You do, what?

I still recall the flyer the careers counsellor gave me in high school. The definition of a career in marketing sounded so utterly uninspiring that I told him, quite empathetically, I would never do anything as dull as that.

Fast forward a few decades, and he was right – a career in marketing was a perfect fit; it was the textbook definition of the job that was wrong.

So, what do marketers actually do?

Two things old, two things new

Marketing covers 4 areas of focus. Two have been done since the first cave dweller tried to barter their rock painting for a woolly mammoth steak. Namely, reputation and presentation. The second two are relative newcomers: scalability and data insights.

To help explain what each one entails, let’s pretend your company is a 4-year old child.

Reputation: “My Timmy/Tammy is so talented…”

Reputation is about building brand awareness and crafting and guarding your company’s standing. The end goal is to align your desired view of your company and products with that of your target audience. Or, have Timmy/Tammy invited to lots of play dates.

Presentation: “Let me clean your face” *spits on handkerchief*

Presentation covers the tangible cues the external market sees – not just what you say and write about your company, but how you say it. It includes the tone and messaging, as well as the visuals, colours, images, logo.

Scalability: “The jacket isn’t too big, you’ll grow into it.”

Scalability is about future proofing your company. It’s not enough for Timmy/Tammy to be popular today, we want to ensure they stay that way. So as a parent, you’re always planning ahead. Marketing automation also means we can send that very personalised thank you note… and send it en masse. Look after one kid, look after 20, it’s all one and the same to us.

Data insights: “I’ve prepared a snack, just the way you like it.”

The virtual explosion of digital marketing means when it comes to data insights, we’re spoilt for choice. The end goal is to be the parent who knows that when Johnny comes over, he likes his sandwich in triangles with the crust off, whereas Jocelyn likes the crust on and cut into squares.

There used to be a famous adage that said 50% of your ad spend was wasted, you just never knew which half. Today, thanks to the plethora of digital, real time data, we know exactly if we're making the right impact.