Are you wasting marketing opportunities?

If you ask people, “What is Marketing?” you’ll be amazed at how many different responses you get. Aside from blank stares, you might hear:

“Marketing is advertising.”
“It’s getting the word out there.”
“It’s making things look pretty.”
“It’s talking to people.”

Close, but not quite.

Put simply, I like to explain Marketing as “Everything and anything that is a representation of the company from the way your staff behave, to company logos, branding, brochures etc. It’s all the things that contribute to the external experience and perception of your company.” After all, perception is reality.

Think of Marketing as the umbrella and under it falls all of its different elements including:

• Research
• Branding and Design
• Writing and Editing
• Print and Prodcution
• Online (websites, social media, etc.)
• Merchandising
• Events and Promotion
• Public Relations
• Advertising
• Sponsorship and Affiliate
• Direct Marketing
• Etc.

Many people believe marketing is a creative industry. They make their product look pretty and then randomly pick and mix from the categories above in an effort to try to get things right. They use their instincts or listen to the promises of salesmen who convince them to buy tons of ad space or branded stress balls. It’s no wonder that most companies waste 50% of their marketing budgets or fail in their first year of trading.

I view marketing as a science; something that should be carefully planned and measured. Creativity is just the icing on the cake. Companies need to find the right balance of the elements above to create their unique and perfect formula to success. Don’t get me wrong, design and creativity is a key aspect of marketing, after all no cake would be complete without the icing. But great ideas need great implementation.

What works for one company will not work for all. There are so many variables that affect these outcomes that it’s impossible to have a one-size fits all plan. In fact, some companies have to alter their marketing plan from one city to the next to adjust to these changes. It is this mistake, the failure to understand what marketing is, where it all starts and how to create a proper marketing plan, that leads so many businesses to fail so quickly.
So ask yourself, how much of your marketing are you wasting?

For more information on Marketing Purification and how you can increase your marketing results, please click here.

To watch a video interview with the fabulous Kimberly Davis in StartupTV digital business magazine, click here.

To get some fantastic marketing advice from Kimberly - in person - you must attend the 25th Business Startup Show at London's ExCel, 19th & 20th of May. Get your free tickets here.