That should be the bottom line, the be all-end all of the subject.
But too often, marketing becomes not about what is best for business or how to attract customers. It becomes an exercise in proving yourself – more about you know how to do it and no one else’s opinion matters.
In the end, this hurts the customer because you’re not reaching them in the manner they choose whether they are more comfortable with social media, mainstream advertising or even direct mail.
This hurts the business that is trying to market itself either by an internal department or an outside consultant. The company is expecting results – an ROI at a minimum – to justify the marketing dollar spend that is supposed to produce more bodies coming through the door, online orders or whatever they are selling or service being offered.
It also hurts good solid marketing people, ones that listen before speaking, ones that can adapt and change on the fly, and ones that totally have the best interests of their clients at heart.
Many marketers and marketing consults do very little else besides throwing their best pitch. That’s it, that’s all. They know what’s best, and anything outside of that pitch is way out of the strike zone of success. They get fixated. They’ve had one campaign work, and now that campaign is interchangeable for every other client. They insist on telling you what’s in the best interest of your business, and they won’t deviate from the plan they had coming into the meeting.
This is when and where marketing falls off the tracks.
There is a fine line to walk here. Marketers should be confident in what they are presenting and those on the other side of the table should have open ears.
It can all go wrong when marketers don’t listen. It can also go very wrong when the folks on the other side of the table (and every other table in the building) have an opinion, too. Marketing people need to have the ball and run with it. But they can’t forget that the ball needs to be kept in the game for all players.
Marketing is there to help promote. It is supposed to create a buzz about a product or service. It’s not to toot the horn of those who created it.
By Mark Pavelich President Ceo The Mark Consulting & Marketing
Facebook https://www.Facebook.com/TheMarkConsulting
Follow Mark on Twitter http://www.Twitter.com/MarkPavelich
Like Marks New Fan Business Page on Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/MarkPavelichFanPage