Marketing Confusion: Part One
Tilly Rivers
Marketing seems to be the most confusing and complicated term for businesses, small, mid-sized and even large corporations have a hard time understanding it, let alone the definition of what “Marketing” is suppose to do, how to create a marketing plan, or how to measure results.
Nobody gets marketing all the time, that’s okay, for if anyone ever did, there would be just one company supplying all the products and services to every customer and business world wide.
Becoming marketing-savvy means understanding that you are capable of reading the wildly unpredictable processes of competitor innovations, changing consumer tastes, rising expectations, knowing your own business strengths and weaknesses, and fluctuating costs that are part of every business and be able to take each of these changes and challenges from a upset to opportunity: seek and seize more awareness, market-share and growth because you are ready and prepared!
If your marketing efforts are sporadic, constantly frustrated by lack of opportunities, and you have not learned the art of saying ‘no’ to any potential sale that comes along, this group of articles may help.
Depending on who you ask, or what research you have done, marketing can be anything from advertising to direct sales or customer service. In my opinion Marketing is the map that keeps your business growth on track, taking you to where you want to go. If however you have no destination in mind, you really do not require a map to reach ‘no-where’, you my friend are already there. Nor do you require a map if your goal is to keep going in the same circle, like the hamster in the wheel, running, running, but always getting on, and off at the same spot.
If you have no intention of becoming successful in what you do, than you might as well stop reading right now!
A powerful and detailed map however will take you to your targeted, best potential customers, create a powerful marketing message, identify the right marketing tools that fit your business model, and develop a practical, cost-effective action plan.
The first thing to keep in mind is that you DO NOT have to be the biggest player, or have the biggest budget to win at marketing. All you need is a planned approach (map) that targets the right customers for you, give them what they want, and eliminate what they don’t!
Do not fear an action plan, you may be surprised how many businesses, large or small, do not plan and suffer with expensive mistakes and hit-an-miss successes because of it. Of course in all things in life, we require balance, and spending to much time and energy on ‘the map’ and not moving into action can be just as harmful. A rule of thumb to spot trouble in your marketing, or business plan is doing to much and achieving to little.
Stripped down, your marketing plan should involve three practical steps.
And that my dear reader, is where part two will begin. Until than, please remember to love what you do, laugh at life, and mistakes are not failures and not something to be embarrassed about. Life is about growing, and like the child learning to walk, sometimes
you’re going to land flat on your butt before you master your goal.
About the author; Tilly Rivers is the founder of Main Street Magazine, and CEO/CFO of Rain Enterprises. She is an accomplished multi-best-selling author, former radio host, public speaker and a marketing/advertising graduate. She is currently enrolled in law.
