Why is business promotion so important?

Advertising is important but it serves its own purpose.. For one to understand why one is more important than the other one needs to understand where it started from. Advertising is important but it serves its own purpose.

Usually first comes Advertising "Announcement" we are here and doing this. Indirectly called "messaging" sms, email, website can do this free or for minimal cost depending on who is offering the service, often the media tools are used radio, tv. just like clear short reminders usually develops to arouse curiosity, if it aint evoking curiosity it aint going to work. Advertising is all about announcing records i.e this is what was achieved, why advertising dosnt work for startups is because startups don't really have any records of achievement yet. hence Promoting the business is a better option at start.

Then comes Marketing "gathering of information from feedback and developing a concept out of what has been gathered," often with advertising companies are approached by potential suppliers, partners and in some cases investors. If as a startup you wish to advertise best to use the advertising tools to invite others for bids on projects or supplies.

Then comes Promotion "presentation" of what has been found and the visionary direction, and all members of the business union creating a show. Promotion is an act of moving someone or something to a higher level (according to Merriam-Webster Online)  strategies and tactics vary depending on what type of business or project one is into. A business promotes itself by placing themselves towards a goal higher than where they are at the time, which mans you are projecting a vision of the company through events (best way) events can be small and or grand. 

Then Public Relations which usually serves as a method for creating belonging, managing the setbacks as well as it is a form of advertising but not always using media tools, this is more of a networking function.

Publicity is usually like a Vuvuzela, people like to hear noise and gossip and news that will draw their attention, a sort of what stars use as sex videos to trigger attention :). When men get sex scandal they are often secretly admired, when women do it they are often called sluts, I wonder if for the male folks to have an erection is such a big deal, get the woman screaming and running after you that would be a class act.

Sales; thats the actual work time, implementation and delivery of what has been promised taking from Advertising down to publicity. So what is really more important depends at what stage you are and what you want or can afford. I use the following to gage what i need to do at what time.

"... if the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying 'Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday', that's advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that's promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor's flower bed, that's publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that's public relations." If the town's citizens go to the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they'll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that's sales.

There are different ways in which one promotes a business or project through free tools available on the social medias. On Facebook one becomes an activist for a cause that affects your market or business directly. Look at activism as a form of enthusiasm rather than attacking.