Marketing is given a lot of definitions…most of which are lofty, pie-in-the-sky industry terms that mean very little to a small business owner. The bottom line is that marketing impacts every decision you make. Here are a few thoughts to illustrate this point…

Marketing is: the idea and the advantage…

Whether you’re starting a new business or launching a new product for your already-successful business, it is imperative to come up with a good and sound idea. If you start with a bad idea or an idea that is not aligned with your brand, then no amount of marketing spin is going to make it succeed.

It’s the idea that gives you a clean advantage over the competition. Use advances in technology and manufacturing and research to help you build a sound idea. This idea will then support all other efforts.

When Nike decided to partner with Michael Jordan to create basketball shoes, that was not an athletic decision, it was a marketing decision.

When Miller Brewing Company decided to create Lite Beer, that was not a beer decision, it was a marketing decision.

When Progressive Insurance decided to cover pets in an automobile accident, that wasn’t an insurance decision, it was a marketing decision.

In all three cases, there was an idea that was aligned with the core values of the brand and that was accepted by the consumer.

Marketing is: the distribution model…

Gone are the days when a store on Main Street is your only distribution model. The Internet changed that. What’s more, there are countless avenues for person-to-person marketing, subscriptions, microstores, catalogs, etc.

Finding the proper means of distributing your product or service is a concern that can mean the difference between quick profit and early demise.

When LL Bean decided to distribute its products via a mail-order catalog instead of brick & mortar outlets, that wasn’t a clothing decision, it was a marketing decision.

When Amazon.com decided to sell books on the web, that wasn’t a literary decision, it was a marketing decision.

When Victoria’s Secret decided to simulcast its annual fashion show on the web, that wasn’t a lingerie decision, it was a marketing decision.

In all three cases, the distribution model dramatically increased the odds for success and, in two of the cases, revolutionized the way their entire category viewed the market.

Marketing is: making noise about what you sell…

This is the area that most people associate with marketing. This is the realm of advertising and PR- the visual and audible effects of your marketing efforts. So, for most folks, this area is easy to associate with marketing.

However, so much has changed in this area over the past decade. Advertising has undergone a dramatic and seismic shift….Web 2.0, if you will. Mass marketing is expensive, and has lost much of its appeal, unless you sell “average products to average people.” If you sell special products to certain people, then you have the opportunity to think beyond the 30-second spot.

Either way, the marketing decisions made here are critical despite the fact that they are so commonplace.

When GoDaddy hired a big-breasted model in a tight t-shirt to tout its service, that wasn’t a .com decision, it was a marketing decision.

When P Diddy Combs took Ciroc Vodka under his wing and became its spokesperson, that wasn’t a drinking decision, it was a marketing decision.

When Tom’s photo on MySpace was “Simpsonized” in advance of the release of The Simpson’s Movie, that wasn’t a movie decision, it was a marketing decision.

In all three cases, the decisions made some noise and produced some buzz- some of the buzz was predictable, some of it wasn’t. Either way, mission accomplished.

Marketing is: sales…

The age-old act of closing the deal. If you’ve done your homework on the first three areas, then this one really should be the easy part. If you find yourself struggling to convince consumers to trust you, then you should probably go back to square one and revisit your idea, your distribution model, and your noise-making. All three must be aligned with your sales efforts in order for the sale to close with enough frequency to matter.

When Wal Mart sends its employees to advance service training, that isn’t a decision born out of concern for their careers, it is a marketing decision.

When Starbucks indoctrinates its baristas into its coffee-culture, that isn’t a coffee decision, it is a marketing decision.

And when the local Chick-Fil-A posts its employees outside in 90-degree heat to bust their butts bumping you through the drive-through line quickly and efficiently, that decision isn’t about chicken, it’s about marketing.

All three cases reflect an effort to help their sales force mirror the quality of the idea, the nature of the distribution model, and the inherent truth in their noise-making.

What is marketing?

Marketing is: anything that exists to help your business grow.