There’s a reason why everyone thinks they can do marketing but only the best truly know how to execute marketing well. It’s because marketing, drilled down to the very kernels of truth, is quite simple and intuitive. Below are 3 universal truths to understanding marketing.
There’s a reason why everyone thinks they can do marketing but only the best truly know how to execute marketing well. It’s because marketing, drilled down to the very kernels of truth, is quite simple and intuitive. Below are 3 universal truths to understanding marketing.
1. Always be thinking “customer first”
Who are your immediate customers? What do they want? Who are your customers’s customers? What do they need or want? If you look at some of the best marketing out there, the ones that win over their competitors are the ones that speak to a deeper level of need and desire from the customer.
2. Have a Point-of-View
Just because you know what your customers want doesn’t mean you should constantly change your products and services to fulfill the needs and wants of your customers. Customers can be fickle. One day they want automated features and the next they want personalized and curated features. However, if you truly get #1, then you’ll know what it is that your customers need or want deep down inside. And, you, being a great marketer, should have a distinct point-of-view (POV). How does your company feel about sustainability? How does your brand think about labor rights? What does your product do for the millennial loneliness epidemic? Don’t be afraid of having a strong POV. That will be your brand’s differentiator!
3. Every touchpoint counts
If you think you can half-a$$ something and customers won’t notice, then you’re dead wrong. Every touchpoint from the moment a customer sees your brand logo to the seconds they spend on your homepage to the tone of voice your chatbot has to the response your customer service provides… every touchpoint counts. Together, all these little moments add up to the experience a customer has with your company. When thinking about marketing, don’t forget that every moment counts.
An example: Axe (body spray)
- Know its customer? Hells yeah. Axe is going after the repressed young teen boys who are reaching manhood but still in that awkward phase. These young boys are trying to fit in while standing out, get that girl, be that hero, survive through highschool… while trying not to stink getting through all that drama.
- Have a POV? Oh yes. Axe’s POV is that their product (body spray) helps these teen boys become instantaneously confident and attractive. It is the perfect brand for a young boy. (Definitely not their dad’s scent.)
- Every touchpoint covered? Pretty much. From Axe’s commercials to their persona on social media to their website, everything is on-brand and on-point.
Basically, with marketing, you’re trying to address the following:
Provide the right customers with the right message about the right products/services at the right time in the right way.
Resources:
- “How Axe Built A Highly Scientific, Totally Irresistible Marketing Machine Built On Lust” | Fast Company | Jason Feifer | September 2012
- “How Axe Found Its (Marketing) Magic” | Contently | Dillon Baker | June 3rd, 2016
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