Marketing is a key component to a successful organization, and if handled incorrectly it can be extremely detrimental to your business. The old marketing mantra “The customer is always right” is often not far from the truth. Marketing, like any other form of communication, takes time, care, and even fines to get right. Marketing is an essential part of every business, however, if handled incorrectly it can be just as harmful as poorly managed.

Marketing has come a long way since the days of “the four little men.” Today’s marketing strategy is much more complex, involving more than simply following the old maxim, “the customer is always right.” Marketing incorporates many factors, including establishing a coordinated marketing plan with all of the elements of your organization on the same page, communicating clearly with your customers, measuring and rewarding customer satisfaction, and creating long-term relationships with your customers. As you can see, marketing is far more than just saying “I will.”

Your marketing strategy should integrate a variety of communication tools to reach the various parts of your organization. If you think that marketing is simply about pushing your brand or offering so that you can get more eyeballs, then you will likely fail at marketing. If you think that marketing is about measuring your success and rewarding your customers for their loyalty and support, then you will likely succeed.