What is marketing? Is marketing another buzzword, a department at a corporate firm, or just another requirement a business must have in order to function? Or is it something more? An opportunity perhaps?
As Seth Godin once said in his famous book, This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See: “Marketing is the generous act of helping others become who they seek to become. It involves creating honest stories—stories that resonate and spread.”
Other definitions of marketing sound a bit different. For example, the American Marketing Association defines marketing as “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large”.
Both definitions are quite distinct, but though not obvious at first, they both have something very much in common; they describe marketing as a service of value.
Let’s analyze this. Start with seeing marketing as a way of helping others. In case you have not had a chance to get to know us, we here at AscendPad have one mission; “To help you find affordable marketing solutions for your business or organization”. This is our mission because we understand very well that marketing is all about helping others.
Marketing helps business owners spread the word about their business, their products, and services. It helps brands establish a connection; a bridge, that incites recognition and trust. It helps bring awareness to new ideas, innovations, and products that offer a solution to a common problem and help our society keep evolving.
What about adding value? How does marketing add value to a business? Marketing is no longer an add-on, optional at check out. It is a critical part of a business’s success! In today’s digital-first world, it is crucial for businesses to have a concrete brand, one that is recognizable and strong enough to shine through the competition and be found by customers. Marketing ensures that all platforms, efforts, and channels are cohesive and the same brand image is presented all throughout.
Remember, brand consistency builds trust, trust, in turn, creates more customer engagement and conversions, customers then spread the word about your products or services to their friends and this means sales.
So, what is marketing? Marketing is about communicating your services and products to your clients. It is about letting them know that you are there to provide a solution. And guess what, we are here to help you communicate that message.
“Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation.”
— Milan Kundera