Say the word “marketing” and most people think of advertising. However, knowing the difference between advertising and marketing, and doing your marketing research well can differentiate between an effective advertising campaign and a campaign that causes you to lose money.
So What is Marketing?
Marketing is all aspects of products or services, such as advertising, customer service, sales and so on. That’s why having a marketing plan is very important.
Advertising, on the other hand, falls under the promotions category of marketing. It deals with the production of advertising materials such as banners, billboards, magazine ads and social media campaigns. Ads are created to develop brand awareness, sell a product, gain customer loyalty and more.
Advertising is part of a marketing plan, not the other way around.
A great example is that your marketing plan might include sending a monthly newsletter. The purpose of the newsletter is to keep your customers engaged while reinforcing your brand. Some of the most successful newsletters hardly mention the business’s product or service. They provide valuable information with a call to action. In this way, the newsletter is a form of advertising, but it is being done as part of the marketing plan.
By using marketing and advertising hand in hand, a business will have a much better chance of increasing and maintaining the sales they would like to see.