Marketing is generally defined as the process of promoting the value of a company, product or service through a combination of tactics, such as advertising, sales and promotions, collateral, public relations, social media, etc. That’s a fair and fine statement that accurately defines what we do.
However, what if we had a different paradigm about how we define our discipline? What if we looked at our craft from a different perspective? How would that change what we do and how we go about accomplishing our corporate objectives?
Simplify the decision making process
Consumers have near unlimited information on any given industry, product or service. They can get very specific details and gain access to first-hand customer reviews. There are also numerous alternatives for comparison.
It used to be enough to communicate your competitive advantage, to show people why your product is uniquely better than another. However, there is too much information, too much choice to do that conclusively. Actual competitive advantage depends on very specific circumstances for each individual. While big data may be able to parse and identify who may be uniquely qualified to most benefit from a particular product, consumers themselves are unable to process which out of numerous choices themselves when faced with a deluge of information.
Our job as marketers is no longer to just show the unique benefits of our product. All of our competitors are doing the same. It’s too much for consumers to take in.
Our new job is to help consumers make their decision. Simplify the decision making process. We are here to guide them in choosing, giving them nudges and advice along the way.
What does this mean? We still have to promote our product’s benefits. We still need to have a website with product details. Use social media to make connections and create valuable content. We still need to inform people about what we do through PR, collateral, advertising. However, we also have the additional obligation to help them through the process. What can we do to make it easier from them to choose? How can we make the choice quicker, with less anxiety? Where is the best place to present it to them?
It’s a new way of thinking. But may change things for the better.