All about marketing

Marketing is all about growth – growing customer numbers, growing sales, and growing a brand. Marketers search for the perfect audience for a company’s products and services. They then promote the features and benefits of those products and services to generate sales.

The word ‘marketing’ is often misunderstood. It’s not about telling people what to buy or exaggerating what you can offer. Marketing is about solving problems and making a change. Good marketers don’t want to sell to everyone, they want to find their ideal customer and give them what they’re looking for.

Marketers are creative and use a variety of tools and techniques to do their job. They leverage research, advertising, branding, publicity, digital marketing, public relations and sales to drive engagement and deliver results. Sound interesting? Discover more about marketing below:

People frequently interchange the terms marketing and advertising. But they are not the same thing.

Advertising is a form of paid promotion. It is an announcement to the public that you have a product and that it is somehow superior. Good advertising can educate customers about a product and convince them to buy it. A successful advertising campaign can also improve the perception of the brand and attract new customers.

However, the drawback of advertising is that it speaks to a vast audience and could go completely unnoticed if shown in the wrong place.

Marketing, on the other hand, tries to identify and meet customer needs. It is informative without being manipulative. Good marketing tells stories, speaks to people’s desires, and connects with customers in a meaningful way. Marketing doesn’t shout about a product; it simply conveys the message that we have something for you if you want it.

At their core, both advertising and marketing are forms of promotion, but their delivery methods are different. Advertising is a part of marketing. If you run a marketing campaign, you may choose to use advertisements, but they would only be a part of your overall project.

As explained by marketing guru, Seth Godin, the main difference between brand marketing and direct marketing is measurability. If you buy a direct marketing ad online, you can measure how many clicks it received and how many times that click turned into a purchase. You cannot measure brand marketing, and it takes time.

Direct marketing uses tools such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads and email marketing to promote products and services. They are ads whose engagement you can track. By measuring the click through rates and sales, marketers can immediately see how successful their direct marketing was.

Brand marketing is the process of building your brand and its message in the hope that it will drive sales. Branding invests time in its logo, campaigns, customer service, social media and advertising. Building a brand can influence the way customers perceive your company. They see what you stand for and they understand the quality you deliver. Building a successful brand can mean that people will pay more for your product simply because it bears your brand. It may take a while, but this form of marketing is powerful.

Not that long ago, all marketing took place using traditional forms of media. Companies placed ads on billboards, television, radio and in print. The internet has transformed the way marketing is delivered. And that is what digital marketing is: marketing that takes place online and can be viewed using a digital device.

Digital marketing includes Google Ads, social media, videos, email marketing and SEO (search engine optimisation). These forms of marketing have revolutionised the industry. Digital marketing helps companies to target specific audiences more effectively, measure results and build brands in a way never before thought possible.

Marketing is an exciting and diverse industry. No matter what your skillset, if you have a passion for marketing then you can leverage those skills in a useful way. Most marketers have gained qualifications either in marketing or a related field, therefore education is key.

There are several marketing courses available no matter what your level of education or expertise. At Central Australian College, we offer marketing courses from certificate to advanced diploma level. As with all vocational and educational training, our courses have been designed with your future career in mind. Regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), our courses are quality-assured. If you’re interested in starting or advancing your career in marketing, speak to us today!