Today’s business space is often characterized by competitive and saturated markets. Rapid globalization, advances in technology, and a discerning consumer are among the factors that have made it necessary for businesses to create unique business models that will ensure they remain competitive.
Table of Contents
What is a Marketing Mix?
4 Key Features of a Marketing Mix
6 Reasons Why Marketing Mix is Important
How to Achieve the Right Marketing Mix
The Four P’s – Product, Price, Place & Promotion
Which P is Most Important?
Marketing continues to play a critical role in terms of helping businesses to gain customers and increase revenue. However, successful marketing requires that you have a comprehensive marketing strategy and stick to it. The strategy should include the actions and tactics you will use to promote your brand or product in the market. For many years, the marketing mix has been a popular theoretical framework that has helped companies execute marketing and make other decisions more efficiently. Today, marketing mix remains a relevant concept in the decision-making process, influencing the performance of your business. Here is what you need to know about the 4 Ps of revenue growth.
What is a Marketing Mix?
A marketing mix can be defined as a set of marketing tools that a company uses to promote its brand or products and achieve its business objectives in the target market. The foundation model for business includes multiple areas of focus that are part of the larger marketing plan. Generally, marketing is not an easy feat because you will have to do a lot of research and put in hard work to make things work. If you are to consistently win new sales and sustain customer lifetime value for a long time, you will need to adopt the right marketing approach.
The different elements of a marketing mix allow your business to develop its strengths while limiting its weaknesses, become more competitive and adaptable in the market as well as promote profitable collaboration between departments and partners. Simply put, the basics of a marketing mix involve identifying the right product, placing it in the right place, choosing the right price, and revealing the product in the market at the right time. This way, you can make the most of certain factors under your control to influence customers to purchase your products.
Before creating a marketing mix, it is important to have a clear picture of your business and understand your position in the competitive landscape. You will also need to define the goals you intend to achieve, develop a blueprint to guide you along the way, and stick to your marketing plan. However, the marketing plan should not be cast in stone, leaving room for changes and adjustments to ensure a decent return on investment. Once a company has identified its target market and its competitive advantage, it can proceed to create a marketing mix. The good news is that today’s marketers have access to a wealth of information and important tools that allow them to work better and more effectively.
4 Key Features of a Marketing Mix
Any good marketing mix should include elements that help to create and execute successful marketing strategies. Deep understanding, and successful launch of a marketing mix will ensure the success of your product, ultimately satisfying both you and your customers at the same time.
Below are some of the key features of a marketing mix:
#1 Unique, Interdependent Variables
The different elements of a marketing mix are unique and interdependent. They need to be planned together for your marketing strategy to succeed. By using the elements, you can achieve your marketing targets and objectives. Some of the goals that businesses pursue through marketing mix include sales, profits, customer satisfaction, and retention. As you develop your marketing mix, you should ensure that these unique elements can work together to deliver the desired results.
#2 Fluid and Flexible
A marketing mix is fluid and flexible, depending on the prevailing market conditions. Essentially, you will be able to focus on any of the variables, decreasing and increasing it to adjust to market demands and other dynamics. As such, it would be necessary to monitor changes and trends in the market to keep the elements of your marketing mix relevant and updated. You may also want to keep an eye on the changes in your company to help you achieve the best results.
#3 A Qualified Marketing Manager
While most businesses focus on the elements of a marketing mix, it is important to remember that the marketing manager is also an important part of the process. As the head of a marketing mix strategy, you will need a qualified and experienced professional to drive this process. This role will put them in a great position to manipulate all relevant variables and forces, helping your business to achieve the desired results.
#4 The Customer as the Most Important Part
The customer is the most important part of any marketing mix. The perceptions of your customers will not only determine the overall value of the product but also how it performs in the market and, ultimately, how you perform as a business. Your goal should be to satisfy and retain as many customers as possible. In this way, you will earn a positive brand image and identity, factors that will go a long way in promoting good sales performance.
6 Reasons Why Marketing Mix is Important for Your Business
A marketing mix is a critical tool for anyone looking to create the right marketing strategy. It allows you to align the different variables and look for ways to leverage one or more as you work on carving out a competitive advantage.
Here are some reasons why you need a marketing mix:
#1 It Helps in a Clean Mix Creation
A good marketing mix will feature elements that are compatible and intrinsically linked to each other. With this chain of strong bonds, you will have to look at the overall picture whenever you plan to add a new feature or change the existing things. By doing this, you will create and maintain a clean mix for your product.
