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Every product or service we buy, every shop we visit, every message we receive through the media and every choice that we have made as a consumer has been influenced and shaped by some form of marketing. Mind blowing right?! Yet marketing is so mis-understood and if you asked someone in the street to define marketing, they would probably struggle. Even marketers struggle to offer a clear definition of the very industry they work in.
According to the The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) marketing is:
"The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably."
Many people see marketing simply as advertising and selling, but it is so much more than that.
It is a key management discipline which insures companies providing goods and services can interpret the desires and needs of the customer and exceed them. The process of marketing is central to the performance of a businesses regardless of its size as it addresses the most important aspects of the market.
Marketing helps businesses understand the competition and ensures they have the ability to tap in to key trends, reach new audiences with the right product at the right place, time and price.
Without proper marketing, you are unable to get closer to your target customers and appeal to their needs and let's face it, if you don't get there someone else will!
Getting closer to your customer is now even more important because of all the digital and mobile technology that has become such a key part of peoples lives. This technology has provided new tools to make marketing more targeted, relevant and effective.
The rise of clever marketing
Clever marketing has become central to the success of companies around the world.
Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? If you didn't participate, I'm sure one of your Facebook friends did. The challenge of dumping a bucket of ice or cold water on your head and then nominating a further three people to do the same spread like wildfire across social media. The challenge was viewed more than 10 billion times by more than 440 million people. The reason it was so popular? It was content generated by everyday people (aka user generated content).
It was a genius marketing campaign launched by the ALS Association to speed up neurodegenerative disease awareness and the figures prove the impact the campaign had - a nearly 2000% increase in donations to the ALS Association. Now that's clever marketing!
Marketing is no longer only in house
As competition continues to increase, companies must use every vessel available to them to produce the best for customers so that they can reap the benefits.
Marketers have never been more valued. What was once seen as an in-house role is now being handed over to dedicated marketing experts and agencies. Marketing is central to businesses of any size. It helps attract and retain customers, build sales and increase profits (which is something we all want right?).
If you are looking to attract new customers in a creative way and think hiring a marketing team is the way to go, why not get in touch with Sophie Jones Social.
