Welcome to the first Marketing Mondays post. Each Monday I'll share something practical for small businesses, CICs and charities in Devon and Cornwall.
I'm starting with a mix-up I hear all the time. People use marketing, comms, advertising and social media as if they mean the same thing.
It’s completely understandable, because they overlap and they often land on one person's desk! But they are different jobs, and knowing the difference helps you spend your time and money wisely.
Marketing
Marketing is the big picture. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) describes it as identifying, anticipating and meeting what customers need, in a way that makes the business work.
That means working out who your customers are, what they want, what you offer them, what you charge and how you reach them. Promotion is only one part of it. A café that changes its opening hours to suit school pick-up times has made a marketing decision, even if it never posts about it on social media.
Communications
Communications (comms) is how you talk to everyone who matters to your organisation. That includes customers, staff, volunteers, funders, partners, the local press and the wider community.
Good comms keeps people informed and builds trust. It covers newsletters, press releases, updates for funders, website content and how you handle difficult news. For CICs and charities, comms is often more important than selling, because relationships with funders and the community keep the doors open and are often central to the work.
Advertising
Advertising is paid promotion. You pay for space or reach, such as a Facebook ad, an advert in your parish magazine, a radio slot or sponsorship of your local football team.
It sits within marketing and works best when the basics are considered. If you don't know who you're trying to reach or what you want them to do, an advert can cost money without bringing much back.
Social media
Social media is a channel, like email, print or your website. Marketing, comms and advertising can all use it. An update about a funding win is comms, and a boosted post is advertising.
Because it's free to use and always in front of us, many small organisations treat social media as the whole job. Posting regularly is useful, but without a clear audience and message behind it, it can feel like a lot of effort for little return.
Why the difference matters
When everything gets lumped together, the thinking tends to get skipped. A small business might post on Facebook most days without being clear who it's trying to reach. A CIC might have strong community support but no plan for keeping funders updated.
Separating these jobs makes it easier to spot what's missing. You might find your social media is doing well, but your website doesn't explain what you do. Or your marketing is working, but your comms with partners or the community has slipped.
Not sure where your gaps are?
My Marketing MOT is a full check-up of how your organisation presents itself. I look at your website, social media, messaging and how you reach the people who matter to you, then give you clear, practical recommendations.
It can be tailored to what you need most. If comms is your priority, or you only want your website reviewed, I'll focus your MOT there instead.
Get in touch for a chat and let me know what you’re working on.