Marketing serves more than one purpose; Initially, it is a form of communication by which we're able to inform others of our product or service in hopes that they will gain interest in what we're offering. Marketing is a multi-dimensional process made up from various strategies. Each process is vital to the functionality and success of the campaign as whole. Of course, one of the main and most important goals of any marketing campaign or strategy is to increase sales and profitability.
Marketing, however, does not stop with market research, gaining the attention of your target audience, making a sell or kicking off the national advertising campaign, marketing is a long-term process that requires management and maintenance. Think of it as our personal relationships in the workplace, at home and during recreational times we spend with friends. As with any relationship, communication is essential to insure us that things are on the right track. When our personal relationships lack the proper attention, we end up getting disconnected with one another. This typically creates a barrier that leaves us confused and finding the relationship undesirable or meaningless.
Marketing displays similar components. Before you launch your campaigns and strategies, you should or must research the goals you would like to achieve and look at your objectives. Once you start campaigning, you then become responsible for the management and maintenance of those strategies to secure that things are on the right track. Without the proper components, management and maintenance, your efforts are worthless thus leaving your customers disconnected. Consequently, this will drive them to your competitors. All marketing strategies will call for some type of action since a campaign does not work by itself.
Once you have decided to launch a marketing campaign you'll need to be well prepared in implementing each strategy to make your campaign effective. Now that we've briefly touched on why communication is the backbone and an important aspect of marketing, let's look at how marketing contributions to our sales and profitability.
It would be great to believe that every marketing strategy we've ever seen or heard was to inform us of a totally free product and there was no under moving motive to sell us anything. Unfortunately, since we know that is not true, you have to know that each consumer (you intend to reach with your product or service) is expecting you to offer something they need and find valuable. Especially, if it is not free! The vitality of business rests upon marketing effectiveness. If it is not effective, you will lose sales and gain little-to-no profit. A successful campaign results in sales, happy customers and repeat business. If you can satisfy your customers during and after launching your marketing campaign, they will in turn recommend your business to others. As a result, this will increase your sales and profit margins. Prior to launching a campaign, you should always conduct marketing research that will allow you to:
1) Investigate how to best penetrate the market with the product or service you are offering.
2) Decide on a target audience and answer why would they be interested.
3) Test and utilize various strategies that would grant consumer attention and call to action.
4) Determine what value is placed on your product (by consumers) through existing customer feedback / surveys.
5) Determine if previous strategies used have had an impact on sales and / or consumer interest.
