Is “Marketing” a bad word?
I met the leader of an established business, who had specific growth goals for the upcoming year. But he was reluctant to talk about strategies and next steps. He finally said to me with a disgusted groan, “I guess I can’t avoid it any longer. I’m going to need to do some marketing.”
This feeling is shared by some, because they see “marketing” as a big push, an uncomfortable list of activities into foreign mediums trendy markets and audiences.
But the truth is, this man’s company, and every company/organization, whether they have a marketing plan or not, is already marketing themselves.
Anyone who interacts with your business is already forming opinions about it, whether you have honed your message or not. Your mere existence, your customer interactions and how you personally talk about your business is marketing. Marketing controls:
- What message you send
- How it’s said
- How loud you say it
As we spoke, I suggested several marketing tactics he could employ that would not be out of his comfort zone, but would better help him reach his target audience, and at a minimal investment.
A marketing strategy need not be complicated or expensive to be effective. You can have great impact with minor adjustments.
Marketing is not a bad word.
