Demystifying marketing jargon

In this blog article, we will address some of the most commonly used terms that new business owners (in our experience) find confusing, and we will try to explain them as simply as possible. If you lack clarity around any of these, we encourage you to read until the end.

Photo by Brett Jordan

As a business owner, you’ve probably heard different terms being thrown around by your marketer, graphic and web designer, or business adviser, such as:

branding, marketing, advertising, public relations… (We won't go into other marketing and tech lingo, abbreviations and newly coined terms that we so quickly adopt and incorporate into our vocabulary nowadays - as we will be covering those in separate articles.)

Sometimes, these terms seem to be used interchangeably and synonymously which only adds to the confusion – where does one end and the other begin?

The truth is: while marketing, advertising, PR, and branding in practice are all interconnected, these terms are not synonymous.

But, what does it all mean for you? In the plainest terms, without getting too much in-depth and too technical, what is it that you need to know in relation to these terms as a business owner to make informed decisions about your business?

Let’s start with the first thing first.

BRANDING

We will start with branding because this is normally the first step in the process:

you are starting a business, and by doing that you are also creating a new brand, your brand. Even if you are not aware of it, and you don’t invest in your brand development in this initial stage, it is the stage in which your brand is being developed.

So, you might just as well give it a bit more thought and make sure it truly represents who you are and communicates what you stand for. Because you want to set yourself up for success right from the start and develop an appealing brand for your business that will set it apart and make it memorable.

In short, a brand encapsulates your business’ purpose and vision: who you are, what you do and what is it that you are trying to accomplish and how are you accomplishing it; in short – your story. It should contain your unique value proposition, unique selling point or point of difference when compared to your competitors. Plainly speaking - it explains what sets you apart from your competition.

There are many definitions of branding out there, but I love how simple is this definition of branding by Shopify, one of the largest e-commerce platforms:

“Branding is the process of creating a distinct identity for a business in the mind of your target audience and consumers. At the most basic level, branding is made up of a company's logo, visual design, mission, and tone of voice.”

Some authors will argue for more precision in definitions, e.g. that the brand is made of your visual identity such as your logo, colour scheme, fonts/typography, tagline, and persona, or tone of voice. Others will add to it also your reputation, and the total of your customer experience - a sum of all your brand’s interactions with customers across different touchpoints etc. Essentially, all that you communicate should derive and emanate from your brand and flow downwards to all your channels and points of communication with your customers.

But, ultimately, at the core of the branding process is your understanding of yourself and your business.

And, only when you have a clear picture of your story, can you then tell it to others and it can serve as a basis for all you do.

MARKETING

As many definitions are out there for branding, there are many more for marketing.

But, essentially, at the core of marketing is your understanding of your customers, their needs and wants.

It’s a process of attracting and retaining customers through different strategies and tactics, methods and techniques.

And it’s all about the customers: understanding who they are, what kinds of products or services they need and want, and where and how you can reach out to them to communicate with them and promote your products or services.

Marketing is about reaching out to your customers, and communicating to them - but also it is letting them communicate back and taking on board their feedback, always refining your message to target your ideal customer and keep them coming back.

A lot can be said about marketing, but we will try to cover in more detail what goes into the marketing mix, what marketing channels you can use etc. in blog articles that will follow over the next several months, so stay tuned and watch this space.

ADVERTISING

After you understand your brand and your customers and start communicating with them – you might also want to advertise your brand to your customers to get more exposure and reach more customers.

Advertising is not the same as marketing. Advertising is ultimately about buying advertising spaces in traditional media (newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, billboards etc.) or new, digital media (websites, web portals, online directories, search engines, social media networks etc.) Advertising is paying someone else, a third party to tell your customers about your products or services.

Advertising is all about marketing your business on the platforms you don’t own – like your own website, socials, shopfront decals, or signage in or outside your brick-and-mortar store or office.

We will also be covering advertising in more depth in future blog articles, so you can learn about different types of advertising you can apply in your business.

PUBLIC RELATIONS – PR

There are a variety of definitions for PR, as well, some of them not so favourable to the practice because of the feared ‘spin doctors’ we’ve all heard about or have encountered in the corporate and the world of politics.

However, PR is just another part of integrated marketing communications, just like marketing and advertising. It is more than a media release or media statements given in crisis management, where one needs to protect their business or organisation’s reputation or control the damage made to it.

CRM software giant Hubspot has a nice and simple definition of PR:

“PR is short for "public relations" and refers to the strategic communication from an organisation to the public to maintain or cultivate a public image and/or respond to public discourse.”

Or, as one of my university professors has put it back in the day (and I believe this definition to be the plainest one possible):

"What is PR? It is unpaid marketing and advertising. It’s when you get a third party to market and advertise your brand for you, and you don’t pay them. You just impress them enough, that they will be your brand advocates freely and willingly, and communicate your brand message to the masses.

It is the cultivation of a positive image, so if you ever end up in crisis, your brand’s reputation will warrant that your business will act responsibly, with integrity, be accountable and do the right thing."

So, in order for your PR efforts to be successful, you need to do something worth reporting by your local media or influential content creators and publishers. Or, you need to offer a product or service that is unique, innovative, and thus interesting enough to be newsworthy.

PR is more than sending a press release to the media about your launch, event or sponsorship. It is strategically building goodwill in all brand’s interactions with the outside world, and all your external stakeholders- not just the media – your customers, prospects, your industry etc.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

So, to summarise:

BRANDING is understanding yourself and your own storytelling or the narrative you want to put out there.

MARKETING is about understanding your customers and adjusting your brand narrative to suit them and their needs.

ADVERTISING is about paying someone else to tell your customers about your brand, products or services.

PUBLIC RELATIONS is about getting on the radar of the media professionals, and instead of running adverts, have them run editorials on your brand, and inform the public about your newsworthy products, services, activities or events.

We hope this simplifies enough the whole process of integrated marketing communications that every business and organisation, no matter how big or small, needs to implement. It all flows from the brand, meaning that different segments of integrated marketing communications: marketing, advertising and PR are unified to consistently represent the brand. So, it all flows from the brand - and, then back into the brand. It's a full cycle. And, that's what makes brands brands - distinct and memorable.

If you have any questions on how we can help you with a holistic view of your business needs, or how you can simplify and apply the integrated marketing communications process in your business, please contact us by phone at 0478 771111, or email us at hello@e-clectica.com.au.