Advertising Vs. Marketing

The majority of business owners do not know the difference between marketing and advertising. That’s a problem because it leads to unrealistic expectations, mistakes in strategy and rushing to get results. Understanding the difference, how they both can help your business and how to utilize them can go a long way in building a successful business that generates sales and develops long-lasting relationships with customers.

Marketing

Marketing is the focus on building a brand, a presence, introducing your business to consumers. It includes website development, creation of social media profiles, search engine optimization, press releases and other options. It also has nothing to do with sales, it focuses more on education and introduction.

Advertising

Advertising is also part of the introduction process. However, this is where you are focused on targeting, generating traffic and sales. You are directly sending ads to an audience that you feel would be interested in your product or service. This includes email, social media boosting, display ads and more.

How The Process Works

Let’s say you are starting a new construction business and you want to focus on residential construction. You have to first build a website, make sure that your company name and site are listed on sites where people go for information like Google. You also want to build social media profiles because they work like websites and can be seen by a local audience looking for your services. This is the marketing phase and it’s about building a solid foundation that shows you are a legitimate company, that you do great work and that you have experience.

The next phase is advertising. This is where you send emails and social media ads to local homeowners, telling them about a remodeling promotion you are currently running. You also can run ads on Google and other sites that generate high amounts of traffic from people who need a contractor.

When someone sees this ad, they may not need you at that moment, however, they’ve seen your company name and it will stick with them. Weeks or even months later, when they decide that they do want to remodel their kitchen or bathroom, they will go to one of those sites and look for a contractor. Because they’ve already seen your company name, they feel comfortable with you. That familiarity is key to making a sale and getting a new client.

The same concept works in grocery stores. Companies run commercials all the time, branding their products and introducing themselves to millions of consumers. However, how do they know if it works and actually generates sales? Because when that consumer goes into a grocery store and has to choose a new item, they will either make their decision based on cost or if they are familiar with a brand. That familiarity builds trust in the brand and product, even though they’ve never used it before, and encourages the consumer to choose you over the competition.

This is how you can utilize marketing and advertising together to generate awareness, interest and eventually sales. The process must be done correctly if you want to develop a solid foundation and make a good impression with your audience. If it is done right, you will see reliable, steady traffic to your site and customers who stay with you for years.