Marketing vs Communications – Enemies or allies?

I often get asked “what do you do?” and when I mention communications and stakeholder engagement people, my husband included, instantly assume I spend my days dealing with the media and helping organisations to ‘spin’ stories that help sell their wares or get them out of trouble. Well, kind of. But not really.

I often refer to myself as a relationship coach for businesses and organisations. I strive to help them have deeper, more meaningful connections with their stakeholders - working with them to create communications that inspire and improve the communities they operate in. Essentially, I like to think of myself as an expert in connecting people via authentic communication.

Some of you might be thinking well isn’t that just the same as marketing under a different name? The simple answer is no. I like to think of Marketing and Communications as different tools in the same toolbox and while social media continues to blur the lines between the two, I still believe you can’t do one effectively without the other as their end goals are very different. So if you are trying to decide whether you need a pure marketing or communications led approach for your upcoming initiative hopefully this quick summary might help:

Now this is a very simplified basic analysis of the two, so I hope I haven’t offended any marketers out there! But in this day and age, you can see why the two disciplines are so closely intertwined. Both require research and insights, both require extensive planning and tailoring of messages or content. Both look to achieve long term loyalty, but communications help to spread the net a lot wider, taking into consideration the wider community in which your organisation operates not just consumers.

So, if your goal is to promote your product then more pure marketing and advertising with a side of communications is probably the best approach. On the flipside, if your initiative is more about long term connection and brand reputation then a strategic communication led approach has the potential to deliver better results. Done well, meaningful communications that show the real people and values behind your brand/organisation as opposed to just your products or services will in turn help to grow your potential consumer and “fan” base for years to come.

As I have talked about before, the importance of good corporate citizenship in business has grown at a rapid rate in recent years and shows no signs of stopping. Knowing what your stakeholders think about you is just as important as understanding what consumers think of your brand these days. It is essential to building and protecting your reputation, so I encourage you to find ways to have regular conversations with a cross section of stakeholders to understand their different perspectives. You wouldn’t make assumptions about your sales forecasts, or new product innovations so why would you do it with your communication?

I believe Marketing and Communication are, and always will be great allies. Used well together, they can inspire, empower and engage so once a week, I urge you to take just 5 minutes out of your day to stop and think carefully about what your goals and objectives are for that week. The mix of touchpoints that are right for you or for this weeks focus project, might be different to what you have done in the past so take notice and connect with your community. You might not always come up smelling like roses but if you are prepared to be upfront, transparent and authentic in your communications approach both internally and externally, you never know what new nuggets of gold you may uncover over the long term just by talking time to listen and talk!

To find out more about how Seen&Heard can assist you on this journey – Lets talk