Because marketing has been influencing people's behavior for many years, we take it for granted and we don't see how much it changes us. The marketing process consists in systematically identifying the opportunities offered by the market, setting specific goals leading to the development of our company and defining a detailed plan that allows you to achieve these goals.
What will you learn from the article?
If you have ever wondered what exactly the marketing process is and how to implement it effectively, you have come to the right place. From the text below you will learn what the key stages of the marketing process are, how to plan and implement a marketing plan and how to control its effects. Finally, we will present practical examples of the application of the marketing process on the example of an e-store. Get ready for a solid dose of knowledge that will help you better understand and improve marketing activities in your companies!
Marketing changes people's behavior. It does this with the help of an appropriate narrative, creating relationships with the brand and building relationships with people with similar experiences. When a brand announces its message through the medium of its choice, it always takes the form of a promise, and the organization's job is to keep it at every stage of the marketing process.
What is the Marketing Process?
The marketing process is aimed at preparing and carrying out marketing activities in such a way that they fulfill the mission that the company has set for itself with the commencement of business activity. It includes a set of various types of activities that are to ensure the implementation of the company's specific intentions towards the market. It is also visible in it company vision.
A properly implemented marketing process should consist of successive processes - from determining which ones marketing goals the company wants to implement it by analyzing the market situation, selecting recipients and setting a budget, planning specific marketing activities, ending with the implementation of the plan and control of the effects.
The development of technology and the universality of the Internet have made it impossible to reach recipients all over the world so quickly and so cheaply. Moreover, the Internet enabled immediate response and more precise reaching of a specific group of potential customers. And though advertising on the Internet is also the most often ignored form of communication, it is worth integrating e-marketing activities into your operating strategy.
What are the stages of the marketing process?
All activities undertaken as part of the marketing process must stimulate the recipient. They must tell him what he is open to and what he is ready to believe. A properly constructed marketing strategy - and thus also communication strategy - they allow you to invite customers on a journey. Its next stops are as follows:
1. Establishing marketing goals. To start your journey, you need to know where you are going. Your goal is not just to sell a specific product or service. It is also about building brand awareness, making the most of available resources, changing the company's image, and even causing changes on the market.
2. Analysis of the market situation. Determine both the position you occupy in the market and the position you aspire to as a brand. It is not only the macro- and micro-environment of the company that requires detailed analysis. You also need to consider the product life cycle and SWOT. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization as well as the opportunities and threats from the market, you can better plan your activities.
3. Selecting the addressees of marketing activities. Your best customers become the ambassadors of your brand, which is why it is so important to define who you really want to reach. Knowing about the customer, their needs and preferences is crucial. Respect your customers, provide them with the values they are looking for and inspire them to act. Learn to see and listen, because only then will you be noticed yourself.
4. Establish a budget, i.e. making a decision to allocate a certain amount of funds for the implementation of specific marketing activities. This amount must be properly estimated and argued. The trick is not to spend money on marketing, the trick is to invest funds in such a way that they quickly translate into real business profit.
5. Planning specific marketing activities. To achieve the goal, we must choose specific tools that will help us in this. Where you appear with your offer and what instruments you will use to convince your target group will determine your success and the effectiveness of the entire campaign.
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Implementation of the marketing plan and control of the effects
We are able to achieve some marketing goals through a quick and intensive promotional campaign. Some, however, require tedious and long-term actions from us. Precise timing of individual steps will allow us to constantly keep our finger on the pulse and respond appropriately to possible counter-actions of the competition. How can we be sure that the marketing process is going well? It will be ensured by the control of effects, i.e. testing the effectiveness of the activities carried out. Based on reports and analyses, we are able to determine to what extent the steps we have taken have brought us closer to achieving the planned goal. We can also estimate which tools have proven to be the most effective. The conclusions will help us modify the currently implemented plan and help us create further strategies.
Marketing process based on the example of an e-shop
Don't companies operating exclusively online have to use classic marketing tools? Unfortunately, although the Internet provides almost unlimited contact with potential customers, there are still niches that use the Internet in a very limited way. Even large players whose operations take place exclusively in the virtual world, such as Allegro, decide on expensive television and outdoor campaigns. The key to success remains a properly constructed strategy and building customer experience and real business relationships, both in the online and offline world.
The basic goal that every e-shop should set itself is to increase awareness by creating and developing unique value. Daily customer service and communication on the website and social media should be based on building the position of an expert, supplementing the offer with additional guidance content. Valuable content will not only help your e-shop visitors to get more involved, but also appropriately position it in the Google search engine - positioning of pages it's today must have in e-commerce.
Another important aspect of running an online store is providing it with multiple sales channels. Social media is not only about creating a specific image. Both Facebook and Instagram enable e-commerce. And although the final sales transaction ends on your website, elements of the purchasing process, such as interest and involvement, are carried out in social media.
An online store must keep up with the environment in which it exists, so it is required to constantly adapt to new opportunities. Up-to-date content, attractive form of presentation, use of modern functionalities and advertising formats. These are just some of the aspects that will help your e-store stand out from the competition. But let's remember one thing. Even the most innovative and modern marketing solutions use influence mechanisms that have been known for years and the good old art of persuasion.