Ever wonder what the difference is between Marketing and Advertising? While they seem similar, they are actually quite different. Marketing is the process of designing a strategy to attract prospective customers to your product or service. Advertising is the process of getting people to remember your brand or business. Which sounds more vital to your success: marketing or advertising?
You would think, based on their similarities, that marketing and advertising would be considered interchangeable. But they are not. Advertisers usually specialize in getting people to remember a brand, while marketers focus on attracting potential customers. Think of all the different types of advertisements you see. Some are focused on creating an emotional response in you, the viewer. Others try to educate you about the product or service. Still others might just want you to click on the advertisement or follow the link it provides. While all of these methods of getting people to remember a brand or business are valid, they are actually quite different. To ensure you are using the best possible strategy to reach your audience, you need to understand the fundamental differences between marketing and advertising.
The Purpose Of Marketing
The main purpose of marketing is to bring in business. Whether you are a business to business marketer, an investor or entrepreneur, creating a marketing strategy is one of the first and most vital steps you need to take. The reason why is very simple. Without customers, you have no business. You cannot move forward, you cannot create any more products, and you cannot expand your operations.
As an entrepreneur looking to bring your product to market, you need to understand that your product does not exist in a vacuum. You need customers to buy it, use it, and hopefully tell others about it. In addition to this, you need to consider what makes your product special and what will draw people to it. This is where your marketing strategy comes in. By clearly defining and explaining to potential customers what sets your product apart from the rest, you can position it as a solution to their problems. Once you have positioned your product as a solution, you can start to create buyer personas and a buyer’s journey mapping out the steps and information your ideal customer would need to take to become a buyer of your product.
The Role Of Marketing In A Business Or Brand’s Journey
At this point, we might start to see some similarities between marketing and advertising. Both are designed to bring in business or leads, but the reason why they are similar is merely because they both exist in the same space. In other words, marketing is responsible for the initial acquisition of a new customer, while advertising is responsible for nurturing and maintaining that customer.
Let’s look at an example. When you think about shopping online, where would you go? Would you visit an online marketplace, a retail website, or a shopping mall?
While all of these are valid options, which one you choose reveals a lot about your industry, your target audience, and most importantly, your marketing strategy.
If we were to rank the options based on importance, we would have to say that shopping malls score highest because they offer a wider variety of products. However, if we were to rank the options based on which one allows you to reach the largest audience, the rankings would dramatically change and online marketsplaces would take the cake.
As you can see, each option has its perks, but only one of them brings you the largest audience. In this case, it’s a no brainer. When it comes to online marketing, your best chance of reaching a large audience is through a marketplace platform. A marketplace is where buyers and sellers come together to facilitate transactions. It is where buyers discover a wide variety of goods and services they might not have seen before, and it is where sellers can connect with thousands of potential customers looking for what they have to offer.
What Is Digital Marketing?
In today’s world, marketing might not seem like it is just for businesses, but it is. Individuals, brands, and companies all have marketing strategies and plans to attract customers. In other words, digital marketing is simply marketing done online.
So, what does this mean for you as a marketer? Well, in simple terms, it means that you are now responsible for generating leads and growing a business or brand’s online presence.
When you consider that roughly 70% of our time is spent online now, compared to 25% on cell phones and only 10% on landlines, this is a massive shift. While we might see a resurgence in interest in marketing and advertising on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, where individuals can share content digitally, offline marketing still dominates. This means that marketers need to understand the importance of SEO, content strategy, email marketing, and influencer outreach if they want to succeed.
Key Takeaways
Despite the explosion of social media, marketing and advertising still exist in a digital world. It is important to learn what these terms mean and the difference between them. The main takeaway is that you should not be afraid to use multiple platforms. While you might assume that people are clicking on advertisements because they are interested in what the brand has to offer, this might not be the case. People can click on advertisements all day long, but if your goal is to grow a business, product, or brand, marketing and advertising are still two very important and distinct elements.