Marketing and advertising are always an area that businesses and small business owners seem to struggle with as they are focused mainly on their product or service. When we meet with clients there is always some confused on marketing, advertising and branding – often these terms of used interchangeably to mean the same thing but when in fact they are not. This blog, we dive into the common myths about marketing.
There are many myths about marketing and how it should properly be done. Some of these questions include: when is the best time to post on social media?, what’s the difference between marketing and advertising – its the same right?, how often should I marketing? Some of these questions have very easy answers, some on the other hand have no concrete answer and you need to base it on your industry or even the goals you set for your business.
Here are a few common myths about marketing:
Marketing and Advertising are the Same
Wrong! Be sure to get them right! Although advertising is a component of a marketing strategy, they shouldn’t be confused. Advertising is buying space or time based on a message you want to promote this could be radio ads, newspaper, billboards etc. Where as marketing is the process through which goods and services move from concept to customer or developing the need. This includes the 4P’s of marketing.
It’s based on rules
There are no written rules. We are often told that you should spend x percent of your revenues on marketing. Great direct mail generates an x percent response rate. False! Every business, every product/service/every goal is different. So, there is no universal rules.
Any marketing is better than no marketing
If you are marketing for the sake of marketing you mind as throw money out the window. Any marketing effort should be smart, in line with your goals and your ROI tracked very closely.
Marketing is an Art, Not a Science
Some say that marketing is about making things pretty when in fact, that is not the case. In part, marketing is coming up the creative campaigns but there is a science to the structure of the campaigns, landing page, funnels etc. Marketing is constantly evaluating what’s working and what’s not, so that the spend is as efficient and yields leads.
Word of Mouth is the Best
Well this one is partially true but word of mouth can’t be your only source of marketing, for obvious reasons. You can’t depend on a friend telling a friend or them sending out a post telling others how great your business is. You need to actively market yourself especially to control the message of your business.
