Marketing Is Everyone's Job

One very important thing to remember is that, in reality, EVERY ONE IN YOUR COMPANY IS MARKETING.

That's right, the marketing department crosses the boundaries of your entire company. Every employee in your company needs to be aware of the marketing message, visions, and goals of the company, and should reflect that message in everything they do that is related to the product or service you provide, the promise you make and the customers you serve. Because whether they understand the message or not, they are being judged by it.

And therefore judging your business!

Are Your Employees Sending The Right Message?

Every contact with customers and potential customers your employees make, whether it's through advertising, personal contact, or other means, should carry a consistent message about your company and product. Whether it is your the delivery driver that hands the product to your customer, the office receptionist that answers the phone, or even the manufacturing line person that adds one part to the product you make, they all need to understand your Marketing Position - what you are trying to convey to your target audience. In effect, every employee is a sales person, every employee is a customer service representative and every employee is a marketer. And consistency in marketing is critical.

And from the minute your business becomes more than one person deep, consistency becomes a challenge. And the truth is, whether you like it or not, if your customers get mixed messages about what your business is, then they will have a distorted picture - they will be confused - and will most likely choose not to use you anymore.

Any bad, or even adverse, experience a customer has with your company (or its representatives) can affect future sales from that customer, as well as the people they tell about the experience. This bad experience can be anything from a rude receptionist or poor packaging of a product to someone seeing an employee brandishing your company logo acting unprofessional.

Finally, there are so many variables that effect whether a potential customer becomes a customer or a current customer remains loyal. And it is your "Marketing Department's" job to insure that consistency in that message - no matter how it gets out. And it is the Marketing Director (whomever that may be) that is accountable for the total successful image of the company and / or product.

Get Your Message Out To Your Whole Staff

So ask yourself, how well does your staff know what your Marketing Message is? How well do they buy-in to what you are trying to create? The answers to these questions is critical to long term success in any industry - in any economic condition, but even more so in today's highly competitive environment. Because each and every one of them is making a difference in helping delivering that message - whether you want them to or not.

This week, set some time aside to talk to your staff and help them understand how much of an impact they have on your business - not just by what they do, but how they act and how well they understand the message of the company.