Blogging, Opinion, Play, Writing

A Gift – Marketing VS Promoting 101

I have to confess I had to look this one up a while ago. I’d use the words a lot and not actually understood what they mean’t.

Very enlightening, indeed.

DonCharisma.org-Fashion-Girl

Promoting – “I am here”

Marketing – “I am here, *smiles*”

Or put it another way

Promoting is the making people aware of the existence of a business/person/product/event etc

Promoting = THE WHAT

eg – “The Tate Modern Art Gallery, London, Bankside”

Marketing is (probably promoting plus) giving people reasons to buy/like/visit/take part/spend time with/invest in some way etc

Marketing = THE WHY (and often the what + the why)

eg – “Visit the Tate Modern Art Gallery because we have lots of cool contemporary art. Located on London’s prestigious bankside, covering X million sqaure feet. Cafe and shop, and rooftop bar with views across London. It’s a hoot !”

As I explained to someone the other day we’re all always subtly promoting ourselves and marketing ourselves. For instance as soon as you press the button “Create blog” you are promoting yourself, well unless you create a private blog. As soon as you start putting pretty pictures, making it look pretty and producing content, you are marketing.

For another instance, just being present at a location anywhere with other human beings is promoting. A smile is likely marketing. The what = you, they why=whatever you do to make yourself more appealing to other people.

So please, please can we stop with this holier than thou bullshit about Marketing OR Promoting – “oh I’m so pure and popular I don’t need to promote or market myself”. Everyone does it, all the time.

Show up and you’re promoting, put on a nice shirt or some makeup and you’re marketing, $1000 suit, you are so definitely marketing.

Only recluses and loners probably don’t promote or market, and I don’t suspect you’re one of those now are you ?

There are of course those that will vehement deny they are doing it. More than likely these are the people who are doing it the most. It’s like the magician who’ll never tell you how the trick is done. It’s a lie, he has a deception or slight of hand, of some kind. Some would rather believe it’s MAGIC than deception, not I.

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (from Hamlet by William Shakespeare), springs to mind.

Reality isn’t always sweet, but it sure is refreshing and liberating. Happiness sometimes comes from the letting go of illusions, and seeing the truth.

Warm regards

Don Charisma

Resources & Sources

Fashion Girl Vector – all-free-download.com

Notes for commenters:

Don Charisma Warning Improvised Writing

Comments are invited. BUT you are reminded that this is a public blog and you are also reminded to think before you press the “post comment” button. 

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87 thoughts on “A Gift – Marketing VS Promoting 101”

  2. Pingback: Promoting And Marketing A Book Or An eBook | Don Charisma

  3. You know, for a while I didn’t notice that there was a difference between the two words. I like the way you explained it. Takes the science-like words out of it and just cuts to the point. Awesome.

    Reply

  4. Hey Don,

    The ‘What’ vs the ‘Why’, I love it!
    For another spin on this, watch the TED talk by Simon Sinek!
    Oh, and thanks for Following my Blog, hope you enjoy it, and feel free to make suggestions or recommendations!

    Cheers
    Rich

    A.k.a Core Health Dynamics

    Reply

  11. LOL…I was just going to say just about the same thing as “fightingfatblogger”. We must’ve had the same college course.

    I too have had a difficult time trying to “teach” others that Marketing is the parent to all of that stuff (i.e. drinking beer on a TV commercial, wearing Nike logos on your t-shirt, selling something on ebay, putting up a billboard on the freeway, interviewing for a job, etc, etc, etc…).

    Thanks for bringing this to your follower’s attention DC.
    Cheers!

    Reply

    1. You’re welcome dude … it seems that a lot knew this already, but was a bit of an ephiphany for me, has made me see a lot of things much clearer, so very helpful … just passing on what I learn’t

      Reply

    1. Thanks that’s very kind of you to say … but I have to confess I downloaded from all-free-download.com … they have some very nice artwork on there and can be used free of charge 🙂

      Reply

      2. Thanks hun, and appreciate the compliment, it’s lovely, but do have to also be honest !

        I try to choose images that fit with what I’m writing about, and I saw this one felt it was a perfect fit 🙂

