Defining a Productive Marketing Strategy
Marketing is further defined by the American Marketing Association as an "organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders". This differs greatly for the principles of the 4P's, but nonetheless, they are inter-related. I would alter the diagram from figure 1.13 to figure 1.14 due to the recent changes and impact of digital media.
Consumers are more sophisticated today, they know what they want, information flows readily through all sorts of media, price points are well defined and the information pipeline is a wealth of data feeds. Our business environment today is driven by technology, digital media, and the information age; gone are the buzz words of old only to be replaced by click-through, webinars, electronic catalogs, downloads, social marketing, relationship marketing, demographic profiling, and email marketing. Your marketing program evaluation needs to focus on what digital components you are able to embrace and incorporate into your program.
Order pads have been replaced by iPads; a product catalog has been replaced by websites, electronic catalog and downloads; sales meetings have been replaced by webinars; physical offices have been replaced by virtual offices. The landscape of today's Business-to-Business realm has been complicated by the digital age and your company needs to embrace this philosophy. Certainly, this does not mitigate the presence of a strategic sales organization, nor does it replace the human touch of a customer centric or service organization; rather, the digital age opens new outlets and communication to potential buyers that must be part of your companies' marketing strategy and part of the Strategy for Sales Perfection.
Your company needs to put your business on your customers' computer screens as effectively as you do in making sales and product presentations to them in person. In evaluation your current marketing strategy, you must look beyond the basics of printed catalogs, literature, pricing and promotions. You must consider new and creative methods to deliver your message and spotlight your product, brand, or service. Digital media will not only provide your sales force with superior operational effectiveness, but will make a lasting impression on your customer as a leading edge supplier and/or partner.
Make sure you adequately research and implement all available options to your company to improve your marketing effectiveness through digital media; a review of the following areas will help to analyze your digital footprint:
Consumers are more sophisticated today, they know what they want, information flows readily through all sorts of media, price points are well defined and the information pipeline is a wealth of data feeds. Our business environment today is driven by technology, digital media, and the information age; gone are the buzz words of old only to be replaced by click-through, webinars, electronic catalogs, downloads, social marketing, relationship marketing, demographic profiling, and email marketing. Your marketing program evaluation needs to focus on what digital components you are able to embrace and incorporate into your program.
Order pads have been replaced by iPads; a product catalog has been replaced by websites, electronic catalog and downloads; sales meetings have been replaced by webinars; physical offices have been replaced by virtual offices. The landscape of today's Business-to-Business realm has been complicated by the digital age and your company needs to embrace this philosophy. Certainly, this does not mitigate the presence of a strategic sales organization, nor does it replace the human touch of a customer centric or service organization; rather, the digital age opens new outlets and communication to potential buyers that must be part of your companies' marketing strategy and part of the Strategy for Sales Perfection.
Your company needs to put your business on your customers' computer screens as effectively as you do in making sales and product presentations to them in person. In evaluation your current marketing strategy, you must look beyond the basics of printed catalogs, literature, pricing and promotions. You must consider new and creative methods to deliver your message and spotlight your product, brand, or service. Digital media will not only provide your sales force with superior operational effectiveness, but will make a lasting impression on your customer as a leading edge supplier and/or partner.
Make sure you adequately research and implement all available options to your company to improve your marketing effectiveness through digital media; a review of the following areas will help to analyze your digital footprint:
- Make sure your website is clean and uncluttered, organized logically, easy to read and navigate. Research has proven that website design is paramount to customer satisfaction and browsing experience.
- Does your company use click-through advertising platforms to drive traffic to your website? The majority of your customers are finding you on-line not through the yellow pages.
- Yellow page advertising is gone, period.
- Utilizing demographic profiling and psychographic profiling.
- Email marketing and/or a newsletter promotion of your companies' products and services directly to your target market set you apart from the competitors.
- Do not forget email marketing to your customers' customer if possible. Pull through marketing is extremely effective and appreciated throughout the channel.
- Webinars - The use of webinars is an effective and time conscience method to train your customers on new products or services, make efficient sales presentations, and conduct highly effective meetings allowing the best use of resources and time management.
- Dealer incentive programs - does your company offer a customer loyalty or incentive program? Research has proven that customer loyalty, rewards and incentive programs will boost revenue and build customer loyalty insulating your company from competitive pressures. Incentive solutions provide proven and tested opportunities to attain the goal of building loyalty for your company.
- What digital or print methods does your company employ to spotlight your product, brand or service?
You need to provide your company the opportunity to transcend the traditional business-to-business role of a supplier or a vendor. You need to supplant this premise with non-traditional approaches to provide key interaction and communication tools to your customers. An evaluation of this practice is essential to move your company into the digital age. Some of these concepts and practices will be discussed in more detail in subsequent chapters.
Now that you have done your due diligence and amassed a tremendous amount of information about your company, your competitors, your sales people, your markets, your customers, and your marketing plan, you are now ready to venture into new subject matter to implement this Strategy for Sales Perfection. The hardest part of the process has already been completed, now is the time to develop some new ideas and to make your company the best in class for your industry.
To learn more about how these can benefit your company, visit our website at http://www.winningsalesstrategy.com to obtain more information on the book "Strategies for Sales Perfection: In the New Economy."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_J_Vinci
Now that you have done your due diligence and amassed a tremendous amount of information about your company, your competitors, your sales people, your markets, your customers, and your marketing plan, you are now ready to venture into new subject matter to implement this Strategy for Sales Perfection. The hardest part of the process has already been completed, now is the time to develop some new ideas and to make your company the best in class for your industry.
To learn more about how these can benefit your company, visit our website at http://www.winningsalesstrategy.com to obtain more information on the book "Strategies for Sales Perfection: In the New Economy."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_J_Vinci
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