Blog Post

Why is marketing still misunderstood?

After 30 years in the industry, I am still saddened that marketing in some businesses is still not given the importance and status that I believe it's due. To some marketing is a quick fix which brings quick wins, rather than adopting a sustained and consistent approach over time. Whilst to others it's seen as a cost rather than an investment. And despite efforts across the industry to break down internal silos and encourage inter-departmental collaboration, it's still apparent that marketing is widely misunderstood.

I think that one thing that is universally misjudged is that many businesses take a short-sighted view, opting to focus on attracting new clients, rather than marketing their business and not losing existing clients.

So what can marketers like myself do to ensure that marketing is better understand and better utilised? Essentially like any other discipline, we need to educate clients and businesses alike and explain to them what it is and what benefits it can bring. Of course being able to measure it and report back on results will also help to increase levels of awareness and appreciation. But most of all it’s about making marketing easy to understand. So ditch the jargon and buzzwords and instead we need to focus on the commercial and business growth benefits that can be achieved. These can include:

  1. Increased brand visibility, awareness and recognition
  2. Ability to develop lasting relationships with your target audience
  3. Improved levels of loyalty and trust amongst clients and prospects
  4. Development of authority and credibility by positioning yourself as an expert
  5. Increased sales and profitability

Here are my tips to ensure that marketing is recognised and rewarded for its efforts:

  • Educate everyone involved about what marketing is and what it can do and ensure you have business owners and/or management buy-in
  • Set clear goals and objectives
  • Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience
  • Have a plan and implement it
  • Undertake marketing activities regularly for minimum 9-12 months
  • Be consistent with branding and messaging
  • Use stories and emotions to increase engagement levels
  • Don’t stop and start activities needlessly, unless they are not working
  • Measure and monitor ROI
  • Review and change in line with results