Marketing vs. advertising

Marketing this, advertising that. What is really the difference between the two? Your marketing agency Omaha is here to tell you all about marketing and its different types, along with advertising and what it encompasses. Keep reading to discover the difference between marketing and advertising!

What is marketing?

Marketing aims to create value for customers, build brand awareness and ultimately drive sales and profits for businesses. To successfully implement a marketing strategy, you have to know and understand customer needs, be able to identify and target specific marketing segments and keep up with marketing trends and competition.

Once you understand the customer, you can design and package products and services that meet their needs and promote them where they’ll see them. Through the creation and promotion of products and services, the customer’s needs can be satisfied and they’ll want to stick with the brand. Marketing is essentially the umbrella over various channels such as advertising, public relations, sales promotion and personal selling.

Types of marketing

The different types of marketing include digital marketing, content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, influencer marketing and event marketing. Digital marketing consists of using digital channels to reach new and current customers. It includes content, email, social media, paid media and SEO.

Content marketing is creating and sharing valuable content for your customers. You can establish your business as a thought leader in its industry by using keywords and relevant topics. Email marketing is reaching customers through emails. Social media marketing uses social media platforms to reach customers; it’s not just creating social media posts but also engaging with your followers.

Influencer marketing campaigns use an influential person to promote your products or services; their credibility can help your business grow. Event marketing includes promoting your business through trade shows, conferences or product launches.

What is advertising?

Advertising is a component of marketing. The goals are similar; you want to promote a product or service to a target audience through various channels. Advertising highlights the unique features and benefits of choosing one product over another. You want to influence the customer’s buying decision by giving them a persuasive message. The success of advertising is measured by reach, engagement and conversion.

Types of advertising

The most common types of advertising are TV, radio, print, outdoor, online, direct mail and native advertising. TV ads can run as commercials or as product placement in a popular TV show. Radio ads are commercials that appear on the radio. Print advertising is any ad you see in a newspaper, magazine or another publication.

Outdoor advertising is billboards, posters and other signage posted in public places. Online advertising is as it sounds, it strives to generate traffic and leads online. It consists of banner ads, social media ads, video ads and search engine marketing.

Direct mail advertising is mailing postcards or flyers to a target audience. It can be used to promote products or services to a specific demographic. Native advertising is non-intrusive and aims to make sponsored content look editorial.

The real difference between marketing and advertising

You can probably tell that marketing and advertising are closely related, but they’re not the same thing. Marketing is the holistic approach to creating, delivering and promoting products and services that meet customer needs, while advertising is a part of the marketing mix that showcases a persuasive message to a specific audience.

Marketing focuses more on market research, product development, pricing strategies, distribution and promotion. It’s an ongoing process that begins with identifying customer needs and ends with delivering something that satisfies those needs. Advertising, on the contrary, focuses on communicating with customers, gaining interest and creating brand awareness. It’s specifically the ways in which these products are promoted.

Discover the value of working with a marketing agency Omaha

A successful and reputable marketing agency Omaha is sure to bring your company to the next level. We know the difference between marketing and advertising, as well as how to use each to ensure the success of your brand. Contact us today to get started!