I don’t know how many times I get asked, “What is Marketing? What do you do?”. In the fact that I get asked this on a daily basis I have come up with a one line answer, “I make businesses and those that own them money.” A bold statement I know and a comment that is always followed by a one word’r “How?”

It is at this point when the conversation changes from quick liners to a full blown discussion. In such I usually start by displacing marketing rumors or marketing theories that frankly don’t work. Let me fill you in on a few of the marketing myths and strategies that are widely mis-understood.

Before I get 100 emails and comments saying how wrong I am, just remember that what I am about to say isn’t just my ‘opinion’ it is proven, tested and fundamental. The only negative about it is that other’s in my industry do not like me ‘spilling the beans’. Oh well here we go!

Myth number one: Marketing is sales and advertising.

Answer: Marketing is not sales and it is not advertising.

Yes you read that correctly, marketing is not advertising nor is it the sale of goods. Marketing is the process by which companies determine what products or services may be of interest to customers. Marketing is in other words is LISTENING. Marketing is at it’s truest form customer service and in such light when marketing is done correctly it will make you money, as CUSTOMERS will give you money. I know it is a revolutionary concept.

So thus what is a ‘marketer’? A marketer is one that acts in the best interest of the consumer and communicates directly to the consumers needs. Good marketers help companies guess what might work, great marketers show companies what WILL work. In order to be a great marketer you have to have 3 foundations of expertise:

1.common sense,

2. an open dialog with the ‘now’ and the consumers of today and

3. they have to have failed. Failure is a marketer’s greatest weapon for the simple reason that they won’t get stuck in an endless circle of spending your money guessing what will work. Half the battle of knowing what will work is knowing what won’t work.

Myth number two: Social networking on twitter and Facebook and my website are how I will get all my new clients.

Answer: If only it was that simple. No Facebook will not make you rich and building a twitter will not make the floods of money come in.

This is by far where more of the heated conversations start. There seems to always be someone who will tell me about a book they read or a newsletter they subscribe to that tells them stories about a house mom who had an idea in her kitchen, sat down at the family computer, blogged about it, got a fan page on Facebook and a twitter page and then the next morning woke up with 5,000,000 fans and millions of dollars just followed! To this I always say, how has it worked out for you? Answer, “Well I am not doing it right I only have 50 fans so far.”

No you are doing just what they want you to do and what is was originally built for. You have your mom, your cousins and a few close friends that all know just what you are up to. I know it is harsh, but as a professional my duty is to tell it like it is and educate on how it needs to be.

When you understand how to use social media you will understand it’s success and you will further more understand that whether you have 50 fans/followers or 5 million you can be successful. I have seen companies with 200 fans/followers do more then those with 25,000.

There is nothing new about social media and in the attempt from so many to claim it is the new way to do business, it has clouded the minds of hundreds of business owners. Lets look at the core word of ‘Social Media’, SOCIAL. By changing it to “Word of mouth media” the cloud is lifted and all the sudden everyone gets it. Social media is nothing more then the new age way of word of mouth advertising. The myth in social media is that it will make you thousands of dollars just by having it up. Social media is by far one of the best ways to analyze and utilize your customers wishes, demands and needs. Social media is by far one of the worst ways to make your company direct money.

Now with this said if you know how to leverage the data generated by the proper use of social media you have created a mathematical and logical way to launch your next advertising campaign. This is something I like to call, “Action marketing”. In action marketing you create systems that demand for your customer base and desired customer base, to act and react to your social media usage. One thing you must know, you will fail at social media and that is something you have to be ready for.

It is not an over night success and it is not something that happens just by ‘building it’. It takes time, energy, foresight and the understanding that not everything you do will work.

Continue reading: Myths of Marketing Part II

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