What is the Difference Between Marketing and Advertising?

I frequently get asked if I do Facebook ads. The short answer is not really.

The truth is that Facebook ads are a subset of marketing — advertising — which is its own specialized niche. While advertising falls under your overall marketing strategy, the actual execution is more unique.

So what makes them different? Boiled down, it’s about paying for space to place content. Let’s take a look at what goes into each.

What is Marketing?

Marketing is all about brand awareness — making sure people know you exist and that they trust you.

Generally marketing as a whole is about education. I particularly love the more organic side of marketing — providing information without the hard pitch. But of course everything trickles into sales eventually (which is where your sales funnel strategy comes in).

Organic marketing is what lives on your own channels, or somewhere with a strong referral (like guesting on a podcast, where the host validates your trustworthiness to their audience). It’s also the SEO (search engine optimization) that comes from generating quality content that educates visitors.

At the end of the day, marketing is a many-pronged approach to getting your brand out there. It includes a wide range of channels and platforms, including (but not limited to):

• content marketing and SEO (such as blogs)
• social media 
• newsletters
• networking (online and in person)
• paid advertising

What is Advertising?

Advertising helps reach an audience beyond those already engaged with or searching for your brand, and it’s achieved by paying for space on various platforms.

Think Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Google ads, radio or podcast ads, etc. See the trend? They’re all “ads.” (The exception here is the term SEM, which is Search Engine Marketing, but it’s still a paid search.)

Of course there are print versions, too — billboards, bus stop benches and posters, magazine ads, sidebar space on a news website. But the common thread is that you’re paying for that space.

Advertising is also generally hyper-targeted. You want all marketing messages focused to resonate with your ICAs, but advertising is more targeted in specifically who sees it.

And there’s a lot of strategy behind nailing down your ad plan.

For example, most folks are aware that Facebook ads allow you to select an audience based on their demographics, location, or other interests. Your ad spend lands you directly in their feed, and your messaging determines whether they make the leap to your owned channels.

You’ll also want to consider how long to run a campaign, and how much to spend.

So … you don’t do advertising?

Not personally, no. Where I excel is marketing strategy — making sure everything aligns with your brand and audience. But I hand off the actual execution to specialists (including ongoing content writing, social media posting, and advertising).

Many of my clients still DIY the execution of their marketing strategy. But if you’re ready to grow your support team, I’m happy to refer colleagues that I trust to get the most from your budget.