Today I’m going to touch on a topic that I’m frequently asked about and feel needs focus, specifically: What is Marketing? This comes to mind as I was recently queried by a colleague in the IT industry with the ask of ‘if you have one bit of advice for a company just beginning its marketing strategy, what would you tell them?’
Now this question is very open-ended, as companies typically have some sort of marketing strategy and focus, but it is most likely not a concentrated effort or even assigned as responsibility to an individual, let alone a team of resources. Even so, the successful application of a successful marketing strategy is most likely top-of-mind to most executives looking to generate additional sales and revenue. Marketing is vitality important to the continued growth and success of any organization.
When I’m asked this question, my first suggestion is a simple checklist review:
- What are your goals with a marketing strategy? Brand recognition, customer engagement, prospect identification, channel development, etc.
- Does your organization engage in digital marketing strategies? This question is focused more on the development and execution of online campaigns, including email, form submission, and trackable call-to-action options.
- Has the organization implemented correctly accounts on the standard social tool set (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc)? Many organizations have these tools but are not using them to their full efficiency and therefore discounting the application of the solutions as a “fun” option and not vitally necessary to sales growth.
After performing this review within an organization, a clear roadmap of initial actions can be established, with a plan of efficient and cost-effective execution. Going in with an understanding that marketing means more than just executing in-person events but is rather a combined coordinated effort of tactics is how your organization can quickly begin a marketing journey.
Reach out with questions to elizabethalbert@gmail.com or to further pick my brain on immediate ways to beginning a positive marketing strategy.