What is Marketing? – Did you know that marketing is one of the cornerstones of a business or company? By carrying out the right marketing strategy, the business will get maximum turnover. Moreover, if the company can have a marketing strategy according to its business niche.
So, maybe many of us are wondering what strategies can be used and how to become reliable marketing? Don’t worry, because in this article we will discuss what marketing is and the various strategies in it and how to become a reliable marketing agent to boost business turnover.
What is Marketing?
Before discussing more about marketing strategy, let’s first understand the definition of marketing itself. So, marketing is an effort to introduce products to customers. These efforts are carried out in several ways, such as promotion, distribution, sales, and also the product development strategy itself.
Here, marketing has a very important role in developing a business. It can be said that there will be no successful business without proper marketing efforts. Because, with marketing, companies or businesses can get the following benefits:
a. Sales increase
b. Can be a bridge to build a good relationship with customers
c. One of the media to do branding
d. Means for product development
In practice, marketing often starts with conducting market research and also analyzing customer needs according to their buyer persona. However, even though both are things that can be continued, we must also continue to use different marketing strategies according to the times.
The Latest Marketing Strategy For Business
The following are several marketing strategies that can be used and selected according to their respective business needs:
1. Marketing Mix
The first marketing strategy is the marketing mix. This one strategy is a marketing strategy that is usually used to achieve a certain target. Marketing mix is a marketing strategy that is most often used by business people, whether it’s a beginner business or a business that has started to develop.
Basically, this marketing has seven basic elements, namely, price, product, promotion, place, people, physical evidence, and process. To use this marketing strategy, we will start by designing the best product needed by consumers and it must be ensured that the price is affordable. Besides that, we also need to make products that can continue to exist with various promotional efforts. So in essence, we must continue to apply the seven elements above in order to get the best marketing results.
2. Viral Marketing
This type of marketing is a marketing strategy that is carried out by utilizing the audience to spread information about the product to be promoted. This marketing strategy can be an option to boost business popularity in a short period of time.
Why does a business need to use viral marketing? Because this one strategy has a lot of advantages. The first is that we can save costs for promotion. Then secondly, this marketing will reach a wider audience. So that it can be one of the efforts to increase brand awareness effectively. By using this strategy, it is very likely that the product being promoted will be reviewed in various media, because of this virality.
Then, how to maximize the use of this one strategy? The main thing to note is to make sure that we have to understand the right target audience according to the product being offered. In addition, create quality and emotional information. So that many people want to share it.
3. Guerrilla Marketing
Guerilla marketing is a marketing strategy that is carried out by means of unique and memorable promotions in the eyes of consumers. In fact, not infrequently, this strategy makes consumers surprised by a new breakthrough made by a brand. For example, the action of skydiving carried out to promote Red Bull products.
Then, why are so many businesses using this marketing strategy? Because, in terms of the budget used, it is classified as more economical because the focus of promotion is on creativity. Then the marketing strategy is also easier to implement because it seems unique to build. Then finally, this marketing is very memorable for potential customers who witness the product promotion action.
To apply guerilla marketing, we need to keep looking for creative ideas to introduce the products to be promoted. In addition, try to understand the audience so that the impression built becomes stronger. Then, we also need to make a short and clear message regarding the promotion being carried out.
4. Marketing Trends
Trend marketing is a product promotion strategy that is carried out by studying the latest trends in society. As business owners, we shouldn’t miss trying this marketing strategy. Due to the ever-changing promotional trends, it is important to always take advantage of the latest trends in promoting business products.
There are lots of marketing trends that are quite popular today. Some of them are the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) or artificial intelligence to understand consumer desires. One of the things we can do is to use Google Voice Search. Not only that, there is also Chatbot, a live chat service for consumers using applications that can increase the speed of interaction with consumers directly.
5. Experiential Marketing
Experiential marketing is a marketing strategy that is carried out by inviting consumers to experience using our products. This strategy is considered effective because consumers are invited to know directly the quality of the products offered. There are five types of experiential marketing that we can do.
Starting from product exhibitions, holding an event, holding seminars, sharing immersive experiences through Virtual Reality, and promoting generated content. In its application, there are several strategies that can be used to carry out experiential marketing.
The first is to clearly define promotional objectives, such as to build brand awareness or something else. The second is by sharing real experiences that are not contrived. The third is asking for feedback from consumers who have used our products.
6. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a digital promotion that aims to offer products to potential customers via their email. Why is this one strategy interesting to do?
a. The costs required are relatively small but the results are maximum.
b. It has a wide reach and it is predicted that more people will use email.
c. More than 90 percent of people check email every day.
d. More effective than social media.
e. Easier to reach consumers.
f. 86 percent of consumers want to receive promotional emails from products they subscribe to.
