Marketing Defined - A Dark Art?

Believe it or not, marketing is not a dark art only perpetrated by ‘those in the know’.   Marketing is often thought to be public relations (PR), sales or advertising – the kind that can be heard on the radio, seen on the TV or read in newspapers and magazines.  Furthermore, many businesses treat sales and marketing as two separate disciplines where the two sides can be in conflict with each other working towards different goals. 

The Marketing Process
In reality, marketing is a process that includes reviewing current trading conditions, setting business growth goals with a marketing strategy and implementing a tactical plan to achieve chosen objectives.  The marketing ‘umbrella’ includes a variety of disciplines where specific tactics or tools are used to promote brand benefits attached to your products and services to a chosen target audience. 

Marketing in the Past
For many entrepreneurs, the foray into the world of marketing is an uncertain one.  In the past, it wasn’t unusual to have a business that was running for some time to generate revenue relatively easily using basic marketing techniques. 

Perhaps the marketing activity was called sales or lead generation but either way revenue is generated.  However, as the economy becomes more competitive and it becomes more difficult to make a sale, you need to establish a strategy and plan to stay in business and a halt potential decline in your revenue.   

Marketing for the Future

It should be said that a marketing plan will not, in its own right, guarantee that your business will be successful.  In the first instance, you must have a pretty good business idea along with a thorough understanding of your market/sector.  Your challenge is then to know how to position yourself in the market to distinguish yourself from your competitors, promote the benefits you offer, fulfil the wants and needs your customers/clients and track the results of what you do. 

Whatever you do to grow your business doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, but you do need to creatively target the right people with the right information at the right time.Most importantly, you must implement your plan – without putting your ideas in practice you will be dead in the water.