Marketing is often quite a mysterious practice for many, especially given the crossovers with PR and Communications execution. So that's what this blog is all about, explaining some of the key concepts and defining what marketing is, and critically, what it isn’t.
Marketing 101
Marketing is about understanding, attracting and communicating with your ideal audience. That starts with defining your ideal audience, what you're trying to achieve, and how you're going to go about it - AKA your strategy.
Strategy in marketing is an overall approach you have decided upon to reach your goals. Common examples include focussing on an area where you can be distinguished, such as through your unique product, price, people, place, or promotion.
Tactics then are the detail - all the smaller actions you take to deliver on that strategy. For example, whether you choose to use social media or advertising would be a tactical decision based on your strategy.
Deliverables you can expect include:
Working with a marketing professional
Working with a marketer is a investment in your brand so it’s important to take your time and find someone that fits your values and culture. Depending on the size of your team, sometimes marketers will get involved with a bit of everything, but skills sets such as PR, copywriting, brand design and creative are often considered more specialist services, that may be identified as needs during strategic planning or when you run into road blocks in delivery. Most marketers have an area of expertise, but are generalists who like getting into the doing and working with other people. Due to the interconnectedness of the role, good communication is essential!
In summary, marketing is a mix of science and art, data and creative. It is the glue between your customers and your business, the communication of your value to the right people. The key difference between just making some content and doing marketing is that there is a strategy behind it. You know who you’re talking to and your team is aligned on how you're going to do it. This not only helps with consistency, but helps keep you accountable, get your team on the same page, understand why you may make certain decisions, and free them up to make their own.
