The Purpose of Marketing and Advertising Part 1

The Purpose of Marketing and Advertising Part 1

What is the purpose of marketing and advertising?  Many say it is to influence people to buy your products.  I’d have to agree that is one purpose.  Others say that advertising and marketing exists to make people aware of a brand – I wouldn’t argue with that.  Others say the basic reason people engage in marketing and advertising is to make money.  This is a very base purpose and making money in itself is not a bad thing.  Please indulge me as I explain what I believe the highest purpose of advertising and marketing is, especially for small businesses where the owner has put their heart and soul into the business.  In part one of this series I will explain a higher purpose of advertising and marketing and in part two, I will lay out a purpose that I believe is even higher.  So let’s get to it.  I’ll start with two quotes from the guy who changed the way we look at everything:

“E=MC2 “  (In other words… everything is energy)
Albert Einstein

“Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another.”
Albert Einstein

Advertising and marketing are powerful tools that brings energy into a business in the form of new customers.  These customers offer the business person the opportunity to exchange their goods and services that will help the other achieve their goals, wants and desires in exchange for payment which is the energy that can help your business thrive.  However new customers also offer a larger opportunity that many ignore.  A new customer gives us the opportunity to gain by helping them get what they want.  Ivan Misner, the founder of BNI, International, the world’s most successful business networking organization, has said it as succinctly as I have ever heard it said, “Givers Gain”.   Giving more than you are paid translates to delivering superior value.  All buyers want to know that you, the seller, have their best interests in mind.  Many business people only have their own interests in mind and many have been accused of being willing to do anything for the sale…. I’m from New York and I have sold advertising and marketing everywhere from The World Trade Center, to penthouse suites in midtown, to the gritty streets of the South Bronx, to small business people in Rockland, Westchester, Fairfield and Bergen Counties and throughout the Hudson Valley.  I’ve serviced all types of businesses from “Mom & Pop” businesses to Fortune 500’s.   In my 25+ years of advertising and marketing, no matter the size of the business, I have found that no one is interested in wasting their time with a “B.S. artist.”  However, they will spend more time and money with someone who has their back and will always do their best to make their money by helping the business person to achieve their goals cost-effectively.

Winners invest in quality!
Winner’s marketing and advertising targets their most
profitable prospects and proves how & why they are the best choice….

The winners invest in quality.  This does not mean that they will lie down and just give you gobs of money because you say so.  After all it is New York and the streets of N Y do not treat fools kindly…. but there is a fool who overpays and fools who just buy whatever is cheapest.  The wise business person invests in the best tools that help them cost-effectively achieve their goals.  If your advertising and marketing is effective, it communicates to your most valuable markets exactly how and why you are the best choice to invest in….  When you obtain this new customer, the most profitable thing you can do is under-promise and over- deliver.  When you realize that each new customer can either be a one-time sale or a constant stream of repeat business (energy) and referrals (more energy), you realize the truth behind “Givers Gain.”  You also will realize that you need to take good care of them, help them to achieve their goals with your goods and services and that investing in developing your relationship with them is one of the most profitable things you can do.

If you are a reader of my blogs you know I love to list quotes that come to the same point from different perspectives.  So here I go again:

“Givers Gain”
Ivan Misner

“What you give is what you get”
Lori Moreno

“Instant Karma is going to get you” (So… is it going to be good or bad?  The choice is yours.)
John Lennon

“And in the end… the love you take is equal to the love you make”
Paul McCartney

“Whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap”
The Bible

Stay tune for part 2 of the Purpose of Advertising and Marketing.  I am going to put forward some ideas that may truly challenge the way you think about your business…. and as always, I’d love to get your feedback and thoughts about any and all of my blogs…. By the way, if you would like to receive free marketing tips to help you Out-think, Out-market and Out-Sell your competition check out our website: www.acceleratedadvertising.com (and click on the button for free tips).

Accelerated Advertising is a marketing and advertising firm located in Rockland County NY.  We service small and mid-sized firms in  Rockland County, Westchester County, New York City and surrounding areas including  Bergen County  NJ and Fairfield County  CT.  We also serve clients around the country primarily via on-line meetings.