What is marketing?

More often than not, what they've actually done is a bit of cold calling, or they've drawn up a leaflet or placed a classified ad in the local paper. But real marketing? Unlikely.

What marketing isn't

The most common misconception about marketing is that it's the same as selling. Let me tell you - it's NOT.

Marketing and sales are of course closely connected - I won't deny that. The information that's obtained as a result of good marketing should support the sales team in doing what they do best - selling.

But while sales exists to shift units of product, marketing's role - in a nutshell - is, through a number of strategic processes, to identify opportunities to satisfy customers, profitably. And while it's true that satisfied customers can equate to more sales, there's a subtlety to marketing that is rarely seen in sales (a salesman will harp on about the product's features - bambambam! - whereas a marketer will spend considerable time helping customers to identify its benefits).

So marketing isn't sales; nor is it 'the pretty'. That's another common misconception about marketing: that as a marketer, you exist purely to draw pretty pictures. In fact, there are many legendary marketers that wouldn't have a clue how to draw a pretty picture (they leave that to the experts in the agencies they hire), yet they've transformed businesses with their strategic marketing skills.

And marketing isn't purely about advertising, either. Of course, advertising is part of the marketer's role, but before a marketer can begin to think about advertising, there are a number of strategic and organisational processes that must first be addressed.

Marketing is...

If marketing isn't simply sales, pretty pictures and advertising, what is it?

There are a number of marketing activities that marketing managers will be expected to take responsibility for - and this list is not exhaustive:

- Customer orientation
- Customer care
- Research
- Analysis
- Planning
- Strategy
- Product development
- Employee relations
- Brand development and management
- Supply chain management
- Communication
- Corporate social responsibility

Let's put these responsibilities into context.

When you put your customers first, and work with them to develop products and services that satisfy customer needs in an efficient and profitable way - that's customer orientation, and it's the foundation of marketing.

When you first have the idea of starting a business, or when you develop a new product, and you carry out some research to get an idea of the potential market for your products or services; when you look at what your competitors are doing, and figure out ways to do it more successfully - that's marketing research, analysis and planning, an essential preparatory stage of marketing.

When you look at your business and think: "What do I want this company to be recognised for? What do I want customers to feel about it when they hear its name or see its logo? How do I build and maintain a fantastic reputation for my business?" - that's brand development and management, a strategic marketing discipline that goes way beyond designing logos and colour schemes.

When your staff wear a corporate uniform, answer the 'phone politely using your company name, write letters on your business letterhead, and carry company business cards; when your business has a policy of honesty, openness and integrity, which is drummed into every single employee - that's also brand development and management.

When you model a variety of prices to find the ones that enable you to be competitive, to provide value for money, and to make a profit - that's marketing planning, a marketing discipline without which your business is more likely to fail.

When you deal with complaints quickly and to the customer's satisfaction, in turn limiting damage to your brand; and when you get things right, creating happy customers who tell their friends about how great your company is - that's customer care and brand management; it's marketing.

When you encourage your employees to make suggestions, keep them informed of developments, empower them to carry brand messages correctly and consistently, and ensure their contributions to the business - no matter how small - are appreciated: that's internal marketing, which helps employees take pride in the company and in the jobs they do. And guess what? It's marketing.

When you're a great customer to your suppliers; you're reasonable, you pay on time, you're friendly, you don't mess them about (and you apologise on those rare occasions where it can't be avoided), you recommend their services to others, and you provide testimonials - that's supply chain management, and it's part of marketing.

When you keep an eye on your business' carbon footprint, use recycled materials in packaging, recycle your business waste, give something back to the local community, or adopt a charity - that's corporate social responsibility (CSR), and it's part of marketing.

When you create brochures, a website, Google AdWords campaigns, press releases, exhibition stands, newsletters, a direct mail campaign or a blog - that's marketing communications or 'marcoms', the 'promotions' part of your marketing plan (you do have a marketing plan, right?) - and it's marketing.

And when you measure the number of products you've sold, the ways customers found you, the income your company earned last month, the number of new customers you've signed up, the number of visits to your website, the number of clicks on your pay-per-click campaign, the number of subscribers who opened your newsletters - that's marketing analysis, and whaddayaknow? Yep, it's all part of marketing.

Who'd be a marketer?

The marketing manager carries a burden of responsibility and is one of the most hard working and driven employees in the organisation; she puts in long hours, is held accountable when sales aren't great (because of course it's her fault - it's nothing to do with market pressures, consumer behaviour, social, economic and political trends and all the other market conditions she's been monitoring), and often receives no recognition - let alone thanks - when her efforts lead to results.

It's the marketing manager's efforts in collating market intelligence that provide salesmen with enough ammunition to do their jobs, but they'll rarely thank her for this. Like some sort of Team Mum she's expected to hold their hands and wipe their noses, helping them achieve their targets; in return for this, the salesmen will be paid big "well done for hitting your targets" bonuses while the marketing manager's input will be largely ignored, rarely rewarded.

She keeps a zillion statistics in her head; well, she has to - she's expected to rattle them off parrot-fashion at the board's whim! She is skilled at juggling relationships, as a key part of her role is to keep a large number of people happy: customers, partners, suppliers, the board, the workforce, governments and regulatory bodies - to name but a few.

The marketing manager is a seductress, mistress of the art of persuasion; she's a glass-half-full kinda gal, able to put a positive spin on any disaster. She's a negotiator par excellence and she doesn't lie - good marketers don't need to - but she is an amazing communicator. And, tactful to the last, she rarely lets on how physically, intellectually and emotionally draining her job is.

But when all's said and done...

She enjoys a workload that's interesting, varied, exciting and challenging. She receives samples of cool stuff which, if she's lucky and nobody else gets in first, she'll get to keep. She's courted by partners and suppliers, who spoil her with nice meals, free magazine subscriptions and boxes of luxury chocolates at Christmas.

And if she's really lucky, every now and then she'll get to draw some pretty pictures and do some advertising...