The term marketing derived from the market itself, the aim of which is to sell something to somebody. In much wider sense marketing is activity of the market. As an economic category marketing has much broader content.
At the turn of the XIX and XX centuries, this notion appeared in economic literature, especially in US'. It which was dictated by the need to improve the existing system of management of market activities. The marketing philosophy of business was given the task to provide higher level of sales management of individual business structures.
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The result of practical implementation of marketing theory was the "birth" of market research departments and commercial organizations that provide marketing services. In late 50-s of XX-th century marketing was finally formed as a system of production and activities, though some of its major elements appeared much earlier. Having a theoretical origin marketing study evolves year after year, even today.
Modern definitions of marketing, usually having much wider range of functions:
- Marketing is... the process of planning and implementation of design, pricing, promotion of ideas, goods and services through the exchange, thus satisfying the goals of individuals and organizations.
- ...the anticipation, management and fulfilling the demand for goods, services, organizations, people, territory through the exchange of ideas.
- ...a set of techniques that companies apply to satisfy consumer’s demand in order to increase sales of their products.
- ...a set of planned organizational and technical actions for market research, producing products based on market demand and the movement of goods to the consumer in order to maximize profits.
- ...a business activity related to the direction of the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer.
- ...the aim is to identify, predict and meet consumer demand thus making the profit for a specific company or organization.
- ...a process of harmonization of the company and consumer demands.
This theoretical abundance leads to significant differences regarding marketing. Thus, many experts believe that these concept should include noncommercial activity. Their opponents have focused on traditional areas of application, i.e. the ratio of purchase - sales and believes, that marketing should be limited to the study of economic needs and desires, and what’s more important marketing principles can not be applied to all situations.
But let’s have a down-to-earth look at marking and especially at marketers. What’s the most important activity these guys have? Of course that’s the research. One cannot live without googling (or yahooing or whatever you do) in XXI century no matter what occupation you have, even if you are going to track the actions of your EX, you’ll have to make a research).
In our souls we are all marketers, from time to time we need to make some actions aimed at presenting ourselves in the best possible way, either it’s a new date or an interview for a new job (though these examples do not differ much).
So let’s look at some tools that can help marketers cut a path through the jungle of demand, supply, bounce and other nightmares and pleasant moments.
If you’re looking to announce exciting news about your business, MarketWire provides you with top-notch distribution channels to maximize exposure. They also offer an extensive array of specialty niche channels.
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If you’re interested in sharing your computer screen with others, FreeScreenSharing offers unlimited meetings with up to 96 participants at a time. They’ll even throw in a free, dedicated conference bridge you can use at anytime.
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Also one can benefit greatly from Slideshare, there you will find dozens of presentations for each topic, simple choose your keywords wisely.
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Topsy
Awesome resource for marketers, allows to measure, analyze index of public social web. Here you find easily any topic, term or hashtag across years of conversations on millions of web sites.
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If you’re a small business with a web presence, credibility is key. Bravo Video provides you with an easy way to capture customer testimonial videos. These videos can be shared on your website, blog and social media properties.
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If collecting information on your website is important to you, then it’s time to take a look at Formstack. You can easily create forms, collect and analyze data and even integrate third-party applications like CRM, email marketing and payment processing.
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There’s no such thing as a perfect website. UserTesting allows you to watch a video of a real visitor as they navigate through your site. You provide the user panel with what you’d like them to accomplish, and within a few hours you’ll have incredibly helpful video (and audio) feedback.
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Forget the annual email fees as Google Business Apps provides you with up to 10 free email accounts. Spam filtering is second-to-none, and you can easily sync your email with Outlook or access via the Internet at gmail.com.
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If you use Google Business Apps, you’ll be automatically signed up for a free Google Drive account. Similar to Dropbox, Google Drive lets you store, sync, and access your files from anywhere – including mobile devices.
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SPEAK UP!
You definitely know some tools best for marketers. Feel free to mention then in the comments.