Marketing strategy planning is an important process that helps an organization to focus its limited marketing resources on the best opportunities to expand sales and reach a sustainable competitive edge. Marketing is a critical and creative component of business and is often called the silent salesman. Marketing is not the same as advertising, which is an outward show of commitment to selling a product or service. Marketing is more strategic and the outcome is influenced by the inputs from many different people and places, including customers, competitors, media, and other external forces.
Customer Purchasing Behaviour
Marketers must consider the customers’ buying decisions, timing preferences, and purchasing decisions in combination with other factors. Marketers must also consider potential future challenges such as changing technology and competitive environments. Although some marketers work within their budget and marketing plan, the results of their efforts depend on their ability to take advantage of the various marketing strategies and alternative methods that are available to them. There are numerous marketing strategies, tactics, and tools that are currently being used by marketers. A brief discussion of some of the most common marketing strategies, tools, and processes is given below.
Social Media Marketing
The use of social media has increased over the last few years, and its impact on marketing strategies cannot be ignored. Social media marketing is gaining popularity, as it allows for a closer relationship between the company and its target customers. This is done through various channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Moreover, by applying search engine optimization techniques on these websites, the company is also able to bring in more traffic to their website. Nowadays, businesses can buy Instagram likes and other metrics to drive traffic. In short, it allows companies to create a niche for themselves within the social media domain, which in turn enables them to promote and reach out to their target customer base.
B2B Marketing
In the present day market, B2B marketing strategies are becoming increasingly popular. One of the main benefits of B2B marketing is that it involves less initial investment. A large number of companies in every industry have started employing this method of marketing due to the low cost involved. Companies using B2B techniques claim that the returns are more than four times better than conventional advertising methods. Moreover, this type of marketing is considered to be more efficient, effective, and saves time and money.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing plans involve the sale of a product or service from another company to the buyer. The process involves the creation of a website that links to the seller’s site and vice versa. When a visitor visits the seller’s site, he is required to place his order through the link on the seller’s site. Thus, both parties benefit from the situation. The company makes money through its sale of goods to the target customer, while the affiliate marketer gets his commission for his efforts.
Pay-Per-Click Marketing
Companies can utilize pay-per-click marketing strategies. This means that they only pay a certain amount of money to each visitor who clicks on their advertisements. If a user clicks on an advertisement, he is required to make a purchase. This is one of the most effective marketing plans. This is the best option when you want to bring in a targeted audience to your website.
B2B Marketing
Marketing in the B2B sector encompasses a plethora of options. It also has many potential pitfalls. Companies involved in this sector need to conduct extensive research in order to determine the target customers of their competitors. They also have to study the existing offers by their rivals. The aim is to create a B2B offer that is superior to what the other company is offering. One effective way of doing this is through the promotion of the product.
It is important to understand all the aspects of any marketing plan. This includes knowing the target market, identifying opportunities in the market, developing a B2B offer, developing marketing activities, and developing a market penetration strategy. A good understanding of the entire process will help in the development of a sound business. It is important to include all these activities in any decent B2B marketing plan. It is also advisable to have a dedicated team for conducting all the above-mentioned activities.