It is not uncommon for businesses' to confuse advertising and marketing because they both ultimately have the same goal: to generate sales. The problem is that without a correct understanding of these terms, it can become difficult to utilize them to their full potential. For the best business practices it is crucial to understand the similarities and differences between marketing and advertising.
Advertising dates back as far as the 1700s. In other words, it's not a new concept. However, advertising is only a portion of a larger picture, marketing. Imagine marketing as a puzzle with lots of different pieces; advertising would make up some pieces of the puzzle, but the puzzle wouldn't be complete without the other pieces. It is important keep the puzzle example in mind when working towards the sales growth for your company because advertising is only one part of marketing.
Now that we've established that advertising is just a piece of the marketing spectrum, what exactly does it consist of?
Advertising is the direct promotion of a product or business. Television and radio commercials, online and prints ads, and any other means to get word of a product to the public make up the basis of advertising. However, many times advertising costs money, which is why companies are hesitant to jump on board the advertising and marketing train. Fortunately, marketing is not the same as advertising and can usually be done completely for free.
Marketing is much more than simply promoting a product or service; it is a strategy that increases sales without necessarily telling customers to buy. As previously mentioned, advertising is a component of marketing, so it is still relevant. However, it can become obsolete to advertise without proper marketing strategies.
The marketing strategists at Hudson Horizons combine advertising with marketing to yield the best possible sales results. Improving customer relations, targeting and expanding a specific demographic, and maintaining a positive business image are all important variables in marketing. Marketing is not a simple billboard advertising a business or product. In fact, it's almost the opposite.
A proper marketing campaign's goal is to better understand their customers. With that in mind, the difference between marketing and advertising is quite obvious. Advertising has an "I'm talking at you" effect, while marketing has a "let's have a conversation" effect. In many cases, a strong marketing strategy is what separates a successful business from an average business.
At Hudson Horizons we utilize social media marketing in order to generate sales for our clients. By providing customers with a feeling of genuine personality, our businesses' thrive in the social media realm.
So, in conclusion, marketing is not the same as advertising. Although they do go hand in hand, it is crucial for business owners to realize that advertising is only one piece of the marketing puzzle.
Think about it: will you buy from the car dealership that plays lots of commercials? Or will you buy from the dealership that interacts with their customers via social media? In most cases people will buy from the one that does both, because it's impossible to solve a puzzle when there's a piece missing.