Ads vs Marketing PDF

Okay, so what\'s the difference between marketing and advertising? If you don\'t know the answer to this question, then please stop what you\'re doing right now and watch this full video. Oh, and by the way, if you think these words are interchangeable and mean the exact same thing, you too should s...

Okay, so what\'s the difference between marketing and advertising? If you don\'t know the answer to this question, then please stop what you\'re doing right now and watch this full video. Oh, and by the way, if you think these words are interchangeable and mean the exact same thing, you too should stop what you\'re doing and watch this full episode. If you don\'t know the difference between marketing and advertising, it\'s highly unlikely that you\'re doing either very well. In my experience working with thousands of small businesses over the last decade, I\'ve learned that many people don\'t know the fundamental difference between marketing and advertising. They just say, \"I want sales,\" or \"I want leads,\" or \"I need a three times return on my investment.\" My personal favorite is, \"Can you guarantee me sales with your marketing program?\" While these are valid ambitions for any business, the precise journey to accomplish these results is often not well understood. Hi, my name is Sherman with Life Marketing, a digital marketing agency that helps small businesses grow. Today, I\'m going to fully break down the differences between marketing and advertising. Not just that, but I\'ll also help you understand which approach is best for your business. By the way, if you\'re new to our channel, please subscribe so you don\'t miss future episodes that can help grow your business. If this video is valuable to you in any capacity, smash that thumbs up button for me below. Now let\'s talk about marketing versus advertising. The marketing industry loves to complicate the meaning of terms like marketing and advertising. Because the internet has revolutionized the marketing industry, the true meaning of marketing and advertising has become a bit fuzzy over recent years. So, to provide the best answer to the difference between marketing and advertising, I\'m going to do you a huge favor. I\'ll give you both the textbook answer (literally the one I learned in my marketing course, where I got an A+) and the industry answers I\'ve found to be true regarding marketing, advertising, and the best route for your business. **What is Advertising?** Let's begin with advertising. Advertising is the process of buying advertisements to promote your business. The key words here are \"advertisements\" and \"promotion.\" You must buy ads on media outlets to promote your business. Once you stop buying those ads, your business virtually disappears from existence. In other words, when you advertise, you are making a transaction in hopes of gaining a larger transaction in return (sales revenue). Fortunately, effective advertising can allow you to be very successful at growing your business revenue. If you offer a great product or service, you can grow your sales revenue with the right ad strategy, sales funnel, and compelling offers. With the internet, many low-cost avenues are available that you can exploit right now before digital advertising gets too expensive. For example, you can run Facebook ads and pay just \$10 to reach over 1,000 people with the right campaign. The internet has provided small businesses especially with opportunities to find underpriced attention to grow. However, there are downsides. As mentioned, the moment you stop buying ads, your business disappears from existence. If your business relies solely on advertising to acquire customers, your entire business is at the mercy of the media outlets you advertise on. If the media platform you advertised on goes out of business, or people stop using it, you\'ll need to adapt your strategy constantly. Media prices for advertising rise based on competition. As more competitors advertise on a single outlet, prices for ad placements rise over time, just like in a car auction where higher demand raises prices. For example, once upon a time, a single click on Google Ads cost just a few cents. Now, costs can reach as high as \$800 for one click. I\'m not bashing Google Ads---it\'s still effective---but it\'s important to recognize that if you rely solely on advertising, your business success is at the mercy of these platforms. A successful strategy involves finding low-cost advertising channels that aren't saturated with competition. What is Marketing? So, if advertising is the process of buying ads to promote your business, what is marketing? Marketing is all that and more. It's about finding out what people want and giving it to them. Specifically, you need to discover the product people want, not the one you think they want. You need to find out the price they\'re willing to pay, not just the price that maximizes your profits. You need to know where they are and position your company in front of them. Finally, you can promote your business through content or advertising. The Difference Between Marketing and Advertising Now, let me give you the textbook answer. Advertising is simply a subset of marketing. Marketing consists of four main pillars: product, pricing, promotion, and placement. Advertising falls within the promotion aspect of the marketing mix. This means marketing is broader and addresses all facets necessary to acquire customers, while advertising is just one part of the overall strategy. However, in today's marketing industry, advertising is not seen as an effective long-term plan for business growth. Instead, businesses use inbound and outbound marketing. Inbound marketing is about attracting customers to you through content marketing and SEO (search engine optimization), rather than just bombarding them with ads. Content marketing involves creating value-driven content that engages customers, while SEO ensures people can find your content. Outbound marketing involves actively reaching out to potential customers through direct communication. Which is Best for Your Business? Which is better for your business---marketing or advertising? The answer depends on your goals and risk tolerance. Marketing is the most effective way to grow your revenue long-term and is generally more affordable, but it can take 6 to 12 months to start seeing results. If your business can't afford a long marketing campaign without immediate returns, then advertising might be your best option. Advertising works quickly and can generate sales immediately, but it's riskier, especially for startups with limited resources. Ultimately, if money isn't an issue, do both: build for the long-term with marketing while using advertising to gain faster momentum. If money is an issue, invest in marketing. But if you need immediate results, advertising might be necessary. **Conclusion** To recap, advertising is the process of buying ads to promote your business, while marketing is about finding out what people want and giving it to them. Both have their pros and cons. Advertising works fast but carries more risk, whereas marketing builds long-term success at a slower pace. Choose the strategy that fits your business goals and resources best.