3 Questions to Ask Yourself About Marketing

Here in the Northeast, there are a lot of trees — we have so many trees on our property, that I wouldn’t know where to begin counting them.

Every year, branches fall to the ground in heavy windstorms. And every year, we cut down trees that are overhanging the roof and threatening the house. But even with regular maintenance, we can’t avoid the continual process of renewal — the woods mature, and older trees are replaced by new.

Someone seeing the trees on our property for the first time might think they have always looked this way. But those of us with experience know that the trees are constantly changing — yes, the area has always been wooded, but the individual trees never stay the same.

What’s old is new again

The trees provide a good analogy for marketing.

If you take a look at the way businesses market themselves today, you might think it has always been this way.

But those of us who have been watching know that, while marketing has always taken place, the techniques of marketing change.

What’s your understanding of marketing?

Here are three (3) questions about marketing to ask yourself:

1. What actually is marketing? Marketing is the process of influencing people and how they feel about your product or service, such that when they are ready to buy, they think about buying from you. Marketing helps persuade people to act.
2. Which businesses need marketing? Every business needs marketing, now matter its size or age. If you don’t hire someone to handle marketing in your business, then you’re the marketer. As a marketer, your job is to identify the most effective way to influence those who are in a position to buy what you have to offer.
3. What is the most effective way to influence people? The most effective way to influence people is one-to-one direct communication. That’s because one person telling another about the benefits of a particular product or service conveys the marketing message more effectively than any other way.

If you want to market your business using one-to-one direct communication, you need to know which techniques are right for your audience, and which are working today.

We recommend partnering with a marketer who knows your industry in order to bring an online presence and message that communicates your business effectively.