Seemingly everyone I speak to wants to go into marketing. One of these days I’m going to do a Porter’s Five Forces analysis on it as an industry, but until then, let me offer 7 suggestions about not just getting into marketing, but being good at it.
- Entrepreneurship – Make decisions like an owner. Create value. Be innovative, proactive, and take calculated risks to create successes. If you get nothing else out of this blog post, take this away with you.
- Ethics – Don’t be evil. Take time to figure out the morality of marketing decisions. Practice social responsibility.
- Customer value – Always figure out ways to create value. Give your customers more than they wanted for less than they expected to pay. This doesn’t always mean discounting – sometimes it even means charging a bit more.
- Technology – Translate technology into better marketing practice, and new products and services. The social media channel is especially rich for that right now, but always be looking to technology to improve your ability to market.
- Relationship – That supplier you dissed because you didn’t feel like dealing with a sales call? The customer who seems to complain almost all the time? The competitor who is a thorn in your side? Get to know all of them and build relationships and partnerships with them. Create teamwork within your organization. Get as many people as possible vested in its success.
- Productivity – Get the most bang for the marketing buck. The classic management issue is the allocation of scarce resources across a variety of projects. Choose marketing projects that create return and meet your marketing objectives. Don’t just do something because it’s hot right now.
- Global – While you need to pick your targets, start out globally. The world is your potential market.
John’s the founder of Audacity Marketing. When he’s not racing motorcycles, he’s building marketing strategies for Audacity clients and anyone else who’ll listen.
John’s worn all the marketing hats, from consultant to agency owner to executive to university professor. He’s held leadership roles in industries from staffing to behavioral health to capital-C consulting. He’s branded or rebranded over 100 companies.
John buttresses 25+ years in marketing with an MBA from Georgia State University.
John lives with his girlfriend Suzanne, his dog Seamus, and his daughter Annie when she shows up from college.