What is the Definition of Marketing?

That is a question that has more than one answer and it depends upon who you ask. But, since you asked, here is my definition of Marketing:

Marketing is learning what your customers need and want and then providing it to them. 

Did you notice that it does not say anything about sales or advertising? That’s because marketing is really about understanding your  customer first, and that is why so many marketers focus on research before doing anything else. When advertising was young (and I was, too), it focused on promoting a product or service using mass media – the “if you build it, they will come” approach. And it worked pretty well for a long time. A new cereal or dish soap would be developed, the advertising gurus would develop a great TV commercial and pretty soon people were buying it. 

But that method doesn’t work any longer – at least not as well as it used to. Consumers don’t consume mass media very much. We like to view TV on our own schedule and we like to skip the commercials. We listen to satellite radio, streaming music or play music on our mobile devices – all so we can customize our own media consumption without interruption. So mass marketing doesn’t really reach the masses any more.

That is why it is so important to understand the needs and wants of your customers, and then provide it to them. Customers want individualized messages tailored to their own habits. They want to care about what you have to offer, too. Putting together a few ads and sending them out into the cosmos probably won’t meet those needs.

What is it that your customer wants or needs – and why are you the right person to provide it? That’s the question to ask, and that’s the very beginning or marketing. Let’s talk about it and put together a marketing plan individualized for your company goals and your specific customers. Call 904.524.0170 or email now for a free consultation.