Have you ever played the deserted island game? It goes something like this: if you were marooned on a deserted island, and you could only take one thing with you, what would it be? Most people think of some comfortable item they have grown accustomed to having around. That may be a good book, a cozy chair or their cell phone. Others are a bit more practical and say they would take a tent, a fishing pole or a boat. The question is meant to make you think about what is most essential to your life and central to your well-being. But most people don’t think about the most important items –the ones we truly cannot live without. We take most of them for granted. Clean drinking water would be one of those indispensable items. So would heat to keep you warm and enough food to keep you alive. But there are items that are more critical to life than even these, such as oxygen to breathe and an atmosphere that will neither freeze you to death nor scorch you to a crisp. Try this on another planet like Venus or Mars and you would find out quickly just how indispensable those items are for your immediate well-being.

There is an indispensable part of every business and many times it is looked past when we talk about the most important parts of marketing. Too often marketing is seen as a creative expression, full of flash and bling. But down at the most essential levels – where we are depending upon oxygen – there are some parts of marketing that we cannot live without. Here is a short list of indispensable marketing.

1. Marketing that leads to sales

If you want to snuff the life out of any business, choke off the sales pipeline. Do you know what is at the beginning of that pipeline? Marketing! But let’s get specific here. There are parts of marketing that make people aware of your brand. That is important to get them comfortable and informed. However, marketing cannot just stop with awareness, it needs to entice people to buy something from you. Marketing is vital to getting prospective customers to take a look at your brand and to consider buying it.

2. Marketing that retains customers

If you don’t retain your current customers, your business will suffocate. Marketing is crucial in your retention efforts. It measures how successful you were at pleasing your new customers and gives them a reason to continue buying from you again and again. If you want a customer base, marketing is what keeps your business breathing.

3. Marketing that expands your circle

If you are going to grow your business, marketing is a necessity. Nothing sells without it. There are two aspects of growth that I want to highlight. First, marketing helps you define and attract true customers. This is referred to as a target market. There may be plenty of people who are aware of your brand that will never purchase a thing from you. They fall outside of your target. Marketing helps you define this group. Secondly, marketing helps you understand your target market’s true needs and helps you promote your solution to those needs through your brand. If your business is going to do more than just exist – if it is truly going to grow, marketing is the lifeblood that will help you expand your circle.

Is marketing taken for granted in business? Certainly, just like oxygen. But take it away and see how long you last – not long! It is indispensable.