Communications and marketing: what’s the difference?

As a business owner you may find you’ve now got to the stage of needing a helping hand when it comes to promoting your business to the wider world. What an exciting time! Or you might be teaching yourself a whole bunch of new skills as you take on the challenge of marketing your business yourself. More power to you. In either case, I would imagine a fair bit of googling has gone on to find advice or the tactics you need to be using.

That means you’ve probably come across all sorts of lingo, job titles and jargon and you might have some questions, such as what’s the difference between marketing and communications. And does it matter?

Blurred lines

It probably doesn’t help that many of us say we work in both communications and marketing. That must mean that it’s one and the same right? Well, no, not really. The line between communications and marketing can seem blurry and that’s partly down to individuals (like me) and agencies confusing you. For that, I am sorry. You see, one problem is, if you’re a communications expert, people often don’t understand what that means, so ‘marketing’ is added in the hope that it brings clarity (and google searches/SEO), which inevitable just ends up making things murkier.

The thing is, there is a difference and not everyone has the skills in each area. So let’s break it down.

A definition of communication

For me, a good definition of communication is: the process of sharing information, especially when this increases understanding between people or groups. Communication is also the expression of feeling that can result in understanding.

A definition of marketing

A good way of understanding marketing is looking at it as: the business activity that involves finding out what customers want, using that information to design products and services, and selling them effectively.

How do they relate?

Essentially, communications is the art of creating a story and a perception of a business, marketing is the tactics used to sell that businesses products or service.

I’m sure many people might say, 'well the promotion and effective selling of my products is my number one goal, I don’t need a communications expert'. And that's totally fine, although I would argue that one of the most effective ways of getting someone to part with their money is to elicit a strong, positive feeling about your brand. So getting the messaging right is paramount.

Communications and marketing require different skills but compliment each other. I would describe myself as a communications expert firstly, using marketing skills to help promote a brand.

Does it matter?

Obviously there is an overlap, and many individuals and agencies work in both areas, including me. When looking for one or the other, or understanding where to focus your attention, then ask yourself what is your ultimate goal. Is it sales or perception? Is it both? Then employ someone who can prove they can do both.

I always start a project with a client from a communications stand point. I believe that understanding the brand and developing strong messaging to help create the feelings we want from our customers is the right place to begin. That means looking over the entire business at all the communication touch points.

An effective communication strategy starts with what do we want to say, how do we want to say it, how do we want people to feel about it. Consistency is fundamental to the success of a brand. Is your mission and vision reflected across your business? Do your sales team embody the brand values? Do your product descriptions fit the style of the brand? Are the products you sell all ‘on brand’?

I can’t abide fakeness. I’m also not a very good liar. So if something seems off to me I will call it out as I think about what stakeholders or customers would feel. And if something feels inauthentic and I don’t feel comfortable with the justification, I’ll say so (tactfully!). This can make me a little unpopular, I’ll admit, particularly when discussing with commercially focused individuals who perhaps struggle to see the wider picture. Part of the role is making sure everyone is on the same page and that your communication messaging is as robust as it can be. Protecting your brand reputation is a strategic part of any communications team.

Marketing tactics such as content creation and promotion, social media content, email funnels, printed collateral, adverts, web page copy and descriptions, SEO, PR and events, are all vehicles used to highlight and promote your communications messaging in a way that sells. All of which I believe will only be successful if they are ‘on brand’ which is why it’s so important that you have clear and consistent messaging.

Best of both

A communications and marketing plan that clearly demonstrates how both sides fit together is a good place to start. As I’ve outlined, there are different skills required, but hopefully now that you‘re clear on the differences, you can make some decision on the goals you wish to achieve. In my opinion, one without the other just won’t be so successful. Something to keep in mind when looking for an addition to your team or you’re writing your business marketing strategy.

Employing the skills of someone who understands the nuances and connection between communications and marketing will help make your business even more of a success. So if you want any help with either your communications or marketing strategy, do drop me a line. Ellie@elliejanecomms.co.uk