Advertising vs. Marketing vs. Sales

This was an interesting article I read online the other day discussing the differences between Advertising and Marketing. I decided to expand upon it a bit and include the Sales aspect as well.

I'm pretty sure we all know the differences, but I think the bigger issue lies in how the three interrelate.

I see Marketing as the umbrella term that covers both Advertising and Sales. It is the entire suite of processes and activities undertaken to create awareness of your product or brand.

Certainly, Advertising can be a big part of that. Advertising generally is a paid media spot that is used to attract attention. Marketing, however, is much more than paid Advertising. There are countless ways to increase awareness of your product beyond the typical paid spots. In our industry, well-planned, original or unusual Activities can be promoted via press releases to local media outlets. A well-written press release can be a valuable tool to promote your community through any interesting story that may pop up, be it from a resident, staff, or event.

Sales is often viewed as the result of both Advertising and Marketing. However, that's really only looking at Sales as the final step. A good sale is an ongoing relationship building exercise. You're seeking to build the trust your customer has in your product enough to say, "Yes."

So look around your community for story's that catch your eye. A short press release on a resident fishing trip might get your local news to do some positive reporting on your community. All too often, the only time we see the media in a senior living community it's to report on a negative story or tragic accident. And we all know how much harder we need to work to overcome negative press. With some creative thinking, we can build positive buzz about our products and spread the word of our achievements and seperate ourselves from the negative.