You shouldn't be marketing, you should be communicating

I’m going to contradict what I said in an earlier article.  I said that 10% of your business should be marketing but I have since decided that I do not like the word marketing. It sounds cheap and cheesy. And lets face it; someone marketing their product at you isn't what you want.
 
So instead of marketing, you should be communicating with potential and existing customers.
 
The reason I’m contradicting myself is because I’m always evolving my business. Trying to improve it and I’ve always had a hard time explaining what it is I do. Is it marketing? I don’t think so.
 
I've come to the conclusion that it is not marketing. It is communicating.
 
What I do is help small businesses and artists communicate. Whether it’s with a new website, social media plan, photos or even a video. The ‘what I do' is always the same, I’m helping small businesses and artists communicate with other people.
 
If I were to edit my previous article I would say that you should spend 10% of your "business time" on communicating with potential and existing customers.
 
To communicate effectively with people you should be genuinely helpful. This might mean answering emails, writing blog posts, listening and responding to their questions, or even educating them on your process. Communicating can be anything related to your practice or business and how someone might use it or relate to it.
 
I’m proposing that we stop calling it marketing because I don’t believe we should push a message at people. I believe we should communicate with people. Encourage discussion rather than trying to cram something down someone’s throat. Seems like everybody wins when we communicate.
 
So lets communicate, hit me up on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or even send me an email.