How would you define marketing? What things come to mind when you think of marketing?

Take a minute to think about this…. Now is this what you had in mind?

(Note: I originally published this in 2017 and this is an updated version)

What is Marketing?

The definition that was stamped into my head since college is The 4 P’s: Product (identification, selection, development), Place (selection of distribution channel), Price, Promotion (development and implantation of a strategy).

Another great definition is any form of communication to promote and sell your products and services to the customer.

See marketing is a lot more than just promoting your product/service. It defines what your product is.

Your Brand

Your product is nothing extraordinary until it’s given a brand. When it’s given a name, a visual representation through a logo, web copy, print, verbal communications it becomes your brand. That doesn’t mean you have to have all of these things to have a brand. It just means whatever information you are putting out into the world about your product is your brand. However, some people don’t deliver a consistent message and therefore don’t really have a brand.

The Marketing Person’s Job

The marketing person’s job is to make sure all of those communications work effectively together to convey a message that speaks to your audience. In addition to, making sure those marketing channels are good choices for communicating that message. Even more than that the marketing person needs to make sure all the communications fits with all aspects of the product: packaging, price, and the overall product as a whole. But that’s not all, they have to make sure all communications are a right fit for the audience. Lastly, they have to be using that marketing channel the right way. So there is a lot of considerations and factors that go into creating effective marketing.

If a marketing person is promoting a product that is a crappy there is no way they can be truly successful. Of course there are some exceptions with you know people buying pet rocks and other silly things like that. So if you are looking to create one of those temporary fads, it could be an exception.

Understanding a Products Uniqueness

Before I start diving into any work for a client I make sure I find out what it is that’s unique about their product. I make sure to understand the driving force in their business. Sometimes the uniqueness of product isn’t really the product its self, but more so the person behind the product. And sometimes it is a perfect combination of both the product and the person that create such a unique product.

Marketing is actually what creates and forms your product and your business as a whole. It’s so much more than your website, social media, an email newsletter, an ad in the paper, or a brochure. It’s what defines your product. So working with a marketing person can really make a HUGE difference for your business!