Q: What is marketing?
A: Marketing is making people want to buy.
Most people don't really know what marketing means, including many people who work in marketing. It's really very simple. It just means making people want to buy. You do this by carrying out a few tasks:
- Identify a group of people who have shared needs and wants
- Find a way of satisfying these wants and needs that makes the providers of the solution a profit
- Tell the group of people you've identified about the solution you've come up with...
- ... in a way that will make them want to give you their money
- Keep close to them and see what they think of your solution...
- ... and use this knowledge to improve what you have to offer
- Evaluate your business and check you're making money
That's all it is. Nothing more. Everything you do in marketing your business falls under one of these tasks. The trick lies in doing them thoroughly and in the right order. That's where I come in. I can do this for you.
You might be able to do these things yourself. You might have the time to devote to it. Answer 'yes' to these questions, and you can stop reading now. But most people running smaller businesses can't do this.
Most people have some knowledge of marketing. And they have a certain amount of time to spare. But it's like anything - you have to decide if it's more profitable to hire a specialist, or have a go yourself and do the best you can. It's your call. It all depends how important your business is to you.
If it's important, give me a call to find out how I can help you.