I’ve always been in marketing. I haven’t always been a marketer. My career began while I was in the midst of raising a family, but my work in marketing began much earlier than that. Marketing is the practice of selling ideas and one aspect of what it truly means to be human and to live in community.
My professional career in marketing began to take shape as an academic writer during and after graduate school. I understood the importance of “selling” ideas on paper because I was just wired that way. For many years, even prior to entering the academic environment, I had been drawn to philosophical debate – the marketplace of ideas was definitely where I felt most at home.
While completing my masters program in ethics, I began to work the area of non-profit leadership and communications. Almost immediately, I was propelled into some stories of national relevance and quickly learned how to get my message to the media the way it needed to be delivered for the sake of a cause. During this time, the academic enterprise proved it was all about the selling of ideas in ways not dissimilar from any other marketing endeavor like selling books, shoes or cell phones. The products I sold were of the intellectual flavor, but products nonetheless.
I entered the world of marketing because while at work to persuade others about ideas that I was passionate about, I found myself drawn to understand and implement more formal marketing strategies. The educator in me wanted to help others understand it, too. Having a concise message formulated and deliverable to a target audience was my job for many years in roles that were not formally marketing roles, yet roles that necessitated I perform successful marketing functions. As soon as it became clear to me that marketing was fun and I was good at it, my focus shifted and I discovered my new passion – to help others clearly articulate their message and effectively share their stories to their audience.
As people who live in a world shared with others, effective communications is integral to the quality of life in our shared communities. As purveyors of ideas, our best days are those when we respect each other with messages and stories that are, at their root, concerned with the well-being of others. People are smart, not easily duped into believing the newest fad concept delivered by the latest and greatest marketing ploy. So we should be transparent about the products, ideas and services we’re trying to persuade others to buy because people remember when they have been taken. The most creative and successful marketing tactics will include the most honest stories we can tell.
I want the work I do to mean something to someone somewhere. Projects I work on will not have relevance to everyone. For the people my work is intended to reach, I want to make a difference. My role as a marketing professional is to help my clients develop and disseminate their message to their target audience in a way that’s compelling and reflective of the passion poured into their work each day. I am a marketer offering creative solutions to tell the story that most effectively promotes your product, service or cause.