Marketing Basics

Awareness & Understanding

Marketing is how ideas, causes, and organizations reach people who need them. Start by watching the free "Marketing Fundamentals" course on HubSpot Academy (academy.hubspot.com — no credit card needed). Browse r/marketing and r/entrepreneur on Reddit to see how real people talk about promoting things. Watch Gary Vaynerchuk's YouTube channel for high-energy, accessible takes on modern marketing. Look at how local Salt Lake City organizations like Utah Food Bank (utahfoodbank.org) or Visit Salt Lake (visitsaltlake.com) market themselves on social media. You're ready for the next step when you can explain the difference between marketing and advertising and name three marketing channels in your own words.

Research & Investigation

Choose a real idea, cause, or small project you want to promote — something you actually care about. Research your target audience: who are they, what do they care about, and where do they spend time online? Use Google Trends (trends.google.com, free) to see what people search for related to your topic. Explore free tools: Canva for design (canva.com), Buffer for social scheduling (buffer.com), and Google Analytics for website data. Look at three similar organizations and note what they do well and what they miss. You're ready for the next step when you've written a one-paragraph description of your target audience and listed three places you can reach them.

Planning & Preparation

Build a simple marketing plan. Write down: your goal (what do you want people to do?), your message (what's the one thing you want them to know?), your channels (Instagram? flyers? email?), and your timeline (four weeks). Use the free HubSpot Marketing Plan Template (downloadable at hubspot.com) or build your own in Google Docs. Design one test piece of content using Canva — a social post, flyer, or email header. Show it to three people not involved in your project and ask: "What does this make you want to do?" Revise based on their feedback. You're ready for the next step when you have a written four-week marketing plan and one piece of content ready to publish.

Taking Action

Launch your marketing plan. Publish your content across the channels you chose and stick to your timeline. Track basic results: How many people saw it? How many clicked, liked, or responded? Use the free analytics built into Instagram, Facebook, or Mailchimp. After two weeks, review what's working and adjust — change a headline, try a different image, or post at a different time. Document every change you make and why. You're ready for the next step when you've published at least eight pieces of content over four weeks and have data comparing your best and worst-performing posts.

Leadership & Expansion

Teach someone else what you've learned. Lead a simple workshop or create a short how-to guide — "How to Market Your Idea in 4 Steps" — using your own experience as the example. Share it in a local context: post it to a Salt Lake City community Facebook group, present it at a school club, or share it on r/SaltLakeCity. Offer to help a local nonprofit or small business with one marketing task using your skills. You're ready for the next step when you've taught your marketing process to at least one other person and helped a real organization with one task.

Impact & Reflection

Measure your full campaign results and write a case study. Write 200 words: What was your goal? What did you do? What worked? What flopped? What would you do differently? Share your case study on LinkedIn (free account at linkedin.com), on r/marketing, or with a local business or nonprofit that could use your insights. Commit to one marketing skill you'll keep building — SEO, email writing, or video content. You're ready for the next step when you've written and shared your case study and identified one specific marketing skill to develop further.