What is marketing
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 9:53 am
A white puzzle board with marketing in the middle
Let’s start with marketing because it’s the starting point for everything. Marketing is a business’s strategy—the story they want to tell about their business and how they connect with their audience. It doesn’t focus only on pushing products but also on answering the big questions: “Who are you?” “What do you stand for?” “Who are you trying to reach?”
Here’s a great way to put it. Imagine a new entrepreneur opening a food truck. Before they even think about slapping a logo on the side or posting a picture of their signature food on Instagram, they must figure out the basics. Who are their customers? Are they office workers looking for a quick lunch? Weekend festival-goers? Late-night snackers? Marketing starts with understanding the audience so owners can shape their business around what they want.
But that’s not all. Marketing also goes beyond research to execution. It determines how businesses communicate their vibe. Use the food truck example: Are they a funky, colorful taco truck that screams fun? Or are they all about gourmet flavors and a touch of elegance? This identity comes through in the branding, website, menu design, and how owners interact with customers.
Here’s the kicker: marketing doesn’t end once people show up. It’s ongoing. It involves after-sales services, like a loyalty program that keeps them coming back, the email newsletter that updates them on new physical therapist email list locations, and the quirky TikTok videos that give people a reason to follow the business.
What is advertising?
Broadway with multiple billboard advertisements
Advertising, on the other hand, is the more flashy aspect of running a business. It’s bold, direct, and all about grabbing attention. If marketing is the strategy, advertising is the tool brands use to execute parts of that strategy. It’s how they get people to notice them in a sea of competitors—and, hopefully, to take action.
Sticking with the food truck example, let’s say they’re planning a launch event. Advertising is the Facebook post that says, “Grand Opening This Saturday—Free Tacos for the First 50 Customers!” It can also be the flyer they stick up at local coffee shops or the Instagram ad they run targeting foodies in the area.
Here’s what makes advertising different from marketing: it’s short-term and results-driven. A good ad campaign gets clicks, drives sales, or gets people through the door. But without a solid marketing plan behind it, advertising can feel like shouting into the void.
Let’s start with marketing because it’s the starting point for everything. Marketing is a business’s strategy—the story they want to tell about their business and how they connect with their audience. It doesn’t focus only on pushing products but also on answering the big questions: “Who are you?” “What do you stand for?” “Who are you trying to reach?”
Here’s a great way to put it. Imagine a new entrepreneur opening a food truck. Before they even think about slapping a logo on the side or posting a picture of their signature food on Instagram, they must figure out the basics. Who are their customers? Are they office workers looking for a quick lunch? Weekend festival-goers? Late-night snackers? Marketing starts with understanding the audience so owners can shape their business around what they want.
But that’s not all. Marketing also goes beyond research to execution. It determines how businesses communicate their vibe. Use the food truck example: Are they a funky, colorful taco truck that screams fun? Or are they all about gourmet flavors and a touch of elegance? This identity comes through in the branding, website, menu design, and how owners interact with customers.
Here’s the kicker: marketing doesn’t end once people show up. It’s ongoing. It involves after-sales services, like a loyalty program that keeps them coming back, the email newsletter that updates them on new physical therapist email list locations, and the quirky TikTok videos that give people a reason to follow the business.
What is advertising?
Broadway with multiple billboard advertisements
Advertising, on the other hand, is the more flashy aspect of running a business. It’s bold, direct, and all about grabbing attention. If marketing is the strategy, advertising is the tool brands use to execute parts of that strategy. It’s how they get people to notice them in a sea of competitors—and, hopefully, to take action.
Sticking with the food truck example, let’s say they’re planning a launch event. Advertising is the Facebook post that says, “Grand Opening This Saturday—Free Tacos for the First 50 Customers!” It can also be the flyer they stick up at local coffee shops or the Instagram ad they run targeting foodies in the area.
Here’s what makes advertising different from marketing: it’s short-term and results-driven. A good ad campaign gets clicks, drives sales, or gets people through the door. But without a solid marketing plan behind it, advertising can feel like shouting into the void.