When I started working as a marketing manager at a large construction company over 20 years ago, many of the veterans there (and I, too) wondered, “Why do we actually need someone just to place ads?”
Back then, I enjoyed giving a short presentation on the wide-ranging responsibilities of marketing, which culminated in the statement: “EVERYTHING in a company is marketing. “
The construction workers found that hard to believe—but it remains true to this day and applies to every company. Including yours!
Marketing is what you (have to) do to tailor your products, prices, distribution channels, and communications to your market—and first you have to get to know that market.
With such a comprehensive definition of marketing, it’s clear that marketing should be of concern to everyone in the company.
All too often, however, marketing is still confused with “sales” or “advertising” and assigned to departments or individual people. If you’re a sole proprietor, you might put on your “marketing” hat from time to time.
But I am convinced that this attitude is not enough. Marketing is what connects the company to “the people out there.” And those people out there are supposed to pay you for a service or a product—without which (the money) you won’t survive for long. So it’s everyone’s business how the company presents itself to the outside world, what it offers, and how.
To know what your product or service needs to look like, you need to understand what “the market” looks like: who your customers are (or should be), where they are, what makes them tick, and how and through which channels you can reach them.
Understanding the market is therefore also—and especially—important for the development “department” (which is usually you). The task is to align what you offer with the needs of your potential customers. And that’s much harder than convincing yourself that your brilliant idea isn’t catching on with customers simply because they’re too stupid to understand it.
Not everyone is involved in product development. But everyone interacts with your customers at some point. So even administrative staff can contribute to effective marketing. After all, it’s quite simple—and, unfortunately, often overlooked: it matters how you talk about your company on the phone or even in your free time—not to mention on social media. Customers should be treated well, regardless of who happens to be “on duty” at the moment!
Of course, you need to take responsibility for this issue, whether you tackle it yourself or delegate it to others. It’s important to truly get everyone in the company on board so that everyone acts as a unified team in the marketplace, whether they’re visible or not.
It’s even better when everyone contributes to building your unique position in the market—in other words, when everyone helps create your “brand.” More on that soon.
Warm regards
Yours,
Ulrike Hudelmaier
