If you ask us, nothing is more frustrating for a business owner than spending the money, time, and energy to create an impeccable advertising campaign, only to look the data over and realize that it was entirely unsuccessful. No one saw your totally awesome ad, and you didn’t see the increase in sales that you were anticipating.
So, what went wrong? It may be a case of confusion when it boils down to the difference between marketing vs. advertising!
If you’re a business owner, then chances are you often find yourself sifting through buzzwords and suggestions about how to successfully navigate the stormy waters of entrepreneurship. Phrases such as “sales funnels,” “content marketing,” and “social strategy”—while important—can begin to blend together into one big marketing mash-up. Thankfully, there are amazing advertising agencies like MuteSix that can easily help you to figure out what all of these terms really mean and more.
Amid all the noise, one set of words seems to pop up again and again: marketing vs. advertising—what’s the difference?
Keep reading as we help to clear up some confusion to figure out which method is right for you to best grow your business.
Marketing is an important process that involves planning, promoting, and selling a company’s services or products for the marketplace. On the other hand, advertising is a subset of the marketing process that specifically involves implementing promotional content in order to generate more consumer engagement leading to more sales.
These two popular terms are often used interchangeably, but as you can quickly see from these definitions, they are not exactly the same. In simpler terms, marketing is a broad category that oversees customer research and product placements, while advertising is more of a specific promotional process that falls under the marketing umbrella.
Still a little confused? That’s okay! It’s pretty easy to get the two words mixed up, so let’s dive in a little deeper and examine both more closely.
The formal definition of marketing is as follows:
An aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer.
When marketing comes to mind, it’s best to think of a process as a whole rather than a singular activity. For instance, think of marketing as the whole puzzle, as opposed to a single piece. Generally speaking, it is the overarching umbrella of all the things you do to get the word out about your business, and it basically involves both research and analysis.
Marketing is about studying the market and eventually coming up with a design and voice that will best represent your brand. It can also include slogans or taglines, as well as mission and vision statements. All of these things are incorporated into every marketing collateral to create your brand’s personality.
You see, marketing can include many things like researching your target market, setting up social media channels, creating graphics to use throughout all of your different marketing channels, and of course—advertising!
Yup, you read that right! Advertising falls under the larger category of “marketing.” In fact, it’s a little silly to think in terms of marketing vs. advertising as a business strategy. As we mentioned earlier: your overall marketing strategy can be thought of as a whole completed puzzle that is made up of lots of smaller pieces—advertising just so happens to be one of these smaller pieces.
The formal definition of advertising is as follows:
The action of calling something to the attention of the public, especially by paid announcements.
So with that in mind, advertising essentially acts as the “promoting” piece of the puzzle.
Traditional advertising might include television commercials, radio ads, or even print ads. It could be an advertisement positioned in a newspaper or magazine or perhaps a billboard placed along a busy freeway to advertise your business. However, in the exciting era of digital marketing, an advertising strategy should also include placing paid ads on social media platforms and pay-per-click advertising.
Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is arguably one of the best ways to advertise these days. It takes advantage of the vast reach of social media channels and the information those platforms are able to collect in order to identify one or more audiences of consumers who are most likely to need or want your service or product. Not only can your business reach more individuals on these popular platforms, but you can also observe consumer behavior more closely.
This type of digital advertising—when done correctly—leads to more traffic to your website, much higher rates of engagement from your target market, and more money in your bank account!
Social media advertising can be a little tricky to master and not to mention time-consuming, so it’s best to hire a great advertising agency like MuteSix—an award-winning advertising company—to handle your social media campaign.
Pay Per Click Advertising
Pay Per Click Advertising, also known as PPC, uses search engines such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing, to advertise directly to consumers who are searching for something related to your specific business. Unlike social media ads, your business will only be charged a small fee when someone clicks on your ad link. This type of advertising relies heavily on having a good understanding of your target audience as well as keywords.
An amazing advertising strategy is one that combines both social media and PPC advertising for optimal results. Having a really good understanding of your target audience is key. Knowing things like what social media platforms they use and where they shop can go a long way in helping you plan an effective advertising strategy.
So, is it possible to have a triumphant advertising campaign without doing any other kind of marketing? Not if you want to make the most of your budget and reach your audience the best way possible!
Advertising is, without a doubt, an integral part of marketing, and you shouldn’t just choose one over the other. Instead of deciding between marketing and advertising, combine these two essential elements. Trust us—you’ll be glad you did!
To sum up, marketing is how a business handles product or service promotion, distribution, and pricing overall, while advertising is just one piece of the marketing puzzle.
Marketing involves various processes such as market research, market analysis, segmentation, and positioning strategy. Therefore, it’s much more time-consuming, in terms of strategizing, than advertising.
The goal of marketing is to understand your consumer’s behavior through research, while advertising uses market research insights to guide its communication strategies. Advertising assists marketing by generating awareness and the right kind of buzz for your business product or service. It focuses on brand communication, while marketing prepares the service and product for the marketplace.
So, marketing vs. advertising—which is right for you?
The answer is: both of them.
Marketing and advertising have a symbiotic relationship and are both needed for a business to thrive. However, the truth is that marketing and advertising are no walk in the park, and if you’re not exactly sure what you’re doing—you could essentially be throwing your money down the drain.
Thankfully, there are amazing companies like MuteSix that can help!
MuteSix is an award-winning advertising agency that provides intelligent advertisement solutions to help grow your brand. By using an incredible company like MuteSix, you can leave the marketing to the pros and focus on what’s most important—your business.
Sources:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marketing
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/advertising
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