Marketing is a dynamic field but we usually associate it with a niche segment, don’t we? Recently when I told one of my aunts regarding my specialization in Marketing her direct reply was – “oh! so you would be dealing with a lot of pressure, targets, sales, and what not!”, her idea of the job related to marketing was nowhere close to what I wanted to do, nor what I was willing to do. It is true that selling or even meeting targets is a major part of a sales job and obviously comes under marketing, but many people fail to realize that sales is just a small part of marketing, and marketing involves a hell of a lot of things that people are not much aware of. So this article will cover what exactly marketing is, and what it is totally not!

Marketing is not sales

Many people identify marketing with sales, and more than that people associate marketing as meeting targets and pressure handling jobs, and heaps of other things. There are innumerable people out there who might consider sales and marketing as similar domains but they are widely different. Sales per se are converting your target audience into leads, but marketing is so much more than it is – marketing is making your audience aware of your brand, marketing is creating brand identity. Sales is obviously one of the major aspects of the marketing funnel but sales are not equal to marketing.

Marketing is not only strategizing

Marketing surely involves, a lot of strategies, maybe more than other fields of work, but every field has a strategy. Even the base of every organization is based on strategy mapping, isn’t it? hence concluding marketing as purely strategizing stuff would be committing a sin to this beautiful subject and Kotler won’t be there to redeem you! Keeping jokes aside, strategy is a major step in creating a marketing plan or communication objectives. A clear strategy helps in taking things forward, hence strategy plays a great role in marketing as a field. And, if you are a good strategist you can surely try your luck at marketing but kiddo its much more than that!

Marketing is not advertising

Many people associate marketing with advertisements, running ad campaigns but, we fail to realize that advertisements are one of the stages that come under marketing. Advertisement is obviously one of the major facets of marketing but marketing involves many things that go into producing that advertisement like the audience to target, colors to be used, theme, buyer persona, and a lot of research. Marketing involves a hell of a lot of communication, strategy, and branding that can surely pave your way to an advertising firm but every marketer out there is not creating advertisements.

Marketing is not only profits

Many people associate marketing with getting results, making profits, and increasing their revenue but, we fail to realize that marketing will reap benefits only after consistency, patience, and lots of effort. You might be producing content today but, you cannot expect the results tomorrow. It might take days, months, or even years but the more you invest in marketing your product and services, the more benefits you reap in the later stages.  Consistent marketing strategies can make your audience more aware of your brand and, will help in brand identity.

Marketing is not specific

One cannot specify marketing into a single domain like advertising or creating awareness, or just creativity. Marketing is much beyond a single field it’s a blend of two or more areas which when executed correctly can get the desired results. That’s why it is important for every marketer to be a T-shaped Marketer. A marketer should not only possess the knowledge of a single field but should know, blend of areas to get efficient results. A marketer needs to be creative but at the same time should know the hacks to crack social media, should be proficient in basic analytical skills, should know to interpret the future outcomes, and most importantly should know to execute stuff. Marketing is everything that might help your brand and your organization to create its identity. Marketing involves pitching, communication, strategy, putting things together, and now when data is the new oil marketing has taken a whole new view of forecasting and data analysis.

Marketing is an art, an art -to know your customers and working according to their needs. Being a marketer you might need to change your hats, that’s why a marketer should be adaptable to the situations especially, being empathetic towards their customers, because then only you will be able to solve probpems and tap what marekting truly is!

Hence, marketing is much more than you think