Who is your customer? This may seem insultingly basic, yet needs serious consideration – especially now.

Too many industries still consider members of the retail distribution chain to be their customers. The businesses (especially manufacturers) in these industries put most of their marketing budget and effort selling to those who will sell their products. The end-user is almost an afterthought, even though the end-user is the one who creates the demand that retailers fill through ordering the brand the end-user wants.

It does no good if retailers buy your products, but they gather dust on the shelf because there’s no consumer demand – because you didn’t create any.

It does no good to compete on price point alone, because someone will always undercut you. Rock-bottom pricing isn’t always the basis of a consumer’s buying decision. Even Wal-Mart is positioning its brand as allowing consumers to “live better.” The mega-retailer is promoting the benefit of its low prices, not the feature of the prices themselves.

The end-user is your customer. So build brand equity by creating awareness and a sense of community among consumers. Talk to them on blogs and social media outlets, but don’t “sell.” Get them to talk to each other about your brand. Meet them at shows and events, and – if you can – sponsor shows and events. Make your Web site an engaging destination for consumers to learn more and communicate.

Worry less about competitors stealing your ideas and beating you to market and more about competitors stealing your market share because they’re better at talking to consumers than you are. It doesn’t matter if that’s the way things have always been done. Things are now being done differently.