I was delivering a marketing course recently to a group of graduates who asked me why marketing matters. For them, as for many people I suspect, marketing has many synonyms: sales, business development, materials (as in: "let's ask Marketing to create a brochure").

I have worked with many people and clients who have "marketing" in their job title, but who are either glorified administrators or sales people who don't like the word "sales". My first job was as a "Marketing & Sales Executive" (thanks, Mintel) and I didn't understand what the difference was between the two either. Then I took my Diploma in Marketing (thanks, CiM), learnt the theory, moved to Hong Kong and fell in love with marketing. Not "marketing" as in sales or brochures or networking events, but the fundamentals underpinning any business - the "why you're here and why it matters" kind of marketing. That thing called vision.

The strongest brands, the most successful businesses, the people we admire all have a vision - to be the best, to make a difference, to inspire people or to create things that can change the world. That's why Steve Jobs and Apple were (are?) such brand leaders and why, in a crowded, competitive world overflowing with data, if you don't have a vision, a story, a core idea that you can communicate well and strongly, you probably don't have much of a business.

So when a client asks us to help them with their marketing strategy, or to develop a social media plan, a brand identity or a promotional campaign, I always start from the same point: What's your vision? What are you doing, who are you trying to reach and why should they care? If you can articulate that simply and clearly, you've got the foundations to build a sustainable brand and business.

Need inspiration? Here's a great video from Harley Davidson - not their latest, but one which sums up the idea of "vision" better than any words can do :http://youtu.be/MzgSsioAGHs

Next: Why marketing (and your business) needs a mission.