Are you Overmarketing?

Recently, a prospect used the word “overmarketing” in a new business call when describing what one of their marketing challenges was. I hadn’t thought about overmarketing for a while, and it intrigued me, so I did some reading just to freshen up.

One article I read asserted that Overmarketing implies the fundamental difference between selling and marketing. In other words, Overmarketing is trying to sell whatever you have to your buying audience, regardless of whether they need it or not, versus marketing, which is finding out what your customer needs and then filling the need if you can; and if you can’t, making suggestions on where they can get the need filled.

But the article went even further, and this is where I believe the true value lies. Market yourself, your business and your products and services, but don’t overmarket. Be authentic. Say who you really are and what you’re all about. Be proud of who you are. When you are true to your brand and true to yourself, you’re being authentic. From there, find out what the needs of your customer are and whether you can meet them. Then be honest with yourself, represent yourself that way, and let the chips fall as they may. Maybe you’re a good fit for each other. Maybe you’re not, but you’re figuring it out, and in the end, it always works out better that way.

So, later on, in a follow up meeting with that same prospect, I asked the clarifying question I should have asked in the first meeting. What do you mean when you say Overmarketing? The answer; trying to do too much with the resources you have available to you. Makes sense. I understand now how that could be a real challenge.

Thinking more about it, I can see how either definition works, and they both make sense. But it comes down to these two questions. Are you being authentic and representing yourself in the truest sense? Remember, you are who you are. And, are you allocating and directing your marketing resources where you can have the most impact? I hope that you are. If you’re not, it’s probably never too late to get started. Happy marketing.