There are plenty of marketing acronyms that markers have to keep track of like SEO, SEM, SMO, CRO. It can be difficult to keep everything straight, especially the difference between SEO and SEM. So, what exactly does SEM mean? Search engine marketing (SEM) is a sort of umbrella term that covers search engine optimization and paid advertisements. SEM is an effective way for businesses to reach new customers, increase revenues and trim acquisition costs.

If you don’t fully understand the difference between marketing and advertising, you are not alone! Marketing and advertising are certainly related and intertwined, but there is a distinguishable difference between the two platforms. Each platform has different processes and approaches to promote products and services, but they work towards the same goal. Knowing how they differentiate will put your business on the path to success.

“Advertising is the same thing as marketing” most of us at some point have either heard this statement from someone else or have even said it ourselves. I know for a fact that I had at one point when I was in my marketing class in high school, and we started a lesson on advertising, and I had wondered that in my head throughout the lesson. That question sparked a fascination in my head and even followed me to college, where I decided to study both of the subjects. I love both topics very much, they have given me insight different aspects of the field that I would not know about if I had chosen to focus on just one, and its that experience that I believe gives me the credentials to attempt to explain not only the differences in the topics but also how they complement each other.

Marketers, by nature, are "people people'. Not saying that every single one is an extrovert who pitches ideas like a used car salesman, instead, they are continually working towards finding what the best way to convey value onto the desired market is. If marketers are to effectively construct a strategy, campaign, or any other type of related activity, they first need an understanding of who their audience is. There are many ways, especially in today's age of technological advancement, that people can get these insights without really knowing too much about the thought process of the brain itself. Sure, it is smart to make marketing decisions based upon quantifiable reasons, but they are also other substantial factors that can and in my opinion, should be taken into consideration during this process. Furthermore, along with those technological advances, there have been advances in the medical field as well that play a massive part in the decision making of marketing plans.

The Common Question

My family, friends, acquaintances, and random strangers are always asking me about what exactly marketing is and what marketers do.
All too often, they’ll ask, “It’s just advertising, right?” or, “Marketing and public relations are pretty much the same, isn’t it?”