Small Business Marketing Strategies: Marketing vs Advertising

When we’re talking about small business marketing strategies – a great starting point is to get clear on the terminology. The terms “marketing” and “advertising” are often used interchangeably.  The problem is – they dont’ mean the same thing.   One of the first “topics” I cover  in my book Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results is the topic of the definition of the terms  marketing vs advertising. The terms are used interchangably but there’s a huge difference.

There is a difference between marketing and advertising: Marketing is the bigger picture. It is the whole set of the activities involved in transferring goods or services from you to the consumer. Advertising, on the other hand, is just one facet of marketing. It is the act of paying someone to deliver your message to the masses. If you retain nothing else, know that your advertising is just one small part of your marketing; it’s the part that issues the invitation to visit or call your business.

In his post Which comes first, the product or the marketing? he takes it a step further –

In fact, just about every successful product or service is the result of smart marketing thinking first, followed by a great product that makes the marketing story come true.

If someone comes to you with a ‘great’ product that just needs some marketing, the game is probably already over.

OUCH!!!  I’m not sure I’d go THAT far – but then again – Seth sells a LOT more books than I do.  However, there is one thing on which I think we can all agree:

A great product without great marketing is doomed to fail.

Remember – marketing is MORE than advertising.  Marketing is  “the whole set of the activities” – including product design, name AND packaging.

One of the reasons the series “Mad Men” made such a connection with audiences is the realistic portrayal of the “ad game” .  While the hairstyles have changed and the ties and lapels have undergone drastic revisions – the “art” of product promotion is the same today as it was back in 1960.

In this clip – Don Draper is making a pitch to land the Kodak account.  The executives from Kodak have arrived with their “wheel” – a device to store and then drop in and display slides.   Don Draper effectively explains to the Kodak executives in his pitch that they aren’t selling “technology” – they’re selling nostalgia.

What are you selling?

If you answered with a “product” – the next sound you hear should be a buzzer telling you that’s WRONG!  Kodak is selling memory preservation – and they continue to do so today, even though I can bet no one reading this owns the Kodak Carousel or even a single slide.  Heck, chance are you don’t even own a camera that requires FILM anymore – yet Kodak is still here – still selling ways to preserve your memories.   Which helps to explain why one of their latest products is a printer instead of a camera.

Chances are, you’re not selling what you thought you were selling.  That’s why Seth says that a ‘great’ product that just needs some marketing may mean the game is probably already over.