I’m a bit fed up with people telling me how much marketing has changed. So many people are drinking the Kool-Aid and guzzling misguided information.
Yes, I know that:
- Tactics have changed.
- Technology has changed.
- Timelines have changed.
The Basics Haven’t Changed.
Our discipline still has the same job to be done as it did years ago. Yes, the landscape is different, and competition is like a flood and the pace of our work life is ridiculous.
But the fundamentals of marketing remain in place.
- Marketing is about being helpful, solving problems with solutions.
- Marketing is about removing friction for customers to buy or work with you. I don’t care if you want to call it customer experience or something clever, people buy things when you meet their needs.
- Marketing is about going beyond the transaction to creating memorable experiences that you want to share.
- Marketing is about telling a compelling story that touches the right customer so that she wants to share it with her friends.
- Marketing is about meaningful differences that the right people notice. Whether it is a phone conversation, a text or an engagement on social media, being different in a way that matters is vital to the health of a campaign.
- Marketing is about design thinking so that you home in on how consumers or customers experience your brand. The ease of returning goods at a retail store or the over-the-top guarantee, all help me experience a brand that means what it says. The intelligent navigation on a website that makes it simple to find what I need demonstrates that you do want to make things easier for me as a customer.
Smart business practices are all about your promise and over delivering on that promise. Companies can’t claim something will be extraordinary and then provide a mundane experience. And with so many options, consumers are less patient if you disappoint them. Promises matter.
- Marketing is about making the right people aware of the value you offer. You can try and sell me beer all day long with stories and images of craft artisans. But if I don’t like beer, your marketing will fizzle out.
- Marketing is about being human and not acting like a business or corporation. People want to buy from people named Emily or Jeremy.
In a world that fascinated with NEW, I still like the basics rules.
Simply put, deliver on what you say you will do. And then do something to delight and give something unexpected. Set a high bar and then offer even more. Serve a small community of customers.
Drink in these ideas as they will help quench your thirst.
Still thirsty for more ideas? You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
photo by henri meilhac on Unsplash
