Make Sure Marketing is More Than Your 'Gal Friday'

Do you know what a ‘Gal Friday’ is? I know from personal experience; I’ve been one, more than once in my professional career.

It’s that person in the office who’s often found un-jamming the copier or replacing the toner, who orders office supplies, who bounces out to pick up food for the 'important' people, takes notes at the meetings and cleans up afterward, and makes the emergency run to the office supplies store for paper.

It’s someone viewed as existing for the convenience and benefit of others, with little thought to what their official job and real responsibilities really are (or should be).

Because they’re amiable and willing to help out with whatever needs to be done, they’re often undervalued and their real skills and strengths get overlooked.

In too many businesses, Marketing is viewed as a 'Gal Friday,' and its most powerful, effective strengths are wasted. 

Too often, Marketing is viewed as the ‘errand girl’ for the Sales Department or the public relations conduit for the CEO or head of Finance.

It’s used to when needed to un-jam the company from mistakes they made.

It’s brought in to try to move items that Purchasing shouldn’t have purchased or shouldn’t have purchased so many of. 

It's called upon at the last minute to deliver a 'hail mary' pass in order to help fill up classes and events that didn't magically 'sell themselves.' 

If, as I propose, Marketing includes all the activities, means and tools you use to

    1. attract
    2. engage
    3. motivate (to take desired actions) and
    4. retain customers

then marketing deserves a seat at the table in your business, from the get-go. 

Marketing is not your Girl Friday, there only to facilitate or clean up after others. If Marketing is an afterthought – a “tool” you use only to try to achieve the ends of others, then you’re wasting its strengths and you don’t really understand marketing, at all.

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Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.