Why Marketing is More Than Selling

I recently read an article on Forbes.com that caught my attention. The article was arguing the importance of marketing, and how marketing in recent years has become severely undervalued (and underfunded) in the business world. The article clearly laid out the American Marketing Association’s definition of marketing:

“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

(1) Marketing Matters Now More Than Ever

I noticed that there is nothing about “selling” or “closing a sale” at the end of the definition. There’s a reason for that: marketing is not selling.

Can great marketing result in sales and profit? Yes, of course! But, there’s much more to marketing than simply trying to close a sale or get a customer to unexpectedly pull out his credit card. 

What is marketing, if it is not selling?

In my opinion, marketing is sharing a story and set of values to bring customers, followers, allies, the public, and even competitors into the fold of the business or company’s culture; and once they’re in, great marketing will hold them close. Marketing creates a sense of knowing and belonging, which ultimately leads to interest, good will and trust. We all know that interest, good will and trust creates and retains loyal customers. What more could a company ask for than that?

A different Forbes.com article puts it simply,

“As a business, your job is to sell a vision, not just a product…You sell that vision right, and the product will sell itself. Ask yourself: what is your story?”

(2) Why Marketing Your Product Is More Important Than The Product Itself

That’s why at Willcore Consulting, we help our clients share their stories. Marketing matters when building and growing a business. If marketing focuses on creating community and sets a vision that can be shared between the customer and the company, then the product sales will follow.

Sources: 

1. Marketing Matters Now More Than Ever, https://www.forbes.com/sites/deniselyohn/2019/01/08/marketing-matters-now-more-than-ever/#f050402117a4
2. Why Marketing Your Product Is More Important Than The Product Itself, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jiawertz/2019/05/01/why-marketing-your-product-is-more-important-than-the-product-itself/#294e8edd21a1