As an expert in free radio advertising and radio advertising, people often ask me that same question. Advertising and publicity … what is the difference? Both are necessary for the survival of your business and both are easy to come by. Both can also cost you a ton of money or come to you for free. Let’s start with advertising.
Advertising: Whether it’s on the radio, in the newspaper, on television, through direct mail campaigns, or on the Internet, the key to traditional advertising is that it costs money. If you drive down the road and see a sign with a soda can, the makers of that soda paid money to have your message pasted on that sign. If you’re listening to the radio and a car dealer starts yelling in your ear about “MSRP” and “Making Room for New Models,” they paid the radio station to broadcast that message to the entire listening area. The word advertising equals “Paid for” however there is “free advertising” that costs nothing and is infinitely more effective than the traditional paid variety.
Advertising: Advertising is a little less specific. Advertising traditionally refers to any media coverage or attention you receive that is included in the “content of a post or broadcast.” For example, if you own a shoe store and the television news comes in to do a story about your annual “Shoe Drive for the Homeless” campaign that is considered advertising. If you are an accountant and the Wall Street Journal writes a story about your attempt to set the record for most tax returns prepared in April, that is also considered advertising. While the media coverage and content you receive are free, there are various costs associated with advertising, including travel expenses, event costs, and advertisers. Expenses associated with so-called free advertising can be as high as those of an advertising campaign.
If you have a product or service that you are trying to sell, you need one or the other (and often both) not only to be successful, but also to survive. Lines can often be blurred. In my professional opinion, the best way to get free publicity and free publicity for you and your business is to hire interviews on radio and television shows as an expert guest. When you are hired as a talk show expert, you accomplish several important things.
1. You establish yourself as an expert in your field.
2. You get free publicity
3. You sell products
Stop worrying about whether you need to hire an ad agency or publicist, and just get the most media exposure for the least amount of money possible. Spend less than you earn. That is the real key to success in business.