Many people lump sales and marketing into the same category. But the two processes have quite a few differences and may not work together as much as they should. If you’re wondering about the difference between marketing vs sales, here’s what you need to know.
What is Marketing?
Marketing informs and educates people about your business. It lets them know how the products or services you offer can satisfy their wants and needs. Marketing refers to any action that generates interest or dispels knowledge to help potential customers find and choose your business.
Traditionally, marketing strategies focused on buying ad space and creating advertisements. But, in the world of digital marketing, the focus is more on establishing a strong online presence and content that can help potential customers get answers to their most pressing questions.
Digital marketing can focus on several key areas, including:
- Content marketing — Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to connect with your desired audience.
- Search engine optimization (SEO) — SEO is the process of optimizing your website to gain better organic search engine rankings.
- Social media marketing — Brands can target audiences on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
- Email marketing — Email marketing targets current and potential customers to improve retention and conversion rates.
- Paid ads — This involves placing your ad in places where your target audience is searching, such as Google or social media.
What is Sales?
Marketing creates awareness and generates the leads. But your sales team is generally responsible for turning those qualified leads into paying customers. Sales involves all of the activities that take place after receiving the initial lead.
Potential clients might still follow your business on social media and read its online content for more information. But your sales team will be responsible for answering detailed questions, creating quotes or proposals, and closing the deal.
Your company’s salespeople are masters at building personal relationships and overcoming objections. This often goes beyond what content, email, or social media marketing can achieve.
Marketing vs Sales – What’s the Difference?
As you can see, there are some distinct differences between marketing and sales. The goal of marketing is to generate leads and promote the company. The goal of sales is to act as brand ambassadors for the company and close deals. Marketing is focused more on long-term goals, while sales typically looks at hitting short-term targets.
But sales can’t happen without trust. And one of the key functions of marketing is to establish trust in your brand through various strategies. Good sales and marketing departments understand that one can’t achieve success without the other.
Bottom Line
Even though there is a difference between sales and marketing, the two need to work together to achieve the best results. Given the value of what both functions bring to the table, it only makes sense they work together to create a powerful force for your business.
At visionPATH Marketing, we believe in creating a partnership with your business that gets you found and chosen by your target audience. Our digital marketing specialists will work closely with your sales team and management to create a winning online presence, branding, and ongoing messaging to achieve your goals. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation to learn more.