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I have really thought about this topic a lot over the past few days. Marketing is a key component to a successful company.
Gone are the days where one department delivered the company message and a team of sales people created the relationship. Now, I am not saying this process does not occur in business today. I am saying that marketing supersedes everything and needs to be the focus. Also, without a strong client service area, those client questions go unanswered or worse yet, answered somewhere else. Finally the core of your business: product or service processes must be in aligned and operating with the highest quality. This means listening to client input and constantly gaining knowledge in process technology and implementing new technology.
Everyone in the company needs to understand “The Message” :
“The Message” – another word for your brand, your marketing proposal, your marketing goals, what the company delivers to customers. your social media presence.
It is important that every person is onboard. People cannot work in isolation. Many of you reading this post are working for large corporations. Maybe you are in a particular department like Accounting, Human Resources or Marketing. Do you know what “The Message” is that your company is trying to deliver to its clients. If you don’t, you need to find out. Believe me, I was surprised at the things I learned by asking questions about the direction of the company.
The reason this is critical is that your customers and clients may know more about your company than you do. It’s true. A lot of this has been taken for granted over the years, but now through the internet and social media, walls are coming down and now anyone can find out information about you and your company.
This is where marketing is so critical. Marketing encompasses things like selling, promoting, servicing account, educating and relationship building. Today, there is so much data, client data, reporting data news data. It can be a bit overwhelming. However, it is critical to make sure this data is being manged properly. Marketing ties it all together.
Make sure you are looking at the big picture when it comes to marketing and make sure you are getting your team on board. It’s your job as a Marketing Leader.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