Functions Of Company Marketing
The following are some of the marketing functions in a company that are rarely known:
1.Exchange Function
In the world of marketing, consumers can be free to choose products from any brand and exchange them for money or can exchange products for their own products.
2. Physical Distribution Function
One of the functions of marketing is physical distribution by moving the product by transporting and storing the product. The products already owned by the company will be distributed to consumers. Either by sea, air or land. In this case, product storage is carried out so that the product supply is maintained in the market. So that there will be no scarcity when needed by consumers.
3. Intermediary Function
To be able to deliver products to consumers, a marketing person will connect them from the producer to the consumer.
4. Other Functions
Another function of marketing is not only as an exchange, intermediary, or physical distribution. But there are still other functions that are owned by a reliable marketing based on marketing management, including:
a. Marketing Sales
The main task of marketing sales is to generate sales of products owned by a company. So that the company gets a profit from every product sold.
b. Promotion Marketing
Marketing has a duty to introduce a product to potential customers in general so that the product offered can be more famous.
c. Marketing Research and Development
Marketing has the task of finding information from a product that is needed by consumers. In addition, marketing also needs to develop existing products. Then report it to the company so that repairs or follow-up are immediately carried out.
d. Marketing Communications
Marketing has a duty to create good relations between producers and consumers, companies and surrounding communities, and companies on parties related to their business.
7 Tips for Success in Becoming a Reliable Marketing
Being a reliable and successful marketing will certainly greatly affect business success. This is because marketing has the function of finding, acquiring, maintaining, and also increasing customers and controlling the market. Meanwhile, how many customers have been successfully hooked by a company’s marketers, of course, that determines the size of the income. Then if the greater the income earned, it will be easier for the company to develop and vice versa. Here are some ways to become a reliable marketing that can be applied:
1. Make a Strategy and Target Consumers
A reliable marketing strategy must be able to create a promotional concept that can attract the attention of consumers. The simplest and most common examples are giving discounts, giving bonuses to buyers who make lots of transactions and conducting prize draws for special event programs. The right promotional activity is to directly involve potential customers as participants in order to build loyalty. Here’s a complete example:
#a Holding a sponsored hiking event or event
#b Holding a live music event accompanied by product introduction
Meanwhile, a clear target is an important point in order to understand market segments such as business product A which class of consumers is best for? And others.
2. Understand Knowledge Products
A consumer will trust us as a marketer if the information we convey to consumers can be explained in detail and easy to understand. To make consumers believe is not easy. Therefore, as a marketer must understand and master the goods or services offered. Convey accurate and clear information about the advantages and quality of our products compared to competitors’ products. But, we also never cover up the shortcomings of these products. But use language that can describe as if these deficiencies can still be overcome with other options.
3. Knowing Consumer Behavior
Consumer behavior consists of things that we can know through the character of consumers who will become the target market. For example, the community of children, men, women, youth, and the general public must be distinguished in more detail. Even about the upper and lower economic circles. The most effective way to find out consumer behavior, we must be able and able to directly mingle with them for a while. This is done as one of the keys to knowing what the interests and needs of potential customers are.
4. Expanding the Business Network
Running a business certainly requires connections that are wide enough to make it easier for us to get accurate information. Any opportunity can be obtained quickly if you have a wide network or business connections. For example, capital problems, new business opportunities, effective marketing strategies. The role of marketing experts in this case is to be able to communicate well with anyone and from all kinds of communities even though it must be very difficult at first. Whatever the reason, the wider the business connections that are built, the wider the opportunity for money will be created to get new potential customers.
5. Paying Attention to Consumer Responses
The response from customers will always be different to the products offered by a marketing. If you get a good response from customers, never forget to make it a testimonial so that new potential customers can absorb it. This will later become concrete evidence regarding the quality of our products. However, if you get a bad response, then use it as an evaluation material and a strategy to improve the promotion and marketing techniques that are being carried out.
6. Always Be Optimistic
The activities of a marketing person will not escape from various kinds of obstacles and obstacles. There have been many people who failed and were unable to deal with the situation. Being chased by the company’s targets and receiving rejection from many customers is just the most common part and one must be prepared for. Apart from the two problems above, in fact there are still many other hurdles for a marketer that must be anticipated. Marketers must be prepared mentally, responsibly, personal economy, and others. In order to become a reliable marketer, one must have an optimistic and confident attitude when dealing with various consumer characteristics. But never push yourself beyond your ability so that you won’t be too devastated when you fail.
7. Have Supporting Technology
Whatever the type of work, definitely requires communication tools and also transportation to support his mobility. In this digital era, at least marketing experts have adequate gadgets as a means of establishing good relations with consumers or used to obtain more up-to-date information. The most common example is having a smartphone. Where the media can also support promotion via the internet.
Those are some explanations about how to become a reliable marketing and some marketing strategies that can be used. How, are you ready to become a reliable marketing.