In today’s blog, we’re going to answer a few marketing questions we received from our listeners and readers.
(Quick reminder that we also run short 15-minute podcast episodes. This one covers the same questions.)
Let us know if you like this format – maybe we can do a second batch.
Let’s get to the marketing questions and answers.
John F – What’s the Difference Between Marketing and Advertising?
This is one of the most common questions, and it usually comes from how closely these terms are used together.
Short answer: Advertising is a visible side of marketing. The campaigns you run and the messages people see.
Marketing sits above that. It’s the system that decides:
- What should be said
- Who should see it
- When it should appear
- What happens after someone engages
A simple way to look at it:
- Advertising → putting up a sign saying a circus is coming
- Promotion → putting that message on an elephant and walking it through town
- Publicity → the newspaper writes about the elephant
- Public relations → the mayor talks about it
- Sales → people show up and spend money
- Marketing → planning and coordinating the entire process
Marketing connects everything. It aligns the message with the audience and builds a path that leads from the first interaction to a real outcome.
For example, at Madroit Marketing, we offer paid advertising services on social media and Google. But this service can also be part of a broader marketing strategy, alongside other tools, depending on your goals.
Jeff – What Is a Marketing Funnel
A marketing funnel represents the journey a customer takes from the first interaction with your business to becoming a repeat customer.
It’s not just a concept. It helps you understand where people are in the process and what they need next.
Main stages:
- Awareness – discovering your business
- Consideration – exploring your offer and comparing options
- Conversion – making a decision and becoming a customer
- Loyalty – coming back and referring others
Example:
A person sees your ad on Google, Instagram, or YouTube – that’s awareness.
They visit your website and look through your services – that’s consideration.
They fill out a form or make a purchase – that’s conversion.
If they return or recommend you to someone else, that becomes loyalty.
What matters is not just the stages, but how people move through them.
Important factors:
- Time in each stage Some decisions happen quickly. Others take weeks or months.
- Number of touchpoints Most customers don’t convert after one interaction. They need multiple points of contact before taking action.
- Clarity of next step At each stage, it should be obvious what to do next. If that step is missing, people drop off.
A marketing funnel is not always linear. People can move back and forth, revisit information, or pause before continuing.
Marketing becomes effective when each stage is supported and connected, so the transition from interest to decision feels natural instead of forced.
John F – How to Measure Campaign ROI
ROI – or Return On Investment – depends on your goals and how marketing aligns with your business objectives. ROI is not always just revenue. It reflects the result you are trying to achieve.
Here are a few possible marketing campaign results:
- sales generated
- newsletter sign-ups
- webinar or event attendance
Each of these changes how ROI should be measured. If the goal is sign-ups, revenue alone won’t show the full picture. That’s why defining the goal comes first.
What really matters while measuring ROI:
1) Measure everything
Track performance across all channels, both digital and traditional.
2) Analyze campaigns separately
Each campaign has a different purpose. Grouping everything into one result hides what’s working and what’s not.
3) Look beyond immediate results
Some campaigns build awareness or generate leads that convert later.
4) Scale what works
Once you see consistent results, increase investment there instead of spreading the budget evenly.
Remember: ROI is not a single number. It reflects how well your marketing supports the goal behind each campaign.
Melanie – How to Choose the Right Social Media Platforms
Choosing the right platform is not about being everywhere. It’s about being where it makes sense for your business.
The decision depends on how your audience behaves and what you can realistically maintain over time. If your audience is younger, TikTok likely makes sense. If you’re presenting a new tool to business owners, LinkedIn is a stronger fit.
Key considerations here are:
- Where your audience is
Are your target users active on that platform?
- Your ability to create content
Each platform has its own format. You need to be able to produce content that fits it.
- Consistency
Posting occasionally doesn’t work. Growth comes from regular activity.
If your resources allow, you can run campaigns across multiple platforms at the same time and compare results. Look at engagement, leads, or purchases depending on your goal. Once you see what performs better, focus on those platforms and reduce effort on the rest.
At Madroit Marketing, we help set this up from the ground level. We develop social media campaigns across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn, focusing on what actually performs for your business.
John F – How to Count Marketing Budget
There is no fixed percentage that works for every business.
The marketing budget depends on your goals and how aggressively you want to grow. It also reflects your current position in the market and how competitive your space is.
A common reference point:
- 8–12% of revenue is often used as a general guideline
This range helps as a benchmark, but it should not be treated as a rule.
The actual number changes depending on:
- industry
- competition level
- business stage
- growth expectations
Each of these factors affects how much you need to invest to stay visible and competitive.
What it looks like in practice:
- Startups Often invest more to gain visibility and enter the market.
- Established businesses Stay within a more controlled range and focus on efficiency.
- Growing companies Adjust budget based on performance and opportunities.
What actually matters while setting a marketing budget:
- Connect budget to goals The budget should reflect what you want to achieve, not just a fixed percentage.
- Stay flexible If a campaign performs well, it makes sense to increase investment. If it doesn’t, adjust or stop it.
- Balance short-term and long-term efforts Paid campaigns can generate immediate results. SEO and content build long-term value.
- Track performance Without data, budget decisions become assumptions.
The marketing budget is not a fixed number. It should adapt as your business grows and as performance shows where investment creates results.
