Marketers are pulled in every direction and, frankly, rarely taken seriously! When did everyone else become a marketer? Marketing is not about which one of the hundreds of tools, wikis or fancy new shiny objects someone can use…  

Marketing is about understanding the product/service deeply and knowing how it matches with the opportunities in the marketplace. It is about understanding your target so well that you are able to help them reach and identify how your solutions will solve their problems. And most importantly, it is about the emotional experience of buying.   

It is a loud noisy world out there. Also, it is a loud noisy world in most of our heads! Good marketing helps you stop, think, and obtain the solutions you need! Good marketing comes from a deep understanding of the prized, most profitable targets and the process that they go through when deciding what to buy. Marketing is about emotion; not tools! And marketing, like all good business decisions, needs a solid, thoughtful strategy!   

So, if you happen to bump into a marketing professional today… give them a hug (if appropriate) and buy them a coffee! Sit down with them and treat them with respect! Don’t pull them in every direction with your crazy ideas and newfound apps… Let them help you create a strategy that puts your target in the center! Then together, choose the tools that match that strategy.  

Lastly, let marketers be creative again! Let them think, take chances, and burst through the walls of the box! Creativity is what got us to where we are today! Let your marketing professionals be who they are… creative and strategic professionals! Let them guide the process!