What is marketing?

What exactly is marketing and why should we do it?

Chances are you’re already doing marketing without realizing it. Marketing is identifying and satisfying customer wants and needs. The foundation of all good marketing is to know your audience.

A well-marketed organization understands who their audience is, where they are, what they want and how to get it to them.

When you add a new program to your department because your prospective students expect you to have it, that’s marketing. When you host an event to network with donors, that’s marketing.

Communicating that you have a new program or are hosting an event is an equally important part of the marketing process. You have to let your audience know what you’re doing, and in a way that’s going to make them take notice.

Strategy to meet your objectives

The first step in marketing is defining your objectives and developing a strategy to meet them. What is it you’re ultimately trying to achieve? Boost enrolment? Attract higher quality applicants? Increase alumni engagement?

Every marketing decision must be based on meeting your objectives, for which you need a strategy. A strategy involves:

identifying and understanding your target audience
determining what it is you want them to know
determining how you want to tell them
determining what you want them to do as a result

Stand out with good creative

Students have more options than ever before on where to attend university. Donors receive numerous solicitations for their money. Community members are bombarded with opportunities to attend events. Every organization is trying to tell their audience what it is they offer. Good creative can help us stand out among all those organizations.

Singular, clear messages are essential in communicating with our audience. Fresh, creative ideas are needed to break through the clutter and get noticed.

Reach your audience with targeted media

There’s no sense in having good creative if your target audience doesn’t see it. The media landscape has become fragmented and, more than ever, customers personally control how they consume media.

This dramatic shift has made strategic media planning and buying essential. We’ll help ensure that your marketing messages are heard, and your media dollars are well spent.