The Best Marketing Starts with a Good Explanation

“The best marketing begins with explaining,” said Susan Su of 500 Startups, a leading global venture capital seed fund and startup accelerator. I heard that line earlier this week at a marketing conference and it’s stuck with me.

Marketing is more than flashy images, a cool logo, witty headlines, and catchy jingles. Marketing is more than a pitch to get someone to buy your product. The best marketing (in my humble opinion) starts with a heart to serve.

There is a person out there looking for a product that can make their life better. You are there to explain to them what your product does, what it doesn’t do, how it can help, and why it’s different than the other products they could buy. Your explanation helps that person to understand your product and equips them to make the best decision for themselves. That’s good marketing. Its purpose is to serve. Not to convince, but to explain.

I like this way of thinking about marketing. It takes out the hype, the embellishments, the white lies, the exaggerations, the insincerity, and the attention-seeking drama that often comes with marketing.

The best marketing starts with a good explanation.