What is marketing? Definition, professions, types, examples

What is marketing? Anglicism. Masculine noun (Marketing) – A simple definition of marketing and the main detailed approaches…

What is marketing? A simple definition

Marketing appears at every stage of the sales process:

• 🎯 Upstream, to define the sales offer, the target(s) and by what means of communication, reach your buyer persona.
• 📢 During the sales process, by setting up marketing campaigns: advertising, events, emailings.
• 📶 Downstream, to analyze the results of a marketing campaign and take new strategic measures.

Marketing is at the heart of a company’s strategy for launching, boosting and sustaining its business over time. So it’s essential to choose the right approach!

What are the different approaches to marketing?

First of all, what is the definition of “marketing approach”? 🤔

Marketing approaches therefore designate the manner and set of actions a company chooses to contact, attract and promote its products or services. 📣

They will vary according to your strategy and objectives, and will therefore change over time. Several approaches can be used simultaneously.

22 different types of marketing explained

Let’s discover the 22 types of marketing. 👇🏼

1) Strategic marketing

This type of marketing uses the right tools to capture market trends and allows you to lay out a solid strategy that will propel your business ahead of the competition over the long term. 🚀

Objectives :

• Anticipate market trends.
• Identify opportunities.
• Steer actions to achieve sustainable growth.

How :

• SWOT.
• 5 proter forces.
• Pestel.
• Identity lens.
• BCG matrix.
• Positioning

2) Operational marketing

Here, we’re talking about all the concrete actions and missions to be carried out (defined during the marketing analysis). 🔎

Objectives :

• Promote products/services.
• Generate sales.
• Achieve set objectives.

How :

• Email campaigns / prospecting.
• Data scrapping.
• Competitions.
• Promotions.

3) Relationship marketing

These are marketing actions designed to maintain lasting relationships with customers. 😇

Objectives :

• Accompany customers on their journey to a privileged experience.
• Create buying habits.
• Customer satisfaction and loyalty.

How :

• Events.
• Series of e-mails.
• Flash offers.
• Participation in the creation of new products.
• Loyalty card.

4) Transactional marketing

Here, we’re talking about marketing operations that encourage the act of buying from a brand-new customer. 👀

Objectives :

• Focused on immediate sales.
• Increased sales volume.

How :

• Promotions.
• Discounts.
• Flash sale.
• Suggested purchase.
• Simplified route on the website.

5) Promotional marketing

We’re going to focus on actions to stimulate purchases through temporary offers. ⏰

Objectives :

• Attract new customers.
• Boost your company’s reputation and popularity.

How :

• Discounts.
• Competition.
• Free samples.

On the following channels:

• Google Ads.
• TV / radio.
• Advertising posters.
• Web banners.

6) Digital marketing

Digital marketing is the art of promoting online offers and reaching targets via digital channels.

Marketing channels :

• Social networking.
• SEO.
• SEA.
• Online advertising.
• Emailing & newsletters.
• Content marketing.
• Sponsorship.

7) Outbound marketing

Here, we take a proactive approach to capturing the attention of potential customers through external channels. The idea is to get prospects where they are! 🎯

Objectives :

• Grab the customer’s attention quickly.
• Active prospecting.

How :

• TV and radio advertising.
• Billboard advertising.
• Cold emailing.

8) Inbound marketing

Rather than fetching customers, we make them come naturally by offering them relevant and useful content. A strategy that focuses on added value 😉

Objectives :

• Attract and engage a targeted audience.
• Develop a relationship of trust.

How :

• Blogs and SEO articles.
• Ebooks and white papers.
• Videos and tutorials.

9) Social media marketing

Social networks are the ideal playground for promoting your products, interacting with your customers and creating a real community. 💬

Objectives :

• Commitment and loyalty.
• Create a close relationship with your audience.

How :

• Publications on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok…
• Management tools like Hootsuite or Buffer.

10) SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

Here, we’re talking about using paid advertising to maximize visibility on search engines. Ideal for boosting traffic fast! 🔍

Objectives :

• Increase the number of qualified visitors.
• Optimize return on investment.

How :

• Google Ads
• Bing Ads

11) Mobile (or smartphone) marketing

With our smartphones always at hand, brands need to adapt and imagine new ways of interacting with their audiences on the move. 📱

Objectives :

• Target mobile users.
• Personalize customer relations.

How :

• SMS marketing and push notifications.
• Geolocation.
• Mobile applications.

12) Content marketing

Creating useful and engaging content to capture consumers’ attention is the basis of content marketing. 🎨

Objectives :

• Inform and retain your audience.
• Reinforce brand awareness.

How :

• Blog posts.
• Podcasts, videos and infographics.
• Newsletters.

13) Influence marketing

Influencers have become key players in marketing. Collaborating with them means ensuring authentic, targeted visibility. ✨

Objectives :

• Increase brand awareness.
• Reach specific audiences.

How :

• Partnerships with influencers.
• Sponsored publications.
• Product co-creation.

14) Affiliate marketing

The idea is simple: pay partners to promote a product or service, and thus generate more sales. 💰

Objectives :

• Increase sales through external partners.
• Generate new leads.

How :

• Affiliation platforms.
• Tracked links.
• Ambassador programs.

15) Direct marketing

Sometimes it’s better to get straight to the point and talk directly to the customer. Direct marketing is the art of eliciting an immediate response! ⚡

Objectives :

• Communicate individually with the customer.
• Generate a rapid response.

How :

• Emailing and SMS.
• Phone calls.
• Postal mail.

