Marketing is to go to the market and tell people about your product, service, or idea. Marketing is when something valued is exchanged with each party benefiting afterward.

It is important that each party benefit, or there will be negative long-term effects. For example, if gas stations suddenly sold gas for 5¢ per gallon, there would be plenty of demand and customers to buy it. But the gas stations wouldn’t last very long because they wouldn’t make enough profit to pay their bills and stay in business—they would have to raise their prices. On the other hand, if gas suddenly cost $15 per gallon, the gas stations would make a bundle, but soon there wouldn’t be anyone who could afford to buy gas. We would begin to ride bikes, motorcycles, public transportation, car-pool, etc. Soon the gas stations would have to reduce the price of gas or risk going out-of-business. So, both parties must benefit from the exchange.

Go to Market

There are two ways to “go to market” with a product, service or idea.

1. Finding out what a buyer needs and wants and satisfying them with a product or service. 
   Example: I work in a furniture store and customers frequently come in and ask for red dining chairs. Our store doesn’t sell red dining chairs because we can’t find a manufacturer that makes them. So, I take this information from our customers’ requests and start a business making and selling red dining chairs.
   
2. Presenting a product or service to potential consumers—hopefully resulting in a purchase
   Example:

Why Use Marketing?

1. Inform and educate your potential customer
   
2. Build brand identification and brand loyalty
   
3. Influence, persuade, and comfort consumers before a purchase
   
4. Comfort consumers after a purchase

The Four P’s of Marketing

These are “controllable marketing mix factors ” that marketers consider when launching and managing a brand for a product, service, or idea.

1. Product. A good, service, or idea to satisfy the consumer’s needs
2. Price. What is exchanged for a product?
3. Promotion. A means of communicating between the buyer and seller. (Advertising)
4. Placement. A means of getting the product into the customer’s hands.

What do Clients Sell or Market?

Most businesses and organizations sell one of four things:

1. Products. These are tangible products that we can touch and feel like food, toys, tools, radios, computers, cars, cosmetics, books, furniture, etc.
2. Services. These are usually intangible things that we purchase like health care, financial advise, web site hosting, cable television, phone service, an auto mechanic’s knowledge, education, home cleaning services, a caterer serving food at your wedding, etc.
3. Ideas. Or sometimes ideals. These are usually intangible things like ideas promised by a politician, or a new concept taught by a teacher, or a new theory marketed by a researcher to prove themselves worthy of government or private funding.
4. A combination of products, services, and ideas. This includes many things listed in 1, 2 and 3. When you hire a wedding photographer you buy their service (their knowledge, training, and expertise as a photographer) and their product (usually printed wedding photos). A college professor may have a new idea that he or she wants to sell, but they can only tell a limited number of students face-to-face. So they put their ideas on the Web in an eBook, or in a printed book, and sell it as a product.

Strong brands “own” a few words in our hearts and minds

What do you want people to think about when they see your client’s new logo, direct mail piece, web site or advertisement? When customers think of strong brands, they usually think of short phrases or single words.

The stronger and clearer the brand, usually the more focused the message (brand) is in the minds of consumers. Your brand words should be a benefit that your customers will want.

Here are strong brands and the words people associate with them:

• Harley-Davidson – rebellion and freedom on the open road
• FedEx – overnight shipping
• Taco Bell – Mexican fast food
• Nike – high-performance athletic shoes
• Subway – eat fresh, and freshly made sub sandwiches
• Tide – clean clothes
• X-games – extreme sports games
• Krispy Kreme donuts – tasty glazed donuts
• Starbucks – gourmet, high-end coffee
• Coke – cola (especially in the South)
• Mercedes – luxury car
• Porsche – luxury sports car
• Red Bull – energy drink
• Timex – value-priced, durable watches
• Hersheys – chocolate candy bar

The list of strong brands goes on and on. Your goal with the brand section of this page is to write down 2-3 words that you want people to think of whenever they see your logo, colors, packaging, web site, retail store, products, etc. You must choose 2-3 words that your customers will think of consistently when they interact with your brand. These words will set the direction for your entire brand identity. Everything you design will reflect your client’s brand and message.

Remember…

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