What's the Difference Between Marketing and Advertising?

We’ve been having so much fun (and success) at producing podcasts for our clients, we started our own! 

Welcome to Great Take, a video production and marketing podcast based in Austin, Texas! The Bennett Creative team are real practitioners creating everything from TV commercials to social media content and running it across every marketing channel out there. 

We see what works, and what flops, and we cover it all on this podcast. If you’re interested in video production or leveraging video to supercharge your marketing, give Great Take a listen on Apple, Spotify, and Youtube.

The first episode of the Great Take podcast is between Bennett Creative CEO, Andrew Bennett and social media director, Kayla Fitch. Check out what insights bounce around in their brains after years of working with social media, video content, and advertising.

Marketing vs. Advertising - What Every Brand Needs to Know

Marketing is the full breadth of how your brand interacts with the public, while advertising is one slice of that—specifically the paid campaigns. Advertising is where you pay to place content, usually with a clear call to action or conversion goal in mind.

The big takeaway from this episode is that marketing and advertising are not the same thing, and confusing them is where most brands go wrong.

Advertising is the attention grab: the TV commercial, the boosted post, the pre-roll spot that gets you in front of people. Marketing is everything that happens before and after that moment — the strategy, the audience targeting, the messaging, the social content, the way your brand shows up across every touchpoint. 

Advertising is a spike; marketing is a system. 

As Andrew and Kayla explain in the podcast, you can’t judge one by the metrics of the other. A great ad can get clicks, but only great marketing can turn that attention into long-term trust, clients, and growth.

What Metrics Should Business Owners Focus On?

When it comes to measuring whether your content is actually doing its job, click-through rate and conversions are the two metrics every business owner should care about most. 

Click-through rate (CTR) tells you how compelling your message is — it measures the percentage of people who saw your ad or post and actually clicked to learn more. 

Conversions measure what happens next: how many of those people took the action you wanted, whether that’s filling out a form, booking a consultation, or making a purchase. 

In this podcast episode Andrew and Kayla explain that vanity metrics like views and likes feel good, but CTR and conversions are what tell you if your marketing is working or just making noise.

How Do You Help a Client Determine What Kind of Social Media Content They Need?

When clients ask, “What kind of content should I make?” what they’re really asking is how they want to show up in the marketplace. 

There’s always a natural tension between branding and performance. Think about Nike or Apple—they’re not selling shoes or computers as much as they’re selling a feeling, an identity, a worldview. On the flip side, a phone company might rely on direct offers and repetition because their goal is pure performance. 

The same tension shows up on social media: everyone says they want to go viral, but the second you suggest a trending dance or lip-sync, they pull back because it doesn’t match their brand.

So the real work is finding the sweet spot between staying true to your identity and creating content that actually performs. 

Fun, playful brands tend to go viral more easily, but serious or professional brands can still win—they just require a more intentional strategy and stronger storytelling. 

That’s where social media agency expertise matters. We help figure out not just what content you can create, but what content aligns with who you are, what you stand for, and how you want your audience to feel when they see you.

Should I Focus on Paid or Organic Content?

The truth is, it should really be a two-pronged approach. You shouldn’t choose between paid and organic—because they’re designed to work together. Relying on only one is where most brands go wrong. 

And here's why. 

Andrew explains that when he runs a brand, it doesn't matter what industry it is, he puts out some level of organic content. Maybe it's three times a week, maybe it's every single day, but he would also be running paid ads. 

Why? Because paid ads are just more predictable. If you spend x amount of dollars, you get x amount of results. And you can be getting those results next week.  

Organic content takes time, but it’s worth it. It takes time to build up the content, build up the following, build up the credential within the community. You're probably looking at more like a 6 month to 12 month roadmap to really get going on organic content. It can take a while to start to see big returns and start to see a big following from that. But with ads, you'll see results next week from that. 

The other advantage of paid ads is the precision. Either targeting precise demographics or targeting precise products to be shown to precise demographics. So there's a lot more that you can hone in on and really work off of the data of the ad campaigns. You just don't get quite as much data on the organic side of things.

Should I Boost My Posts or Is It a Waste of Money?

There some major misconceptions about boosting posts. Many business owners rely on boosts because they’re easy, but the truth is that boosting isn’t real advertising—it’s like going to the gym and only doing bicep curls: you get vanity gains, but not meaningful results. 

Boosted posts inflate view counts, but they don’t provide the data or insights needed to optimize campaigns. 

Serious advertisers use Meta Ads Manager, which allows them to run targeted, measurable campaigns and make data-driven decisions about spending. 

Oftentimes, in early conversations with clients, they'll say, "Yeah, we've been doing advertising. We've been boosting some posts." 

That always makes Andrew cringe a little bit because he knows that Bennett Creative can get so much more out of their ad dollars. How? We put that money into Ads Manager and actually run real campaigns.

What's the Biggest Mistake Brands Make on Social Media?

The biggest mistake brands make with in-house creative is letting too many “cooks in the kitchen”.  Bureaucracy kills creativity, and what starts as an edgy, fun idea can quickly become a watered-down corporate video after passing through supervisors, C-suite executives, and legal teams. 

