What would you expect to be the first search result for “Apple” on Google?
THIS???
Surprisingly but not so surprisingly it is THIS!!!
This raises a very big question in my mind as to what is the phenomenon that has made not only me and you but the whole world in general perceive an everyday object this differently. Only one world comes to my mind –“Marketing”.
Marketing as many might feel is not just limited to the tactics of luring a customer into buying your product it is much more than that in the words of Dr. Philip Kotler marketing is “the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit. It basically consists of the four P’s – Product, Price, Place and promotion.
This definition very well highlights what marketing does for all the stakeholders, Firstly it brings profits for the owners, next for the consumer it brings satisfaction, next for the market it brings more variety and most importantly for the business it brings lots and lots of success.
There cannot be an over exaggerated expression to the importance of marketing for business. Starting from its high influence on the top line to it bringing a constant way of innovation in every segment, Marketing can literally make or break your business visions. If done properly marketing can transform your good quality product into a well-recognized brand. Giving long term sustainability to your profits.
Marketing has such a pivotal role in business now that the very idea of doing business and not including the marketing function in the same sounds absurd. Steuart Henderson Britt rightly describes the role of marketing in business by saying that - “Doing business without marketing is like winking at a girl in the dark you know what you are doing but no one else does.” You might have the best product but what use will it be if no one knows about them. This is where you would need marketing.
With the rapidly changing business environment the marketing function today has also becoming multi-faceted. Believe me if you consider your business as your kingdom and your marketing division as your most effective soldier, these new methods of promotion would be the very best weapons in their arsenal. What I am referring to is Digital Marketing which includes
- Websites and SEO content
- Blogs
- Internet banner ads
- Online video content
- Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
- Email marketing
- Social media marketing (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
- Mobile marketing (SMS, MMS, etc.)
And many more…
I have some very strong rationale supporting this point of view. Firstly and quiet intuitively it would be mass influence stats suggest that over 1.39 billion people log on to Facebook each month that surprisingly is more than the entire population of China the world’s most populous country. Due to digital marketing your business can now reach more than one billion people in a matter of seconds.
Next, abundant change in consumer perception. Today everything is found out from Google. It has become an indispensable source of information. So if any of us would expect our products even though of the best quality to sell while we are non-existent on the internet our ideas are surely far-fetched.