What is the difference between advertising and marketing?
Aaron Baldwin, POP right-hand man, Peter Parker to my Tony Stark, and Wesley to my Fisk, recently said something to a client that summed up the difference between advertising and marketing well. All advertising is marketing, but not all marketing is advertising. There’s a time and place for advertising, but you should always be marketing.
Well said, Aaron Baldwin!
POP is a marketing company. We do advertising as part of our marketing, but our primary goal is to create awareness around your brand. There are also some excellent advertising companies that only do advertising – creating ads for various mediums and placing them there.
So, what is the difference between advertising and marketing? Let’s get into it.
Brand Awareness
To quote someone else, this time a random marketing meme, social media isn’t just lead gen; it’s reputation gen. And I would broaden that out to branding and most marketing. POP’s job as your friendly neighborhood marketer is to keep you at the top of people’s minds when they think about what you do.
Websites
Your website is there to bring you credibility. (The rest of your marketing is similar to some extent). Most people scan a website when they first get there, then try to answer their specific question, then either contact you or store it in their mind (or browser) for later.
That’s not to say you don’t want your website to have good information about you. The second time readers go to yourwebsite, they may read about something more in-depth. Plus, it’s what search engines use to recommend you when searching.
However, one thing your website should not look like is advertising.
Social Media
As essential as it is for your website to not look like a giant ad, it matters even more that your social media doesn’t. I always say social media should be social.
The difference between marketing and advertising on social media is profound. Your primary social media marketing should be posts. The key is 2QC – quality, quantity, and consistency. The easiest way to destroy quality is to make everything look salesy.
Instead, be informative, fun, real, and entertaining. At POP, we use your social media networks to establish you as an expert in your field. We share client stories, facts about what you do, and examples of your values and personality.
There is absolutely a place for advertising on social media, but that’s in the paid ads section.
Paid Ads
Now we get to the advertising meat. POP creates ads for companies, but we recommend it be part of, rather than your entire marketing strategy. The ads point people to your website or your social pages, so there should be a solid foundation there to learn about you.
Where to Place Paid Ads
The era of television and radio being the gold standard for paid advertising is over. Streaming is so prevalent that now you’re all but guaranteed to miss the majority of the people you want to reach, particularly if you’re advertising on local TV. But that doesn’t mean advertising is dead.
TV & Radio
That’s a bit of an oversimplification since there are certain populations and certain businesses where it might make some sense, particularly if your goal is to reach older people and your business is direct selling to a consumer.
Businesses like Pepsi and Disney can also afford to advertise that way, especially if their ads are something people will seek out later on YouTube (ala trailers or funny celebrity-laden Superbowl commercials.
Chances are, though, that if you’re reading this, TV and radio ads aren’t for you.
Magazines
For the right business, magazine ads can make a difference. That’s especially true if your business is local & serves consumers (rather than other companies), and the magazines go out directly to local families.
Roanoke has several local populations that fit this bill. POP can’t do these ads for you directly, but we have the contacts and the knowledge to point you in the right direction.
Social Media and PPC
Internet advertising is where POP can create and distribute your advertising. After establishing a marketing backbone, we use paid ads to drive people toward your existing high-quality social media pages and websites.
Not every advertising platform is for everyone. While Facebook and Google are generally the most popular, it all depnds on your business. LinkedIn is perfect for business-to-business advertising. It’s more expensive but has a higher success rate.
For especially visual and dynamic content, you may find that Instagram and YouTube ads are right for you.
Do You Understand the Difference Between Advertising and Marketing?
One place where there is no difference between marketing and advertising is that neither has a one-size-fits-all approach!
While the difference between marketing and advertising is significant and nuanced, both can play a vital role in your company’s branding and marketing strategy. Advertising isn’t for everyone, but marketing is. Ideally, your company will use a mixture of both to create brand recognition, teach people who you are, and drive business.
Just ensure that before hiring a company, you understand precisely what it is you want and what it is you’ll be getting.