        Hope all is well with you 😀

  13. Ok – I so get this. I hate that we have to do it – but I get that we have to do it. Does that make sense?
    I really do not think it matters WHAT it is you are in it for – relationship or business or encouraging others – if you want to draw people to you …you kinda have to give them a reason to come.
    Or maybe stick up a sign that just says ‘UP YOURS – I HATE EVERYTHING’
    I hate everything…but if I do not get the right people to me then how am I going to show them what I hate, and why they should hate it too 😉
    I AM kidding of course – but – I do not WISH to HAVE to market ANYTHING to ANYBODY – I would be fairly happy sitting in a pile of paper and canvas and oils – and then what?
    Have NO friends – no family – no money – no anything.
    So how did the first dude who discovered fire approach the topic with his fellow mates?
    He SOLD them the idea right?
    I am sure – he had to prove to them that it was a good thing – and he had to make it LOOK good and actually DO something other than blaze away.
    We are raised to be scared to be smart and inventive. We are raised to be scared to show our potential and our skills and talents, in the name of humility. I really do not think we need to be bombastic to market – in fact – humility (genuine humility) sells. SHOWING off – is NOT marketing?
    Exposing yourself and putting yourself on the line to reveal your strengths and weaknesses with honesty and integrity and reliability – not a cop out or a mask. (not referring to anonymity here!!)
    We do NOT have to be doormats to be nice people…nor do we have to be assholes to move forward and up in life. Nor do we have to be career driven cold and heartless to be successful.
    We all should want success – not to be able to say ‘I am so wonderful’ but to be able to sustain ourselves and our families – our community – our world.

    Imagine – if we all helped each other put one leg up instead of squashing each other down?
    Pretty hard to help others up – if you are at the bottom of the pile?

    Great write Don 😉

    Reply

      3. – nope – words failed – weeee bit on the late side ey. Waited up to see if we (me and the teen ) could see the meteor shower…guess what — it is CLOUDY…with a chance of confusion. (your highness??? WTF? lol!)

      4. brandy … singha … smirnof ice … and I joke around with status sometimes … put people on pedastals … then ask them where my red carpet is … it;s imrpov …

      5. 😀 Can I be a pirate then instead? Like a captain one? THAT would be WAY more fun than a princess 😉 Walking the plank is WAY more entertaining than the red carpet.

      6. I am doomed there are more improvisers around me than I thought … ok belinds I’ll add you … dunno how the hell I’m gonna co-ordinate 5 people, but shit I’m DON CHARISMA, and anything’s possible with charisma, right ?

      7. I have no idea Sir – only you know what the heck is on the go! Oh – hang on – I am the captain aren’t I?
        I say we all just walk the plank and have dip in the ocean! yay. All aboard..off board?

      5. Yeah… And I wouldn’t wanna ruin my buddy’s moment by giving him a red blanket… ‘Cuz that’s what I’d have given you spontaneously… Don’t worry I washed it yesterday only (you must be aware of how guys clean their room in hostel)… Haha… What now dude??? 😛

      7. I knew you’d come to that… I’m impulsive and I’m not getting a feeling for “improv” right now… 😛
        It was hard enough for me to resist the temptation to crown you with my beloved cap… 😀

      8. OK, my humble servant … it’s been told to me by a many that you are impulsive … where for-art-thou’s red carpet, for I must take a walk … crown I saw, on my head to put the cap …

      11. ok, yes I’ve seen that didn’t know how to fix … it’s 7.29am here and I haven;t slept yet … we’re discussing a fight club … ahem, I mean an improv club, might you be interested ?

      18. A few things dude… A change of theme, an FB page, a post dedicated to my buddies here and I’m working a little more these days towards spreading my blog…

      19. OK, I’m often around, and do my best to help if I can … I’ve got your name down for some improv events I’m planning, but we’ll have to do a trial run with just Audrey and myself, iron out the creases … I think you’d enjoy it as you’re improv guy … it’s also cutting edge blogging no one ever done it before !

      21. LOL, ok well I’ll announce you as one of the possible participants, but as i say I need to “test” it with Audrey first … if it works then who knows we might be doing it for months or years … also you should check out christopher s malone, he’s an improv guy too and want to get him involved … you already know idiotwriter …

  17. Great view, Don. It’s essential for anyone producing content from literature to modeling. Like you said, our purpose for blogging is to promote and market ourselves.

    Reply

  18. Thanks for the post, DC! I’m still trying to get a handle on how to do this. Truth is, as your post alluded, I’ve been promoting and marketing all along, just not very well. And definitely not with a plan. I’m thinking a dose of reality and some consistent strategy will make a big difference.

    Reply

    1. For sure this is actually a fairly recent revelation for me, well at least having a way to express it … I call what I often do anti-marketing, that’s when I’m putting people off buying stuff … still at least now you know what you’re doing you can learn to do it right 🙂

      Reply

  20. I was explaining this to my students the other day, promotions is an element of marketing, the element which lets your market or desired market know the product/business/service is around, what it can do for them, what it can do full stop and how and where they can get it and making them want it more than any other product/business/service around. Marketing is identifying your market as a whole, developing strategic objectives for your business, considering all forces affecting your business from inside and outside the industry and identifying where your opportunities and issues lie.

    Lots of people think marketing is about advertising and even that promotions is about advertising, when really advertising is a part of promotions which is a part of marketing.

    Reply

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