such as:

• What is my goal?
• What fits my needs right now?
• Where is my target audience in their buyer's journey?

It is almost impossible to measure success without knowing what the goal is. Tailor your goals and strategy to your current needs. Are you attempting to drive sales around a specific promotion or product? Perhaps you are between sales cycles and want to ensure that your brand stays top-of-mind. Once you define your goals, determine your key performance indicators to help you track and fine-tune your campaign strategy.

Knowing when and where to reach your target customer is another critical factor in campaign success. Your message will be different depending on where they are in the buyer's journey. Are they still gathering information, or are they ready to purchase? By answering these questions, you can effectively personalize your message for the most impact and highest return on your advertising investment. 

Achieve Measurable Success With Targeted Campaigns

Branding and call-to-action campaigns are both essential strategies for any business. Branding should be considered an ongoing, long-term strategy to attract customers and promote brand loyalty. Call-to-action campaigns can entice customers to take action and boost revenue. While you may choose one over the other at different times, using them together is a powerful combination. 

Understanding your goals, immediate needs, and where you are meeting your customer in their buyer's journey are all crucial factors to clarify to help you decide on the most effective campaign. It can be a time-consuming process to identify your specific goals and determine which types of advertising is best to meet them, much less how to track the effectiveness of your campaigns. Knowing what motivates a customer in every stage of the buyer's journey also requires current research and the knowledge of how to put that research to work for your brand.

Working with a media partner can make this process run faster and smoother. Not only will they help you determine which campaign is best for your business, but they will guide you through the process of creating the campaign every step of the way.