Ask 10 people to describe what marketing is and you’re more than likely to get answers like…
It’s advertising.
It’s branding.
It’s storytelling.
It’s a promotion.
It’s a campaign.
It’s category creation.
All true (ish), but not complete enough. What, then, is a better description?
Marketing is Service.
It’s about “serving the people you care most about”, as Seth Godin would say. “It needs to cause a change you’d like to see in the world.”
Marketing needs to be rooted deeply in the dreams, desires, and communities of people we care most about. The ones we want to serve through whatever it is we do.
Who is your community? Your tribe? How are you serving them through the work you do? The work you love so much.
“Marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve a problem. Their problem.”
Seth Godin
If we agree that marketing is service, then what can we, as marketers, do to fulfill that promise?
A few thoughts come to mind…
Care. Be empathetic. Help the people you care about solve their problems and become better versions of themselves. Serve. There are lots of ways we can do this.
Create content that solves problems. Content that answers important questions.
Be where your customers and future customers are. Be there when they need you most.
Foster community. Create spaces where the people you care about can come together, share, and learn.
The next time you’re gearing up to launch that next campaign, piece of content, or blog post, ask yourself “Who is this serving and is it serving them well?”
Marketing is Service.
