Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations: What's the difference?

“In good times people want to advertise. In bad times they have to.”

Bruce Barton, founder of BBDO advertising agency

Many small business owners fail to understand the difference between marketing, advertising, and public relations. Each of these help make your business successful but serve different and specific functions.

Marketing

Marketing exposes your products to the marketplace. There are several ways to accomplish this. Placing your store on the corner of Main St. and Central Ave is a marketing decision. Whether you choose image advertising or direct response advertising is a marketing decision. Giving free workshops on how to use a product you sell qualifies as marketing.

Public Relations

Any method used to inform the public about your business falls under public relations. Writing a press release for your local newspaper or trade publication is the most common form of public relations. Giving a talk at the local Kiwanis or Rotary Club is another form of public relations. Unfortunately it’s difficult to predict the results of a public relations campaign. Publications may decide your press release isn’t appropriate for print. Public relations informs people your product or service is available.

Advertising

Advertising attempts to sell your product or service. The two most common forms of advertising for a local business are space ads in the local newspaper and yellow page ads. Google Adwords, Google Adsense, and Yahoo Search Marketing (Overture) are the most common ways of advertising on the internet.

Done properly, advertising reaches your customers, convinces them to buy, and tells them how to do it. Advertising persuades prospective customers to spend their money on your product or service.

Effective advertising tells people your business exists. If done right, it creates an image that people will remember, but more importantly persuades them to buy from you. One form of advertising you don’t pay for directly and can’t control is “word of mouth” advertising. However, you can influence it by providing the best customer experience possible. Paid advertising works faster and you control what it says.

Effective advertising tells people what you sell. It educates the public about your product. No matter its form, advertising makes sure people know what your product is or does. Not only that your ad tells people where you are located. In the case of internet advertising it links people directly to your website.

Most importantly, advertising tells people why they should buy from you. You must persuade people to buy from you rather than the business down the street or at another website. Here is where excellent sales copy and design make all the difference for your business.