You see, advertising is not the same thing as marketing, and marketing is not advertising.

But if you ask 100 business owners if they mean the same thing, I’d be willing to bet that 90 of them will probably say they are – but they’d be wrong!

Sure…they are closely related and are often used in the same sentence, but they mean totally different things.

So I’m going to give you my quick, down and dirty definitions so you understand the importance of each term and how they work together.

Marketing is the broad, overall strategy used to generate more prospects and sales for your business.

Advertising, on the other hand is a technique, component, or tactic you might use in your marketing efforts.

For example:

Your company’s marketing strategy may include your lead generating website, direct mail letters or postcards, email campaigns, PPC ads, local network business groups, radio and TV spots, billboards, and Yellow Page ads, and door hangers. (as well as many other available methods).

Advertising is just one necessary component of your marketing plan. The Yellow Page ads or newspaper ads are considered advertising. Banner ads in the online editions of your local paper would be considered advertising, too. The Chamber of Commerce wouldn’t be.

The bottom line is you need to use advertising methods in addition to other techniques as part of your overall marketing plan or strategy.

To successfully increase your business, you really need to have a well thought out and effective marketing plan, because if you fail to plan – you plan to fail.

To get more information about how to develop and implement a marketing plan for your business, about this post, marketing advice, or about my direct response copywriting services, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter
Crestview Marketing Services
www.crestviewmarketing.com

Visit www.webcontentNH.com for Website design, SEO copy, or online marketing strategies.