matt higgins

The first thing most people think of when asked to define or explain marketing is advertising, and advertising is, indeed, marketing. But it’s only one aspect. One of many.

Marketing is the business of building brand and product awareness and relevance. Advertising, whether it’s a billboard, TV spot, radio or print ad or pre-roll before a YouTube video, is just one lever. There are a lot more levers that can be pulled, but let’s back up before we get to some examples of common marketing levers.

What is awareness? It’s simply how well known a brand or product is. McDonald’s has massive awareness. Everybody has heard of McDonald’s. Five Guys, in comparison, has marginal awareness. They’re not newcomers. They’ve been selling burgers and fries for 40 years. They’re in all 50 states and even have international locations. Yet Five Guys isn’t nearly as well known as the juggernaut that is McDonald’s.

So, what is relevance then? Think of Hollywood actors. There are thousands, but some are more relevant than others. It’s not just that A-listers are more well known. That’s awareness. This is different. They’re in demand. People want to see movies featuring them. When an actor is peaking, their relevance is at its highest. In terms of brands and products, consider the classic brand war between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Pretty equal in awareness. During the hot months of summer, a campaign focused on refreshing tastes that beat the heat and quench thirst is about boosting relevance. You already know both brands exist. In this example, which one you want is going to come down to relevance.

To further understand marketing, let’s go back to the McDonald’s vs. Five Guys comparison. Both are in all 50 states. Both are international brands. Yet one is a true household brand and one of the most iconic brands of all time. The quick explanation most would jump to is the massive advertising spend McDonald’s employs. Advertising is clearly a huge part of McDonald’s marketing efforts, but what really made McDonald’s the brand it is? Marketing made the difference. The Happy Meal, the play areas, the toys, and souvenirs from movies. Those are all marketing levers. The Happy Meal. That’s positioning. Same with the play areas. These initiatives position McDonald’s as the family restaurant. The toys and souvenirs are examples of partnership marketing. These have all been copied, but McDonald’s used these marketing levers to propel them to massive heights. It wasn’t just advertising.

So, what are some other marketing levers? Below is an incomplete list. Keep in mind, buzzwords frequently change in marketing. Sometimes the same thing has multiple names because somebody needed a new hook for their socials and rebranded an old concept. Marketing is a business that gets a lot of marketing.

Branding: this is clearly and purposefully defining the identity of the company. What do we make, who do we serve, what are our ideals, what are we committed to, etc.? What do people think of when they think of us? Proper branding influences everything from the logo to the words you use to the visual style to the types of products. Marketing defines the brand and maintains it.

Positioning: similar to branding, product position is the identity. A product can be positioned as high-end and exclusive or affordable and accessible. A product can be positioned as reliable or high performance. A product can be positioned as the choice of stylish people or as practical. Think of alcohol. They literally get physically positioned. Is your alcohol of choice top shelf? Alcohol companies use price to achieve positioning.

Social Media: literally volumes to talk about here but the simple definition is your social posts on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, etc. Organic social refers to non-paid posts that aren’t boosted as part of a paid campaign. Paid social is, as the name implies, social posts that are part of a paid campaign for increased reach. Paid social is currently one of the biggest parts of marketing for many organizations.

Content Marketing: like social media there’s a lot to talk about here, but at its most basic, content marketing consists of your website and what’s on it. This can be but doesn’t have to be blogs. You can have a ton of great information on your website without having a single blog post. Content marketing includes all content such as video, social media, emails, etc. Content marketing can be broken down into three basic categories: owned content or owned media is your website, your blogs, your videos, your socials. The key is yours. It’s the content you create and have complete control over, earned (media coverage), paid (non-organic media coverage. Whether the audience knows it or not, you paid for the coverage).

User Generated Content (UGC): this is any content created by users and is typically social media content. Common way to foster user generated content is via contests.

Storytelling: this is an approach that focuses on the history and positioning of the brand. It tells the why in a manner that is relatable and typically not corporate.

Direct Mail: these are the traditional mailed materials. These can be postcards, flyers, etc. At its worst, it’s junk mail. At its best, it’s eye catching and delivers a message an unopened email never could. Most people think of the junk mail the look at long enough to decide to toss as the only form of direct mail, but there’s more than traditional consumer-focused direct mail. Bordering on ABM (see below), direct mail is a strong way to reach decision makers in B2B marketing.

Email & SMS: this is the digital version of direct mail. With email campaigns you can buy a targeted list (be careful) or, far better, build your own list. SMS is Short Message Service for text messaging.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM): this is personalized marketing to specific accounts. Good account-based campaigns are multi-channel. They can include a personalized direct mail component, email, LinkedIn, and outbound calls.

Promotions: special offers such as BOGO, discount sales, sweepstakes, all fall under promotions.

Influencer and Affiliate Marketing: influencer marketing is collaborating with a content creator who has an established audience, typically on social media. Affiliate marketing is when an influencer (or even regular user) has an account and receives a commission for sales associated to their content or link. Affiliates are usually influencers but can be media sites.

Endorsement/Sponsorship: widely used in sports, endorsement is an agreement where a notable person is paid to exclusively use a product and/or brand and promote it.

Event and Experiential Marketing: this includes hosting events or going to events. Simple event marketing can be having a booth at a trade show or expo. Experiential is focused on creating an immersive experience that is brand specific.

SEO/SEM: simply put, Search Engine Optimization is making sure search engines can find your website. Search Engine Marketing is paid search. It is paying to be a promoted listing in search results. This segment of marketing now includes Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI Search Optimization.

Partnership Marketing: this is when a brand partners with another brand to cross-promote. This can be in the creation of a new product that reflects both brands or it can be the pairing of two existing products that are complementary.

Performance Marketing: this is a category of digital marketing where the results (views, clicks, leads, sales, etc.) are readily measurable. Sometimes, but not always, performance marketing is defined by actions conducted by an agency and the billed amount is based on preset performance metrics.

Licensing: unlike partnership marketing, licensing is typically more of a one-sided agreement where a name, likeness, or product is licensed to another brand for use in exchange for a fee and royalties. An example is a Hot Wheels Corvette. Mattel officially licenses the product from Chevrolet.

Guerrilla marketing: unconventional, buzz-worthy actions taken to get a lot of attention. This type of marketing often relies on creative stunts.

Testimonial: this is simply using positive feedback in your other marketing efforts. This builds trust by harnessing some of the power of word of mouth.

Advertising: TV and radio ads (broadcast marketing), billboards, magazine ads, web banners, social ads, etc.

Sales-Specific Marketing: this includes telemarketing (large net casting), outbound marketing (sales calls), and similar sales tactics.