R.E.S.P.E.C.T for the marketing professional
Recently, I have had a crash course in marketing. As the editor and publisher of several business magazines including Business First and executivetrader.com.au, I had always taken marketing for granted. I knew there was a purpose, but I always felt it was more sales pitch than substance.
Having recently taken on the role of Media and Content Manager for Marketing Eye, I am realising how wrong I was. I took the job here because I felt it would be a different challenge, after all we see the value in life when we chase goals that are foreign to us and push our boundaries.
Though my role here is still content generation, I must now come at it from a marketing and public relations perspective.
And my perspective has changed.
Marketing is more than the sales pitch. Marketing is in-depth analysis of a client’s strengths and weaknesses and the creation of strategic solutions that not only further brand awareness, but also increase business opportunity. It is public relations, web and IT development, messaging and audience recognition. It is everything that you see in a business and take for granted.
I have always had good relationships with public relations professionals. I have always held the belief that if they come to me with a great story idea, I am duty bound to follow it through. It creates a win-win situation. I get a worthy story and the PR agent receives publicity for their client. However, sometimes when the heat is on in the publishing house, I have been dismissive. It was never out of a desire to be rude to anybody, and I hope I wasn’t, but there are times when there are not enough hours in the day to discuss a future story especially when you’re trying to push current ones through to the printer.
Now that I wear two hats, I am sure to change my tune. I am learning the PR ropes. I am learning how difficult it can be to get through to time-poor editors. I am learning that PR is a difficult profession. I am learning that marketing is not reflective of the silver-haired, silver-tongued sales guru who is spruiking 10 ways to make a million dollars.
Marketing is so much more and as an experienced business editor and writer, I am a junior marketer and still have so much more to learn.
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