5 significant things you likely didn't know about marketing but you should
Marketing is an art and a science.
No, seriously, it's an art and a science — everyone likes to say that in marketing but no one really explains why. And honestly, the reason is simple: you can't always predict the results of your efforts, so you kind of just have to wing it.
Marketing is about creating an experience with your product. If you don’t know what that means, you need to revisit all your marketing lessons. Here are five things about marketing that may surprise you—but you should know them anyway.
1. Advertising can only take you so far
Advertising can only go so far in selling your product or service. You need to use other methods to reach your customers. To do this, you can use social media and email newsletters to really connect with your followers on a more personal level. This will allow you to build rapport and trust with them as well as create more awareness of your brand.
2. People want to buy from people they trust
You probably know this already but it bears repeating: people want to buy things from people they trust. In order for customers to feel like they can trust the brand, it needs to be genuine and authentic. When a brand isn’t being genuine, customers tend not to trust them because they don’t have much in common with them or understand their motivations.
3. Unique Selling Proposition is Key
Unique Selling Proposition or USP is basically the reason why consumers would want to buy your product or service instead of someone else's. This doesn't just apply to e-commerce; it applies to any product at all, even if the transaction happens offline. This proposition should be something that makes you stand out and helps the buyer take action on exactly what you're offering them. You don’t want to be a “me-too” business and just copy what your competitors are doing. You want to stand out, you want to be known on how good your product is and what sets you apart from other businesses. This will also benefit you in the long run because if you have a clear USP, you can adjust the price based on the value that your product/services brings.
4. It's not all about SEO
Yup, the beginner me thought that you need to know keywords and stuff and yada yada to be a marketing master. But nah - marketing is more than just search engine optimization. Sure, SEO is a big part of marketing, but it's not the only way to get your content noticed—and it isn't always the most effective. For example, if you're trying to reach out to people in a particular niche on social media, an SEO strategy might not get you where you want to go. A social media marketing strategy may be much more effective.
5. Marketing relies on data
Marketers are a lot like scientists: they test ideas and see what works, what doesn't work, and what they can do better next time. And they rely on metrics and data to tell them what's working and what isn't. That means that marketers use data to inform their decisions, instead of just relying on their hunches or gut feelings—though those are good starting points!and what isn't. That means that marketers use data to inform their decisions, instead of just relying on their hunches or gut feelings—though those are good starting points!
Marketing can be tough to wrap your brain around at times, and it will likely take you some time to master it. But that's okay – a lot of good things take practice. Just keep in mind that it's not an impossible task, and the basics are simple: know who your customers are; figure out what they want; sell them that thing.
