The term marketing was first used in the early 1970s as a synonym for
salesmanship. The idea behind marketing is to create and develop a
culture that encourages a mutual understanding between buyers and
sellers, and to create an atmosphere of openness and negotiation in which
goods can be exchanged. A market culture is any informal or formal
system enabling many different market participants to provide and
receive – encouraging buyers and sellers to interact and reach agreements.
This article focuses on the development of a market culture within
organisations.
Traditional Marketing And How It Is Affected By Digital Media
The traditional focus of marketing has been around the product or service
that is being sold. However, with the proliferation of various forms of digital media, marketers are now also required to address issues such as
customer loyalty, social media influence, alternative methods of delivery,
and the ability for customers to interact with the brand. Websites likes
SocialWick evolved out of the need for businesses (especially smaller ones)
to market effectively through social media and overcome obstacles that
comes their way. These challenges are found all forms of traditional
marketing, as even the most effective methods of selling are subject to
social media influence, consumer sentiment and the ability for customers
to share and access information. Marketing professionals must therefore
consider how they plan to address these new marketing needs. This article
looks closely at the role of a marketing system, particularly for small
businesses, in addressing these changing marketing needs.
Finding The Target Market
In order to develop a successful marketing system, marketers need to first
understand their ideal client. What do they need, and how important is
this target audience? For example, if a company sells office furniture to a
department store, they are likely to have a different approach to what
would be best for a school student. Understanding who you are targeting
and how you intend to reach them is essential. Additionally, research your
ideal clients so that you are prepared for changes to how you market to
them based on how your target audience changes over time.
How Marketing Specialists Can Create Effective Campaigns
Marketing is about much more than just product and service. Marketers
need to recognise that marketing systems can include an effective
strategic planning process, a detailed marketing implementation strategy,
and an integrated whole-works approach. The strategic planning will take
the initial products and services analysis and turn it into a concrete plan.
The marketing implementation strategy will identify the methods by
which these plans will be implemented, and the integrated whole-works
approach will ensure that all aspects of the plan are coordinated and
aligned.
As part of the strategic planning process, marketers should work out a
marketing plan that will allow for the allocation of suitable internal
resources to cover project requirements. It may be necessary to recruit
appropriate staff, depending on the size of the target audience and the
size of the firm. In addition to this, marketing implementation plans will
detail the marketing campaigns that will be supported and delivered
using internal resources. These should include research surveys as well as
market research and evaluation of the company’s website and its overall
performance. It may also be necessary to obtain project approval from
external resources such as the suppliers of the products and services that
the business sells.
Once all of this information has been gathered, it is necessary to create
and implement a marketing action plan. This action plan will then detail
the sequence of activities that will be taken to support the marketing plan,
including the marketing system that will be used to support the
campaign.
Social Media Marketing Is The Best Option For Small Businesses
A marketing system that is developed using social media marketing
tactics will allow the small business owner to reach out to the target
audience and create credibility with potential customers. The social media
marketing activity plan should include a description of the targeted
audience, their likes and dislikes, and the keywords that will be used to
promote the products and services offered by the small business. A list of
the social media sites that will be used should be included as well as a brief
description of each site, the type of content that will be posted on the site, and the unique advantages that the site offers. Social media systems may
include: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, and Flickr.
Keywords And Search Engine Optimization
Once the social systems are identified, the list of keywords should be
reviewed to ensure that the message that is being sent across is focus
and appropriate. Keywords should be chosen based on the purpose of the
advertising as well as on the demographics of the target audience. This will
ensure that the marketing systems can be most effectively implemented.
Once the appropriate keywords have been selected, the advertising
content should be written to match these keywords, taking into
consideration the tone that will be conveyed through the advertising. The
use of social media systems will enable the small business firm to create an
identity for itself and this will help in attracting customers and building a
strong client base.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
