What Is The Difference Between Marketing and “Marketing”

When we think of marketing, for many business owners some of the things that come to mind are, advertise to as many people as possible, post some pictures and hope they respond.

The mindset for many small as well as large business owners are “I can post on social media myself, why would I pay someone to do what I or my friends can do”.

Or, in some cases, a few ads are posted and there is not immediate and/or massive feedback, the mindset becomes “This marketing is not working or no one wants my product”

“Marketing” as we know it today has changed ten fold from what it used to be. It involves so much more that just posting on social media and hoping for a bite.

With the level of competition when it comes to online shopping for example, you have to be extremely creative and more than that, very knowledgeable when it comes to ways to stay ahead of the competition.

There are a wide array of tools available for marketing that boost you, what you are offering and your overall business. The key is knowing what these tools are and how to use them.

Some of the tools we use in marketing, the average business owner may not be aware of or may think “I don’t need all that, just post it online”

This is where the problem begins. Businesses operating today do need every tool available to them because of the shear number of other businesses marketing online.

Some of the issues with just posting on social media are, they are not necessarily targeted at specific groups of customers that have shown previous interest in what you are offering.

Another is, with so many posts and people advertising on social media, your post can be easily lost down the crawl before it is even seen.

The time and ability to engage with potential customers that have liked and/or commented on your post is also very important. As a business owner, do you really have time to sit and monitor social media all day? However, the post that was liked and you were not able to engage it, could have been a paying customer.

It is crucial to interact with the people that show interest in your business and what you are offering. This is how you begin to build relationships as well as a pipeline.

Getting creative with ads is also very important to getting noticed. With all the different types of programs available for marketers, it is very easy for your posts/ads to be dull or boring. This is not meant to sound mean but customers today are looking for the flashiest ads and the best deal.

You may have one of the best products and/or services on the market but if you are not reaching the right people and turning them into customers, it becomes difficult to see the full potential of what you are offering.    

As a marketing and advertising agency CEO, I have spoken with business owners all over the world. We have consulted with hundreds that ask, “I am posting on social media and in groups but no one is responding or buying”

This goes back to, there is so much more involved in “Marketing” than just posting on social media and groups.

Planning, structure, ad creativity, placement, time, targets, conversion rates for sites and customers, SEO for websites and customer interaction are just a few of the ingredients that go into a quality marketing campaign.

“Marketing” can be compared to baking a cake, if all of the ingredients are measured and added in the correct amounts, the preparation followed according to the recipe, and it is baked at the correct temperature for the correct amount of time, the cake will be perfect.

Leave out one ingredient, the cake may still be good but not as good as it could have been. Leave out more ingredients, the cake becomes worse and worse to the point it is inedible.

When it comes to marketing your business, leaving out steps, some of which you may not even be aware of, will not allow you to see the full potential as much as a quality marketing plan would.

I hope this short article has helped and given you something to think about. We are always available for consultation and discussion, feel free to contact us!

Johnny Harvill

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We are a licensed and 6x certified marketing, advertising and consulting firm located in Alabama.

Our success depends on your success. We will go above and beyond to help you achieve that success!

Contact us for a free consultation to discuss how we can help you. (205) 697-5183

Johnny M. Harvill Creative Marketing & Advertising