Marketers should start as customer service reps. They could then become great marketers. Not what everyone thinks or expects them to be - just promoters.

Customer Service and Marketing are the Same

Isn't marketing about knowing your market, who your ideal customer is, their pain points, then building a strategy to know what (or what not to do) and implementing those with tactics to position your product better? And do it without interrupting a lot of the wrong people or manipulating anyone?

Sounds like customer service to me.

Still can't see it?

You have a need. A problem. A challenge. It needs a solution.

A good customer service rep would ask questions and listen (diagnosis). Once enough information has been gathered, several solutions can be offered (strategy) and one or two will be recommended (tactics and positioning). The customer decides to accept it or not.

It's the same. One difference. You don't have to rely solely on promotions to market to your audience. And the trust is stronger.

One-on-One Marketing

"Who is your ideal customer?"

Any marketer knows this question. It's been asked a million times. What I don't understand is why the answer is 'a group' of people?

Yes, of course, it isn't really just one person we're going to market to. But you start with one.

We've been trained to create personas and to be as specific as possible. Not just demographics, but to understand who they are - behaviour, external factors and motivations.

And yet again, we forget that persona as soon as we start communicating to them. We start promoting. We send irrelevant messages, hoping one will resonate. Or worse, we try to manipulate them into accepting our offer.

In customer service, you're talking to one person. In marketing, one persona. You learn about them, and understand them, relate to them. Then you provide what they need.

Happy customer. Eventually, you'll see more of the same - and this is where free marketing comes in.

Raving Fans (Good Old Word of Mouth)

The solution given is the product.

"Hang on, but my product IS a product!" Yes but your product IS a solution to someone's problem.

When you provide what your ideal customer needs, and they're happy, it won't take long until they rave about it. You (almost) don't even need to ask for it. 

Testimonials, reviews or surveys - we all know they're a great way to prove your product is exceptional.

In customer service, the NPS (net promoter score) is where you get an indication whether your product will be recommended. It's a simple question - "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend, business, or family member?"

In marketing, it's the same. Why do you think Facebook (or Meta, these days) changed Reviews to Recommendations? They're on the right track with this one.

I am proud to be a marketer.

I am a marketer. Even before I thought I was one. I thought that being a marketer meant that I had to 'market', push and convince.

Through the years, I was under the illusion that I wasn't one. I thought I sucked at it. Tried to learn, made mistakes, picked myself up again and even told myself that I didn't want to be one.

What I found out is that I was just different. Because I looked at it with a different pair of eyes - my own. And my love for customer service, quality and training have honed my skills to become a marketer that I'm proud of.

Someone who actually cares about the customer.