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A Primer for Business Owners: What is Marketing Really?

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A Primer for Business Owners: What is Marketing Really?

 

Throughout my career in marketing I have encountered my fair share of people who feel that they have a firm grasp on what marketing truly is and what it should deliver. Some feel that marketing should immediately deliver hard core results (well, the majority feel this way). Others feel that marketing is more of a branding skill that helps a company gain exposure. I personally have my own thoughts…

 

Marketing is NOT magic!


While this may seem like an obvious fact, even the most intelligent people seem to forget that when they expect a certain result. Marketing is a consistently evolving skill that requires a great deal of creativity and in recent years, a deep technical understanding due to the shift to online marketing and the quickly growing popularity in mobile marketing. There is an intense process that takes place to deliver results tailored to your business and it almost always starts with RESEARCH. This is why some business owners find it easier to get someone else to do their marketing for them. If this is something that interests you then you could take a look at someone like this insurance agency marketing team to show you how people might be able to help your business thrive.

That’s right, believe it or not, research is the foundation of marketing and as much as we would like to wave a magical wand to speed up acquiring this information it is a necessary evil. How else can we deliver recommendations, give businesses new ideas and validate our reasons for going with a certain strategy?

 

Marketing takes TIME?!

Yes. If there was ever a secret to the secret sauce, time would be it. Rome was not built in a day and your brand certainly will not be either. From SEO to thought leadership, it all requires time. This is perhaps the most misunderstood area when it comes to delivering marketing results. The thought is that I have a product/service, I know people want it, once I tell them about it, they should be dying to buy it; not really. See there other variables and factors to consider like:

  • How long have you been in business?
  • What market share does your competitor have already? (internal resources or other companies that offer a similar service)
  • What value have you put out in the market place to validate your expertise?

While there are certainly other factors to consider, these are a great foundation when it comes to building your initial strategy. You have to establish (key word here) a brand that people know, like and trust and the only way to do that is time.

 

Marketing requires various skill sets

Marketing is a beautiful symphony of various skills that make-up the end result of a brand. Web design, events, engagement, strategy, technical writing, etc., all require a sense of creativity to make that particular skill set come full circle. Rarely will you find a single person that can do ALL of these things which is why companies have marketing departments or they outsource to an agency that has the required skills. Understand that each skill set is unique and often took a great deal of time, money and energy to develop. While it may not be rocket science, each skill is a necessary component in the greater marketing engine. Especially in the current state of technology and how quickly businesses are developing, digital marketing is vital for businesses to consider. These skill sets are highly sought after by employers, as being able to market your website or business well on a digital scale, your turnover and interest will increase dramatically.

 

Marketing will help you get leads

This is what you have been waiting to hear! Forget the fluff above, you want to hear how marketing can return your investment and FAST. I get it. But let me be 100% honest with you, marketing does NOT guarantee you leads or closing of deals. Hear me out.

You can hire the best marketing firm in the world but they can’t be their best if you are not an active part of the equation. YES, you still have to play an active role in your business. You are the inventor of your brand, marketing is there to aid in supporting this invention. We can give you every idea supported by researched and with documented findings but if you don’t take action on the recommendations, then you can’t blame marketing for lack of results.

Many business owners push to go their own routes in marketing, despite the experience from their marketing team and then look for answers when their ideas don’t yield the results they expected. How in the world does that make any sense? I have encountered many business owners throughout my career who have done just this and continue to do the exact same thing even till this day. By the way, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result (just saying).

For example, you can use a mobile application to start generating leads and interacting with your customers. The Salesforce website has some great information on building an application for this purpose, as well as how to understand your demographic audience.
 

In conclusion…

Marketing is meant to help your business grow in realistic way. We are not conjurers or fortune tellers. We may wear many hats but understand that just as you want to be paid well for your distinct skill set, so do we. Marketing is an unique art form (don’t let anyone tell you differently) and we want to help business owners get leads and close business but not at the expense of being your punching bag for “bright” ideas that you pawn off as our responsibilities.


Yunche Wilson, She is Fierce! Contributor

Yunche Wilson

Success Instigator & Founder of  Claim My Fame and WhoRYou Marketing Magazine, the leading business development resource for entrepreneurs. Yunche is a passionate mompreneur who strongly believes that time should not be wasted doing things you don’t love.  She has been featured in CBS, USA Today, CNN, PR Daily and Business News Daily. Yunche is also a contributor for Business Innovators and an iReporter for CNN.

Connect with Yunche… www.yunchewilson.com | www.whoryoumarketingmag.com |  claimmyfame.com |Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram | Periscope

 

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