16) Social marketing

It’s possible to combine business and social commitment! This type of marketing aims to promote causes to improve brand image. 🌍

Objectives :

• Promote the company’s commitment.
• Improve brand perception.

How :

• Social responsibility campaigns.

17) Brand marketing (or branding)

Building a strong brand image is essential to stand out from the crowd and make a lasting impression. 🔥

Objectives :

• Develop and reinforce brand perception.
• Create a unique identity.

How :

• Logos and slogans.
• Notoriety advertising.

18) International marketing

When a brand wants to expand internationally, it needs to adapt its strategy for each geographic market. 🌍

Objectives :

• Conquer new markets.
• Adapt your communication to each culture.

How :

• Locating products and services.

19) Experiential marketing

Giving consumers a memorable experience is the lifeblood of experiential marketing. 🎭

Objectives :

• Create an emotional bond with the brand.
• Offer an immersive experience.

How :

• In-store events.
• Pop-up stores.

20) Sensorial marketing

Our senses play a key role in the act of buying. This type of marketing exploits its impact on the customer experience. 🎶

How :

• In-store music.
• Odor diffusion.
• Sensory design.

21) Neuromarketing

By studying the brain’s reactions to marketing stimuli, we can fine-tune our strategies to maximize their impact. 🧠

How :

• Eye-tracking.
• EEG studies.
• Emotional analysis.

22) Omnichannel marketing

Integrating multiple channels for a seamless, fluid experience is what omnichannel marketing is all about. 🔄

How :

• Online and in-store strategy.
• Customer follow-up on several platforms.

🤷🏻‍♀️ Of course, there are other derivatives such as green marketing, sustainable marketing, product marketing, video marketing and so on.

Conclusion – What is marketing?

🏁 And there you have it, you can now answer the question “What is marketing?”, and you can even name most of the types of marketing that exist.

• Definition,
• Objectives,
• Acquisition channels,
• Marketing tools…

🧱 Now you can start building your own marketing strategy. And, when it’s done, launch multi-channel actions (LinkedIn + Email) with Waalaxy! 👽

Coming up in our FAQ 🚨: marketing professions (with salaries and studies to get there) and the different principles of marketing!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is marketing: marketing professions, salaries, studies?

Marketing encompasses several hundred professions (fields and specializations). 🤯

Of course, we can’t list all marketing specialists, but here are the main marketing professions, with their main mission and a salary range 👇🏼 :

Business	Description	Estimated annual salary (€)
Marketing Manager	Manage a company’s global marketing strategy. Identify the best campaigns and channels for your offer.	50,000 – 90,000 €
Product Manager	Manage the development and promotion of sales or a specific product. Launch projects. Define offer and persona.	40,000 – 70,000 €
Marketing project manager	Coordinate and implement marketing projects.	35,000 – 55,000 €
Marketing manager	Execute all operational marketing actions.	30,000 – 45,000 €
Communications Manager	Choose the best channels to contact and wait for the target. Oversee the company’s internal and external communications.	45,000 – 80,000 €
Digital marketing manager	Develop and manage online marketing strategies.	50,000 – 85,000 €
Community manager	Animate and manage the brand’s presence on social networks.	25,000 – 35,000 €
Social media manager	Develop the brand’s global social networking strategy. Execute marketing actions and launch campaigns.	35,000 – 55,000 €
Content manager	Design and oversee content creation to attract and engage audiences.	35,000 – 60,000 €
SEO/SEM manager	Optimize natural and paid search to increase visibility on search engines.	40,000 – 70,000 €
Growth hacker	Implement strategies for rapid, measurable growth.	40,000 – 70,000 €
Data analyst marketing	Verify results, analyze and interpret data to inform marketing decisions.	35,000 – 65,000 €
Traffic manager	Manage traffic acquisition on various digital channels.	40,000 – 60,000 €
CRM manager	Optimize customer relations and manage loyalty campaigns.	45,000 – 75,000 €
Email marketing manager	Design and implement email campaigns to achieve conversion and loyalty objectives.	35,000 – 55,000 €
Brand manager	360° vision of all corporate communications. Ensurebrand image management and consistency. Adapt the company’s storytelling.	45,000 – 75,000 €
Media planner	Plan advertising campaigns on various media.	30,000 – 50,000 €
Web marketing manager	Coordinate web-specific marketing activities (SEO, affiliation, etc.).	40,000 – 65,000 €
UX/UI designer	Work on optimizing the user experience on digital interfaces.	35,000 – 60,000 €
Marketing Research Manager	Conduct research to understand trends, dominant behaviors and competitors(benchmarking).	35,000 – 55,000 €

Would you like to work in one of the above marketing professions? 📚 Generally, the studies to follow are:

1. Classic” curriculum 🎻: enter a business school for a bac+5, i.e. up to Mastère (private school) or Master Marketing (public school).
2. Less classique⚡️: start by finding a job as a marketing assistant without having gone through the classic curriculum and develop your skills and know-how (for example, with online training courses).

However, it usually takes at least 5 years’ experience to reach management positions. ⏳

Of course, once again, it all depends on your skills and past professional successes, as well as the organization hiring you.

Marketing principles: what is the marketing mix?

🌟 Marketing principles (or marketing mix) aim to define a company’s marketing positioning in a market and differentiate itself from the competition.

First, there were 4 of them. 👇🏼

Then they became 7. 👇🏼

So now you know“what marketing is” and the different approaches you can use to develop your business. See you soon! 👽