So, what are the differences between marketing and advertising? Why is it so important to separate one from the other? And how can you use both to take your business to the next level? Let's find out in translation "Interium".
Distinguishing between them is useful not only for broadening one's horizons, but also for purely practical purposes. For example, in our analysis and monitoring, it is important to understand what kind of content we are studying and apply the appropriate metrics to it. Colleagues' KPIs and communication tools can also be different depending on the type of activity.
Marketing and advertising are often combined and used interchangeably. But marketing and advertising are not the same thing, and if you want to succeed at each, you need to understand how they differ – and how to use each effectively.
We will cover these questions in the article.
So, first of all, marketing and advertising are two different things. But what exactly is the difference? Advertising and marketing have the same goal: to get a business and communicate with the customer.
The Main Difference
Advertising (which includes banner ads, social media ads, or billboards) is just one strategy that falls under umbrella marketing. In other words, advertising is a form of marketing. But marketing also involves a variety of other strategies with the goal of getting the word out about your business (e.g., content marketing, sales presentations, brochures, and podcasts).
So, in a nutshell, advertising is a piece of cake, but marketing is the whole pie. And if advertising is all you do to promote your business, you're missing out on tons of opportunities (or pieces of cake) to elevate your brand, connect with customers, and drive sales for your business.
So now that you know the difference between advertising and marketing, let's dive a little deeper into how to differentiate the two.
Advertising is anything to do with advertisements, you guessed it. Advertising exists in different mediums, but what is common to all types of advertising is that a brand or marketer pays to send a certain message (ad) on a particular platform. As a general rule, the more desirable a platform is – and the more desirable the audience that platform reaches – the more brands/marketers can expect to pay for advertising (so, for example, buying a quarter-page ad in a regional trade publication will cost a lot less than a full-page ad in a national magazine; you'll pay more for a two-minute ad during the hottest primetime TV show). than for a 30-second spot on a local news channel).
Marketing, on the other hand, is any practice or action that is taken to promote your brand. As mentioned, marketing can include advertising – but it also includes any other promotional activities that your brand uses to get information about your products, services, or business in general. Sometimes you have to pay for marketing practices, but not always! Unlike advertising, there are plenty of free marketing strategies you can use to get the word out about your company (and get serious results in the process).
In a nutshell, if you're paying to show ads to an audience on a specific platform or medium (like Facebook or TV), then it's an ad that's just one component of your marketing strategy. But your marketing strategy can (and should!) be much broader than just advertising; Anything you do to promote your brand — like writing a blog post or handing out flyers at a local event — also falls under umbrella marketing.
So now that we have a clear understanding of the difference between advertising and marketing, let's take a look at what it looks like in action.
Advertising is just one marketing strategy, but there are tons of different ads that you can use to reach your target customers, both online and offline.
· Banner advertising
Banner ads are very similar to digital real estate; You pay the owner (no matter what website you advertise on) to "rent" the space (the place where you display your banner ad, which is usually at the top of the page or in the sidebar). Whenever someone visits this site, in addition to viewing the content of the site, they also see your banner ad – and if they click on it, it takes them back to your site or landing page.
Social Media Advertising
Facebook and Instagram are some of the most popular mediums for advertising; Not only is almost everyone active on social media, but most social media platforms (including Facebook and Instagram) offer unparalleled targeting options that allow you to determine very accurately who exactly is seeing your ads.
This allows you to create ads that target specific audiences, which can increase conversions (and reduce costs). So, for example, if you're trying to run a local business, instead of showing your ads to everyone within a five-mile radius, you might want to narrow down your audience by age, gender, income level, interests, and so on.
Billboard
If you've ever driven on a highway, chances are you've seen one or two billboards. And what is the basis of the significance of the billboard? It's just a big advertisement. If banner ads occupy digital real estate, billboards occupy real real estate. If brands can place their billboards in a place where their ideal customers are likely to see them (and often do), they can be successful in promoting brand awareness (and ultimately sales).
Advertising in magazines
These days, many magazines have gone digital, but there are still quite a few print titles that end up in people's inboxes every month. The magazine industry relies on advertising money to keep its publications in circulation, and so there is ample space for advertising in each issue. If you can find a magazine with an audience that matches yours, it can be a great way to get your brand in front of your target customers (so, for example, if you own a children's clothing company, advertising in a parenting magazine will be successful).
· Content Marketing
If you're a marketer (assuming you haven't been living under a rock for the past few years), you've heard the term "content is king." And it's true. Content marketing, which includes everything from eBooks to blog posts, case studies, white papers, and infographics, is one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience, establish yourself as an expert in your industry, and provide real value to your customers, which can lead to serious increases in visibility, traffic, and revenue.
Infographics are one of the most visual forms of content marketing.
· Email Marketing
An engaged email list is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. But the key word here is "engaged" — engaged. It doesn't matter how many people you have on your list – if you're regularly engaging people on the list with thoughtful and strategic email campaigns, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to drive sales for your business.
Having a solid email marketing strategy (which can include things like sending "thank you" emails after a purchase, exchanging regular discount codes, or introducing new products) is a great way to sell your brand, stay front and center for your customers.
· Trade Presentation
Part of marketing is spreading the word about your business. But what's another huge part of marketing? In fact, it's sales.
Depending on what industry you're in, sales presentations can play an important role in your marketing strategy. A good sales presentation can help you get investors interested in your business, close big deals, and overcome any objections from potential customers by breaking down the benefits of your products or services.
· Promotional Brochure
If you want to gather key marketing messages into a simple, comprehensive package that you can leave for potential customers, you won't find a better way to do it than with promotional brochures.
Promotional brochures are large enough that you can put a large number of messages and photos about your marketing initiative (such as a new product launch or company rebranding), but small enough to easily get them into the hands of your ideal customers. Whether you're mailing your brochures, handing them out at events, or dropping them off at potential clients' offices, marketing brochures allow you to deliver your marketing messages to the people who matter most years after you've contacted them in person.
· Event Flyers
Flyers are more of an "old school" marketing strategy, but they can definitely be effective, especially when it comes to events.
Creating a flyer is a great way to promote your upcoming event — and make sure the right people get there. For example, let's say you own a sneaker company and you want to promote a future "running clinic." You can create flyers to distribute at these events (such as local horse races or sports clubs), place them at local businesses where runners frequently (such as juice or sportswear stores), or send them to your email list.
Flyers are not only a great print marketing strategy, but they are also a digital space. You can also share a digital image of your event flyer via social channels or post it on your website and attract even more people to your event.
· Social Media Posts
We've already looked at how powerful social media advertising can be, but it's not the only marketing opportunity that social media offers. Building a brand presence on a social media platform and posting relevant content and images regularly is a great way to build a relationship with your audience, expand your reach, and increase engagement – all of which can have a huge impact on your brand's success.
The key to success in social media marketing is to create posts that grab people's attention.
No matter what kind of business you're in, advertising and marketing are a must. And now that you know the difference between the two — and seen how they can work to get the word out to you about your business — you have all the resources you need to use both advertising and marketing to take your brand to the next level.
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