Offer and Acceptance
Marketing
as a concept, from its inception through today, can be broken down to two key
terms, offer and acceptance. That's exactly what
marketing is. And, in itself, it is not much more complicated
than that. Marketing, whether it is conducted in Dallas or
Atlanta, is a fundamental business practice which is based on the two actions
of an offer being made and an acceptance by the buyer or purchaser. Those
terms are also key components of contractual law, but in terms of
non-contracted commerce, understanding the processes surrounding
the actions makes for a much more clear perspective.
When
you market a product or service, you offer that product or service and hope
that a consumer will accept and purchase your offering. Sounds pretty
simple as a concept. But as it often is, the devil is in the
details. Next, what you offer determines whether a consumer will purchase
it. To make things more complicated, the consumer has to know what you
are offering to be able to even accept the offer. Let's continue.
Now, to reach the consumer for him or her to even know about your offer, you
have to know the habits of the consumer. And, to try and understand the
habits of the consumer to even reach him or her to make your offer, you have to
know things like his or her age, possibly his or her race, and maybe even how
much money he or she makes. And, at this point, we have only scratched
the surface.
Once
you feel as though you know the type of consumer to whom you wish to present the
offer, you then have to decide whether you will present the offer to him or her
by advertising on The Today Show, or maybe you could better reach him or
her by purchasing Google Adwords. What if he or she listens religiously
to a morning radio show? Perhaps you could present him or her our offer
via that radio broadcast. What if he or she is constantly on Twitter
or Instagram? Perhaps you could present your offer through one
or both of those marketing channels. Or, maybe you should present the
offer on his or her favorite social media outlet, Facebook. What is truly
basic in concept now seems extremely complex in the details. And, we have
not even taken into account the marketing budget.
Marketing
and strategic communication are basic and pure conceptually. At the core
of those basics is the presentation of an offer and the acceptance of that
offer. They are as basic and fundamental as the love a parent has for his
or her child, and as complicated as expressing and conveying that love during
the child's trying teenage years. To be successful in marketing as well
as parenting, you must whole-heartedly embrace the basic and core premises, and
subsequently navigate through all of the complexities surrounding them.
The art of understanding, revisiting, and embracing the basics keeps you grounded and focused clearly on your marketing objectives. And, each complex detail needs to tie back to the basics. In terms of marketing, no one said running your business would be easy.
But, at the end of the day, if you embrace the basics, all of the complexities will come into focus. And, navigating through all of the challenges will be well
worth it, because after all, your business is your baby.
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