In my experience one of the biggest mysteries surrounding marketing is the lack of understanding by many business owners about what marketing is actually supposed to do or it’s purpose. I have been asked this purpose question so many times that I have actually devised a very simple test to determine if a business owner is utilizing their marketing efforts in the most productive way.

So, here’s the million dollar question, what is the purpose of marketing?

Marketing’s purpose is actually three-fold.

The first purpose of marketing is to capture the attention of your target market. It’s impossible to market to anyone, until you can get them to listen to your messages.

The second purpose is to give your target market the hope that by reading or listening to your marketing piece, it will give them enough information to facilitate their making the best decision possible when buying whatever you sell.

The third purpose of marketing is to lower the risk of them taking the next step in the buying process so that you can further educate the prospect about what you do.

So, did you pass the test?

If you’ve answered no to any of these questions, then you’re not getting all you should be from your marketing efforts and probably not turning as many prospects into customers as you should be.

It’s really pretty simple.

All you have to do as the business owner, is figure out what is important to your prospects, educate them about what constitutes the best deal in your industry and then show them quantifiable proof, that you actually provide that best deal in terms of price and value and communicate that all to your target in a way that they will pay attention to you, believe you and take action on your offers.

But, here’s the problem. Many companies don’t give the consumer what they want. Instead of using marketing as an educational tool to educate and facilitate the decision-making process, and build a case for why they should choose your company, and give the customer a low-risk offer, most companies fill their marketing messages that basically say buy it from us for no good reason and now, or we don’t have anything for you. That’s why your prospects resist your marketing efforts.

Here’s a simple method to improve your marketing:

1. Get Attention – with benefit-promising headlines
2. Educate your customers and prospects with educational messages that show them what they need to know about your product or service and why you can deliver this better than anyone else in the industry
3. Provide a low-risk way for them to try you with a free trial, 100% money back guarantee, free whitepaper, etc.

By understanding and applying the three purposes of marketing, you will earn more customers and generate more revenue for your business.

Joe Costantino is a Duct Tape Marketing Coach located in Boston, Massachusetts. You can visit his website at www.businessmarketingsuccess.com.