Marketing 101: The Basics

What Is Marketing?

"Uggh, WHO CARES!?" said the business owner, who just wants to work uninterrupted. "Gimme a break...🙄" said the consumer, tired of their attention being bought and sold. "Marketing is all communication between an organisation and its people.😏" said the clever writer who knows more than you.

(It's me. I'm the writer. LikesharesubscribeplzI'mbroke) 

Brands used to be simple: name, logo, & tagline. Now we have words like the brand experience, community building, and values flying around like confetti. What's with this branding arms race?

The key idea is: Everything is Marketing. What your products are, how you choose to sell them, where you sell, and who you target- it all says something.

If you're private & reserved, you can reject this petty pageantry.

• Your company name is simple. (ex. Ron Swanson's "Very Good Construction Company" or "Agarwal Traders")
• No logo, values, colors, or voice. What you see is what you get.
• No-nonsense, pure business. Take it or leave it.

This then becomes your brand, and you attract people accordingly. Nothing wrong with that. Just cuz something is direct doesn't make it rude, bad, or boring. Groceries, clothes, and street food can be exciting enough without labels.

If you're artistic & colorful, with a bold new vision for the world, you should embrace that fully.

• Inject personality into everything. (ex. End every interaction with "Have a magical day!" - Disney)
• Add vibe & weight to your product. (ex. Redbull is just a caffeine soda. Its brand makes it extreme.)
• Make an impact beyond merely exchanging goods & services. (ex. Nike inspires people.)

This can allow a business to go beyond commodities. You can stop competing over value for money and build a following or true fans. It's why Zara does weird things and still sells out rather pricey merch. 

How does it work?

Another perspective that Seth Godin might share is, "Marketing is making change happen." I like that because it sounds a lot more action-oriented than just "communication." It's also closer to the actual process of how it works.

As a seller, you want to change the consumer's behavior and get them to become yours. Brand-builders also strive to change the market by addressing gaps within it. Even everyday people crave novelty and want exciting new things to try!

How marketing works in action:

Market research -> Find a problem -> Create a solution -> Share your solution -> Repeat!

Challenging the status quo and shaking things up are essential to the process. That may be why Apple is so successful.

The most important advice I've heard for new businesses is: Don't worry about the brand. First, build a solid business. Let the brand emerge organically. 

You might have an idea of how you want to do work. It might not find a place in the market. Then your concept evolves as you build assets and real systems. 

When Zara does weird poses, it's artful. When your cousin does it, it's just strange. That's because Zara has the basics sorted out: consistent quality, coherent style, & long-term systems. They can back up their style, tone, and messaging with real, tangible products.

So, don't get caught up in the showmanship. Keep building your business. Marketing can help with that, too. After all, communication is a two-way street. Talk to your marketing team. They can offer invaluable insight into the competition and from talking to the audience.

Who is it for?

So who are these "people"? Traditionally, we call them target groups, but they're not groups. They're particular individuals both inside and outside an organisation. It's for the business owner & executives.

It's for management and their employees. It's for charity workers and volunteers. It's for anyone who wants to build trust, drive action, and strengthen relationships. It's also just as important to know who it isn't for.

It's not for anyone other than the intended receiver. If you make an ad for Gen Z and are worried about losing ground with the older people, you have to pick a side. 

Marketing is also not for the unambitious, uninterested, and ordinary. There's nothing wrong with wanting to live a simple, slow, and quiet life. Don't try to manipulate those people or try "converting" them. Just let them be.

I say that because for you to market something and promote it, you need to believe in it first. There is nothing more unconvincing than a person selling something they hate. 

Once you understand the value you offer and who it's for, you can begin to believe it. Without that crucial step, you end up adopting underhanded and manipulative tactics just to close more deals.

If you feel the intense urge to grab everyone you can find and bully them into buying what you sell, this isn't for you. Maybe try security or therapy instead. 

Building trust is the ultimate goal of all branding. Marketing also involves PR and sales, but all those efforts happen in real time, and time always goes on. So think in the long term and stop doing things that you're ashamed of. 

With a solid foundation of value offered to groups of real people and honest practices that you can be proud of, you start building that trust internally. This is the foundation of all marketing efforts: to be honest with yourself.

If you aren't willing to do that, this isn't for you. Yet, people do it anyway. They fake it till they make it, do whatever it takes to hit arbitrary metrics. This is how it's always been and will always be for many.

Don't join the race to the bottom, dragging everyone down along the way. Build something worthwhile and uplift them instead. 

When is it done?

"The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The next best time is today." At its heart, marketing is about sharing value with the world. With today's loud, bombastic digital world, it's hard to believe that what we have to say is worth anyone's time.

That's the beauty of it: You don't have to demand attention. What is the value of those English essays we used to write in school? There's no pressing audience lining up to read school essays. Yet, the real value of those small pieces of creation was in the process of creating them.

Similarly, in today's accessible, convenient, algorithm-based digital ecosystem, it's okay to create things without measurable results. Making an educational piece of content is the biggest learning experience for the one creating it.

Explaining what you do helps you get better at selling it. Promoting your services reinforces the value proposition in your head. Entertaining content improves your mood and might make you more likable to be around. Clients want to work with fun people!

That's why I love Gary's emphasis on organic content. Just pick up the phone, hit record, and start talking! Don't worry about the content's value; focus on what you're trying to build, share, or achieve.

As you keep doing it, things will get clearer, and the content will improve. When this process of clarity, discovery, and promotion starts sounding appealing, that's when you begin. 

I'm a big believer in writing. Sure, it might seem like there's no room for it in the cacophony of visuals you see online. Yet, there's nothing more clarifying, knowledge-building, and satisfying. Think of all your marketing efforts as practice, and you'll get more out of it.

Every day you pick up the camera, pen, mouse, or keyboard, and you put in your reps. Eventually, you find a client who's actually looking for what you offer, and all the practice will pay off. It's all about improving your luck through hard work and skill.

Why Bother?

The power of first impressions is also worth noting. That's why it's not always good to show your hand and leave a bad impression if you are just starting out. There is certainly a valid concern telling you to wait until you are ready.

That's why the most significant aspect here is self-awareness. When I say don't wait for the right time, I'm talking about the actual communication. This means that self-awareness is gained through action. 

Perhaps you've always wanted to write a book (like me). The best thing for you is to spend as long as you can actually writing the book. This brings me back to the business aspect of things.

Ultimately, marketing is about sharing value, but you need to keep building that value. Sure, by all means, record your videos and talk about them. Feel free to even share it. But don't run ads until things become clearer.

If you are reluctant to nonchalantly share your authentic efforts and current level, take a long, hard look at yourself, because that's the biggest red flag of all. It's one thing to put your best foot forward. It's another thing to have eyes bigger than your stomach.

"Don't try to be something you're not." If you only take away one thing from this, let it be that. Perhaps you've been led to believe that marketing is about dressing things up to make them seem more than they're worth.

Let me remind you in monetary terms then: A customer's lifetime value is far more significant than their average order value. It's honestly deceptively simple. To win trust, you need to be truthful.

Even an unpolished piece of content can have a positive impact and really connect with people if it's authentic. We all have something to offer to the world, do we not? Who are we to judge our own value and label ourselves as good or bad?

Self-awareness also involves market awareness. We find out our value by comparing it to others. But what if all you're seeing is the world's best? "Be the best or don't bother" is not a fair standard to live by.

You never know who could be waiting for someone just like you, right where you are. So give yourself a chance, back yourself, and take a leap of faith. To make your wildest dreams possible, that's why you should bother.