What is the difference between marketing and business development?

A business development manager (BDM) works to develop specific business relationships or strategic partnerships on behalf of an organization, while the function of a marketing department is to create materials that target any clients within certain demographics. A business development manager may use marketing material along with their business contacts to help cultivate sales leads or present opportunities to existing clients. A BDM utilizes sales and marketing, which are both critical components of an organization’s development platform.