In recent years, the Marketing profession has been perceived negatively as many larger corporations have abused their powers to persuade the masses to purchase anything from Chia pets to cheeseburgers. It is true that these tactics of creating need and perceived value can be used in a harmful way, but at their best they create renowned brand recognition, generate sales, and develop strategies that lead companies to long-term growth and prosperity.

Below are functions of a typical marketing department:

1. Identify and befriend your customers.
2. Know your market and monitor your competition.
3. Create and propagate the corporate brand.
4. Recruit and direct outside vendors.
5. Foster Innovation.
6. Simplify your internal communications.
7. Strategize effectively within a finely-tuned budget.
8. Develop a strategy that completes specific goals and delivers expected ROI.
9. Observe, adapt, anticipate, plan, execute. … and be ready to improvise at a moment’s notice.

The Marketing department of InnLink is no different. Comprised of just two people, Mary Beth Folger and Victoria Vanderveer, our Marketing department supports the needs of 4 distinct brands and develops marketing strategies that support the goals of each brand in the marketplace. They handle both internal communications and any client-facing element of our business to inspect it for branding, messaging, and consistency. The Marketing department meets with internal clients to develop campaigns and coordinates with outside vendors to pursue work required beyond the capabilities or time constraints of the team. Perhaps the most important function of marketing, however, is researching our industry as well as our competition to ensure we remain effective and relevant to our customers. This function is at the root of every product and service that we develop. But while it is Marketing's specific, assigned task to be customer-focused, it's important to remember that all departments contribute to a positive experience for the customer.