Most people view marketing as simply advertising and/or selling products. However, marketing is a major part of any a successful company’s overall business strategy—the definition of your company’s brand, how you connect with customers, and how you will create long-lasting growth. Whether you’re a new small business owner starting out, an experienced marketer, or the founder of a business starting from scratch; when you understand the importance of marketing then you can make significant improvements in your own business metrics.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, brands are being successful in winning consumer attention not necessarily because they are well funded but because they have developed an effective marketing strategy to do so. Companies that see how they can convert data into information, and develop a connection with their consumer through a story, have succeeded in creating a personal relationship with their customers. Whether it is through creating a personalized experience, building a community, creating content that is valuable, or designing a product or service with the customer in mind, marketing has an essential role to play in developing long term viability for a company.

This article will discuss how (a) why you should (b) use the marketing aspects of your business in an attempt to improve your results. Additionally, we will show you ways (c) how large, successful companies have successfully used their marketing processes. Finally, we will provide for you several ways to improve your own marketing process using proven, actionable steps.

How Marketing Becomes the Real Driver of a Company’s Success

1. By creating awareness through marketing, employees can also build trust.

An organization’s visibility is important, but establishing a brand’s reputation (credibility) is the most important thing marketing does.

According to a Nielsen survey, 92% of consumers said that they trusted recommendations from those they knew. This is why the power of word-of-mouth advertising and a company’s overall reputation are so important.

Through its focus on consumer-driven content, Glossier has taken its beauty blogging business model from $1 Billion to where it stands today. They took the time to develop the customer’s trust before they started selling products through Glossier.

2. How Marketing Helps You Understand Your Customers and Create Better Solutions

When used effectively, marketing is not so much about pushing out messages as it is about listening to your target audience.

As noted by many marketing experts such as Philip Kotler, “The goal of marketing isn’t to find clever ways to sell your product; rather, it is the way to create real value for your customers.”

The best marketers make use of various data sources, including surveys and feedback loops, to identify their customers’ needs and wants.

An Example

Netflix looks at how users behave in order to tell them what content to watch, which films to produce, and how to make trailers. By keeping customers at the forefront of their business model, Netflix gained worldwide popularity rapidly.

3. Why the Best Marketing Speaks to People’s Emotions

People do not purchase products; rather, they purchase narratives, emotions, and self-concept. As a result, Brands that are able to successfully utilize Emotional Marketing will greatly outperform those that do not.

For example

Nike’s famous slogan, “Just Do It,” is not about shoes. It speaks about personal achievement, empowerment, and resiliency.

Because of this, Nike has transformed from an $800 million company in the 1980’s, to over $40 billion today.

What Really Works in Marketing Today

1. Build Trust With Value-Driven Content Before Asking for the Sale

One of the strongest aspects of content marketing is that it provides value in the form of education, entertainment, and building relationships and trust.

Example to illustrate;

A fitness coach can establish their authority on Instagram by consistently posting helpful workout advice for prospective clients without directly trying to “sell” them anything.

Tips on how to implement this strategy;

Choose one platform (i.e. blog, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn) and begin producing one piece of content per week with the goal of providing value to your audience.

2. How Reviews and Community Help Your Brand Grow

When purchasing things, consumers like to have some sort of validation. Online communities give consumers this type of validation via the use of reviews and testimonials, and social networks like Facebook.

Airbnb was able to increase conversion rates by double-digit percentages by displaying user reviews and having verified host users, which helped lower the perception of risk for potential guests.

To do this for your own business, show potential consumers real stories from your customers, as well as before-and-after photos or evidence of measurable results.

3.Why Personalizing Your Marketing With Data Makes a Big Difference

Engagement, conversion and loyalty increase as a result of personalized experiences.

Personalised emails lead to 6x higher transaction rates when compared to generic emails.

Providing tailored recommendations leads to a sales increase of more than 20%. Example: Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist demonstrates how to use data to create loyalty via a personalised marketing approach.

Take Action

Segment your list according to the demographic profile of each audience sector, or use their specific behaviours and interests to personalise your messages.

4,Sharing Your Story: The Heart of Great Branding

Building a strong brand story is essential in distinguishing yourself amongst your competitors while also producing emotional connections with your customers; Patagonia uses sustainability and environmentalism within their marketing for environmental purposes, which is why they have such a dedicated following.

A great way to create a brand story is to build the story around

promotions of who you are, how/why you started your business, what makes you stand out amongst your competitors and what extra value or benefits your customers will receive as a result of your products or services.

What Marketers Often Get Wrong (and How to Fix It)

1.Focusing on product instead of customer.

2.Utilizing intuition rather than analytics to make decisions.

3.Not being consistent across brand and content.

4.Failing to concentrate on the right locations for their audience (trying to be all over the place).

• By avoiding these pitfalls, your marketing remains effective, focused, and sustainable.

Final Thoughts: Treat Marketing as an Investment, Not an Expense

Marketing affects how we perceive and alter how we behave, driving revenue in businesses. When performed with intent, Marketing serves as a catalyst for success, produces awareness, trust, and provides opportunities for continued success, much like an “engineering design”.

Early or later, as a marketer or business owner, you must always maintain customer-centricity, data orientation, and focus on value.

Time to Put This Into Practice

 Implement one of the four tactics suggested in this article - Content Creation, Personalization, Story Telling, or Social Proof - this week. Your daily marketing activities will compound to result in significant growth for your brand.