“Our Product Is the Best” Is Not a Marketing Strategy
Many entrepreneurs say: “Our product is better.”
Or: “Our service is cheaper.”
Or: “Nobody provides this quality.”
All three may be true. And the business can still fail. Why?
Because customers cannot buy what they don’t know exists.
Ashish Kumar Agarwal emphasizes that marketing and brand perception are critical parts of business growth.
Marketing Creates Awareness
A customer journey often looks like:
Awareness → Interest → Consideration → Purchase → Experience → Repeat → Referral
A great product mainly influences the later stages. Marketing helps create the earlier ones.
If awareness is zero, product quality has no opportunity to prove itself.
India’s Digital Reach Changes the Game
India’s broadband ecosystem has become enormous. TRAI reported that the country’s broadband subscriber base crossed 1 billion in November 2025.
This means businesses can potentially reach highly specific audiences through digital channels. But reach alone isn’t enough.
The Wrong Audience Can Destroy Marketing ROI
Imagine a B2B consulting company advertising to students. The advertisement may generate clicks. It may even generate leads. But if the target customer is a business owner, the campaign is misaligned.
Ashish gives a similar example from his own experience: marketing money can be wasted when the audience, geography or message does not match the actual buyer.
The Three-Part Marketing Test
Before launching an advertisement, ask:
- Who?
Exactly who is the buyer?
- What?
What exactly are you selling?
- Why now?
Why should the customer take action today?
For example:
Weak: “ABC Brand — India’s Leading Business Solution.”
Better: “Get a Franchise Business Audit and discover whether your business is ready to expand through franchising.”
The second message communicates an action.
Marketing vs. Advertising
They are not the same.
Marketing
The complete system of understanding and reaching customers.
Advertising
One method of communication within that system.
Marketing includes:
- Positioning
- Pricing
- Distribution
- Content
- Branding
- Sales
- Customer experience
- Retention
Measure Marketing Properly
Don’t measure only: Likes + Impressions + Followers
Measure:
- Cost per Lead
- Lead-to-Meeting Rate
- Meeting-to-Sale Rate
- Customer Acquisition Cost
- Average Customer Value
For example:
If you spend ₹1,00,000 and generate 200 leads:
Cost per Lead = ₹500
If 20 become qualified opportunities:
Cost per Qualified Opportunity = ₹5,000
If 5 become customers:
Customer Acquisition Cost = ₹20,000
Now you can evaluate whether the campaign is economically viable.
Clear Messaging Wins
Ashish emphasizes that customers have limited attention and businesses must communicate their offer clearly.
The rule is simple:
Don’t make the customer guess what you’re selling.
Tell them:
- What it is
- Who it’s for
- What problem it solves
- What they get
- What action to take
Final Takeaway
A great product is the foundation.
But marketing is the bridge between the product and the customer.
Build something good. Then make sure the right people know it exists.