Effective marketing requires experimentation, risk-taking, and keeping the number of decision-makers to a minimum. 

That’s why brands like Nutter Butter are thriving on social media—their content is chaotic, playful, and full of inside jokes and Easter eggs. Not unlike Taylor Swift’s marketing strategy that keeps fans and foes talking and following along.

Nutter Butter doesn’t take itself seriously, and that freedom has paid off with a massive Gen Z and Gen Alpha audience.  You know there’s a C-suite exec scratching their head wondering what is going on. But it’s working. It was a huge risk and it paid off.

Other brands, like Sour Patch Kids, are now trying to replicate that success. The key takeaway: giving your creative team the space to take risks can produce content that truly resonates.

Should I Focus on Digital or Broadcast Advertising for My Business?

When deciding between digital and broadcast advertising, it’s important to understand how storytelling and performance differ across platforms. 

Digital ads are inherently performance-based because users can take action immediately—click a link, sign up, or make a purchase—right where they’re viewing your content. This makes digital especially effective for smaller brands or businesses looking to see a fast return on investment. 

Broadcast, on the other hand, is primarily about awareness and brand-building. Whether it’s an attorney commercial on TV at home or a healthcare ad at a baseball game, the audience isn’t likely to take immediate action, so the focus is on creating recognition and credibility over time. 

Digital advertising also provides far more precise data, allowing you to measure click-through rates, conversions, and cost per acquisition down to the last dollar. 

For brands that want predictability, precision, and the ability to scale quickly, digital is usually the most practical choice, while broadcast can complement the strategy for long-term awareness and prestige.

Does Cinematic Content Still Have a Place on Social Media?

There's a lot of crap on social media. And so taking a more cinematic approach can sometimes separate you from the rest of the crowd.

Using higher-end cameras, lenses, and lighting techniques allows you to create a distinct aesthetic, establish a strong brand identity, and craft a mood that keeps audiences coming back. And stand out.

iPhone videos and user-generated content (UGC) are effective and booming - for example, those videos of people sitting in their car talking are going viral. However, polished, cinematic visuals are a must for higher-end brands to maintain their professional image and differentiate themselves from competitors.  If you want to create a certain aesthetic, you’ll need more than an iPhone. An iPhone is just not customizable. There is a look to an iPhone and we all know what it looks like. 

When you use nicer cameras, nicer lenses, actual lighting techniques, a little bit of art direction, that allows you to create an aesthetic, which in turn helps you create a brand and helps you create a mood. When you find the right people that are into that, they will come back to you over and over because it's something different. 

If you do choose to invest in cinematic content, brands can make their social media feed not just visually appealing, but strategically aligned with their marketing goals.

What Equipment Do I Actually Need to Start Creating Social Media Content?

If you’re just getting started with social media or video content, all you really need is a smartphone and a good microphone. Don’t worry about buying expensive lights—lighting can be expensive and tricky to master. 

Here are a few tips: 

• Position yourself in front of a large window or film outside during sunset, which provides naturally diffused, flattering light. 

• Make sure to turn off other lights in the room to avoid mixing warm and cool tones, which can create unwanted colors on your skin. 

With just your phone, a microphone, and one reliable light source, you can start producing high-quality content that looks professional without breaking the bank.

Our client, Elite 25, started a podcast to talk all things Austin real estate. This content enhances their social media feed and shows their expertise in the field of luxury real estate.

How Do I Decide What Kind of Content to Make on Social Media?

If you’re just getting started with social media, the best content is the content you already know. 

Everyone has expertise in something—whether it’s baking, bicycle repair, real estate, or another niche—and that should be the foundation of your posts. By focusing on a topic you already know deeply, you can create content consistently and authentically, which is the key to growing a following.

Consistency is key. 

If you have to research every post from scratch, it slows you down and makes it hard to commit long-term. But when you riff on subjects you’re already passionate about, content creation becomes easier, more natural, and more engaging. 

Over time, your expertise can attract a dedicated audience—and even turn your social media presence into a business opportunity.

Why Aren’t More Advertisers Talking About Cost Per Acquisition?

Cost per acquisition (CPA) is one of the most informative metrics in an ad campaign, yet many advertisers overlook it. CPA tells you exactly how much it costs to acquire a lead or customer, which makes scaling campaigns predictable and data-driven. 

At Bennett Creative, we’re willing to pay $100 or even $200 per lead because those leads can turn into $5,000, $10,000, or even $100,000 projects. 

Understanding your target CPA allows you to confidently invest more in advertising, knowing each dollar spent is likely to generate a measurable return. By focusing on CPA, businesses can optimize ad spend, scale campaigns efficiently, and make smarter marketing decisions.

That’s a Great Take

We’ll have more tips and insights dropping each episode. Follow along - a quick listen on your drive to work can help with your business ads and marketing strategy.

If you're looking to build your brand with social media or digital ads, reach out to Bennett Creative - we'd love to chat!