The short answer
Branding is different because it comes first. It is the one thing that influences all others. It is necessary for growth, reduces confusion, aids in decision-making and makes things easier for management. Why? Because if there is any doubt, one can say, “Does this make sense for who we are (our brand)?” If the brand is well-defined, the answer is clear.

What other ways of communicating are there?
Public relations, marketing, advertising, sales, communications, then branding too! Good grief. To someone outside, or frankly inside the profession, these sister industries can be confusing.

Let’s get started with a few definitions:

Marketing: the process of defining which groups you wish to approach (sell to, get donations from, etc.), then communicating to them

Advertising: the process of saying publicly, often through paid sources, something about your group

Sales: though not traditionally seen as a communication method, this aspect of business, or even the nonprofit world (membership drives, fundraising efforts) is nevertheless a key aspect of communication. Sales staffs are often the only ones that represent a company to others, and it is important to know that they communicate key messages about your group through their habits and work style.

Public relations (PR); publicity: is seen by everyone, including people outside your customer base, and includes what is read about you in published sources, heard in your speeches, experienced in your events, and recognized in other related activities. PR, particularly press coverage, is not bought like advertising, but is usually coordinated either internally by staff, or a hired PR team working on their behalf. Publicity specifically refers to items about you in news sources.

Communications: often used as the overarching term for those elements listed above, communications can also mean writing or verbal communication done through everyday activities such as web and blog text, instant messages, letters, emails and telephone calls.

 

The way branding is different is that it heavily influences each of these communication disciplines, along with other business functions as well:
Branding is essential to approaching decisions regarding who to hire, what is best to say when we answer the phone, what expenditures make the most sense to achieve goals, and which operational efforts should be prioritized to reflect what we want our customers to see, among many other matters. Branding does this by clearly defining how the personality of your company is portrayed in a branding brief containing a competitive analysis for purposes of differentiation. It also looks at your group as it is seen by others and overlaps that with your vision, in order to decide which combination of the two makes the most sense to convey. This is then implemented in visual, informational, and tactical ways. To complete this process, education of staff and other key people to the organization, such as the board of directors, is done. Lastly, the brand is rolled out so that all can see how effectively the personality of your group and its mission have been blended into a singular, holistic idea.

Examples of how branding is an element of these other communication disciplines:
Before a speech (PR) you should know the core elements that define your group, and be able to represent them consistently and faithfully. With marketing efforts, it is important to create a distinct identity for your products or services, so those you target can easily describe them, and remember your product or service the next time they need them. With your ads, it goes without saying that the overarching ideals of your company, your brand, is the foundation of what is conveyed throughout, no matter how conceptual or basic your ad campaign. Your sales team---as well as your receptionist and other support personnel---are the first people to train about all aspects of your brand so they can communicate it instantly and accurately.