Do you have a marketing department? If not, good. If you do, don’t think these are the only people responsible for marketing. Accounting is a department. Marketing isn’t. Marketing is something everyone in your company is doing 24/7/365.

Just as you cannot communicate, you cannot not market:

Every time you answer the phone, it’s marketing.

Every time you send an e-mail, it’s marketing.

Every time someone uses your product, it’s marketing.

Every word you write on your Web site is marketing.

If you build a software, every error message is marketing.

If you’re in the restaurant business, the after-dinner mint is marketing.

If you’re in the retail business, the checkout counter is marketing.

If you’re in a service business, your invoice is marketing.

Recognize that all of these things are more important than choosing which piece of swag to throw into a conference goodie bag. Marketing isn’t just a few individual events. It’s the sum total of everything you do.

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