The marketing world is vast and ever-expanding. It takes a ton of knowledge to be able to market products and services effectively, and with that, a lot of terms and definitions that are critically important to understand and aid in the efforts of making your marketing stick. Consider this your guide to a few often misunderstood terms in the world of marketing that we, at Fox & Forth, think you should probably know if you want to make an impact with your marketing efforts.
There’s a Difference Between Marketing and Advertising.
This might be one of the most often confused terms that we see in the marketing business. Often, we will have business owners who invest their hard-earned money into their marketing budgets but don’t realize that a separate ads budget is needed when it comes to actually advertising their business in the world.
To break it down for you, your marketing budget refers to the overall budget that’s used to support the strategy behind marketing your brand and building awareness around your business. Your marketing budget often includes investment in the tools needed for the analytical and operational side of your business.
On the flip side, your advertising budget is money that’s specifically allocated towards paid advertising. This includes things like Google Ads, social media ads, radio ads etc. Your ads budget is often set over a period of time, and can have an impact on the type of campaigns your marketing strategy implements.
Although both budgets are critically important when it comes to marketing your brand, it’s important for business owners to understand the difference, and to budget accordingly. Which brings us to our next pain point…
Ads and Posts on Social Media are NOT the same!
To our fellow social media marketers who are reading this, we invite you to take a deep breath with us after reading that heading. It’s very common for people who are unfamiliar with social media to confuse these two terms. BUT THAT’S OKAY! Not everyone is social savvy, and that’s why social media marketers are hired to make your brand stand out online.
The differences between ads and posts on social media are stark. The main separation between the two being that one has monetary allocation behind it, and the other is simply organic with no financial support behind it.
Posts are what you see on a day-to-day basis on social media. Everyone who has a social media profile on any platform out there is capable of making a post, whether it’s on a business account or a personal one. If there is no budget being allocated towards what you’re sharing, it’s considered a post. Ads on the other hand, have money that’s been dedicated towards advertising something that your business wants to ensure people are seeing, AKA your target audience. For example, you may want to share something online about the newest service that your business is offering. Are you putting any money behind this effort to target a specific audience? If the answer is ‘YES’ then congratulations, you’ve just created an ad. However, if the answer is ‘NO’ then you’ve simply just created a post. This is where your marketing strategy comes into play, and your marketing team can decipher which social media efforts align with posting and which align with your ads budget.
B-Roll is NOT Your Primary Video Content!
Video is taking over the social media landscape by storm, and it’s always in your best interest to incorporate this essential form of documentation into your social media strategy. However, folks will sometimes think that b-roll is an alternative term to video content; Primary video content, to be specific.
Your primary video content is the first-tier footage that you’re collecting. These are the “money shots” that you’ll be sharing on your social media that showcase the meat and potatoes of your brand and your business. B-Roll on the other hand, is the supplementary footage that you’ll use to fill in the blanks of your primary content.
Both forms of video should be shot simultaneously, however, the amount of b-roll that you collect is entirely dependent on the length of your video project. To help you get the two terms straight, we can rely on the trusty alphabet: Your A-Roll content is the primary, and your B-Roll content is the supplementary. A-Roll, B-Roll, you know what we mean!
Surprise! There’s a Difference Between Serif and Sans-Serif Fonts.
Writers and designers, we’re here to dry your tears. As their names suggest, the main difference between these two typefaces is the presence or absence of decorative lines or tapers within the shape of the letters. Believe it or not, the type of font you choose for your branding matters because it says a lot about you and your message.
Serif fonts typically have a more traditional feel and look when used in branding. Brands that use this sort of typeface are often seen as more corporate-leaning, while sans-serif fonts can be portrayed as more youthful and modern. The choice of font is ultimately yours, but we advise that folks who are just beginning to design their brand should put some serious thought into what their typeface will be.
In this example, Times New Roman is used as the serif font, and Arial is used as the sans serif. If you’re ever unsure if a font is serif or not, simply look for the decorative lines on the edges of the letters.
Your Brand and Your Logo Are Separate Assets!
Frequently confused for one or the other, the logo created for your company, and your company’s brand are two different things! To make this one simple, your logo is the graphic element with your business name on it, and is typically used to visually communicate who you are. Your brand on the other hand, represents your business as a whole and gives your logo meaning. Your brand is everything… Literally. The colours you choose, the type of fonts you pick, how your social media posts are designed, the voice of your business, and so much more! Your logo, although just as important, acts as a supporting factor to your brand that assists in making you recognizable in the world.
Both your logo and your brand work together to create an environment that your business can grow with. Look at it this way, your brand is an ecosystem, and your logo is a plant that thrives within that ecosystem.
We know that not everyone is a marketing expert…
That’s why we’re here to help!
At Fox & Forth, we understand that the world of marketing can be intimidating, and a difficult place to get started in if you don’t fully understand it’s dynamics. That’s why our dedicated experts are here to assist Edmonton businesses with marketing efforts to help them grow within their industry.
For more information on how we can make your business shine online, get in touch with our team today! www.foxandforth.com
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