#2 It is a Guide to Improving Your Business
Optimizing the various elements that make up a marketing mix will help you to improve your business. With customers having numerous options from which they can choose, improving the overall working of your company will ensure you remain competitive. A marketing mix can be a great guide for when you want to do a gap analysis and improve your business.
#3 It Helps in Differentiation
In a market where several companies offer similar products, differentiating yourself will help you stay ahead of the competition. A marketing mix will allow you to analyze your competitors and create better promotions for your product. In the end, this could give you a competitive advantage in the market.
#4 Helps in New Product Development
When designing an existing product, there is a good chance that ideas for a new product that can be developed by your company will come up. This new product can have different pricing, place, and promotions. The good ideas that come up will come in handy for new product development.
#5 It is Important in Increasing Product Portfolio
Having an expanded product portfolio can help you to seize more opportunities in the market. However, increasing your product portfolio will involve making minor changes to your product. Since this will also mean making changes in the marketing mix and the features within it, you may end up having an enlarged product portfolio.
#6 Helps You in Being Dynamic
Any dynamic company will be prepared for challenges as well as disaster. One of the ways through which a company can ensure it is ready to respond is by understanding its products, people, processes, and promotions. A marketing mix makes this possible so you can respond to such situations with better agility.
How to Achieve the Right Marketing Mix
There is no doubt that creating a good marketing mix will allow you to find the right blend of marketing channels. However, the process is not always as easy as it sounds. Here are a few tips to help you achieve the right marketing mix.
Understand Your Products and Services
Understanding the value proposition of your products and services will make it easy for you to arrive at the right marketing mix. Establish the problem you solve, how you solve it, and identify other solutions that try to solve the same problem. Make sure your product is market-ready and does not have drawbacks that could result in it failing.
Budget Accordingly
While most businesses know how to promote their products and services, very few know how to allocate a budget for marketing activities. This is especially true when you are starting out and do not have a history to benchmark from. If you have been marketing in the past, you will need to analyze your previous budgets to establish if your marketing needs were fulfilled. This analysis will allow you to allocate resources in the right way.
Try a Variety of Marketing Tools
The list of marketing tools that you can use is nearly endless. The options available include trade promotions, direct mail, press coverage, flyers, TV, print ads, and social media, search engine optimization, among others. Rather than settling for a single marketing method, you should combine several of them to ensure a successful campaign.
Know Your Audience Intimately
How well you know your audience will play a big part in determining whether your marketing campaign will be successful. Identify your target audience, write down their personas, and establish the marketing channels that will be most effective in reaching the market segment.
Create Realistic, Measurable Goals
Without goals, you can lose focus while executing your marketing campaign. However, these goals have to be realistic and easily measurable. Measuring your goals will keep you motivated and allow you to track progress so you can know if you are still on the right path.
The Four P’s – Product, Price, Place & Promotion
The 4 Ps of marketing are product, price, place, and promotion. These variables are important and have stood the test of time, even with the growth of the internet age. Today, they remain key elements that have to be united when working to promote your brand’s unique value and distinguish yourself from the competition. Basing your marketing efforts on these elements will go a long way in ensuring your product meets the specific needs of your target market.
#1 Product
The product, which is what is being sold, is the foundation of any business. The item or service is designed to satisfy the wants and needs of your target customer. The number of customers who buy your product as well as the profit you make will depend on how the product satisfies the demand of your target market.
To market a product effectively, marketers should clearly understand what their product stands for and what sets it apart from the competition. As such, you will have to know what you are selling, how it meets the needs of the market, and the qualities that distinguish it from the competition. You must also consider the life cycle of the product to identify and address the challenges that may arise once the product has been delivered to the customer. It is important to make sure that the product you offer caters to the right markets and responds to the demands of your target customers.
#2 Price
Immediately after the product comes the price. The price is the cost to purchase a product, which is a reflection of how much customers are willing to pay for it. Pricing strategy is both an art and a science. The process involves market data and careful calculations, making sure you balance skillfully so that the price is neither too high nor too low. Skewing it, either way could damage your brand.
Apart from representing the monetary value of your product, price refers to the time or effort that a customer is willing to use to get it. When setting the price of your product, you should consider how much it costs to make the product, how customers would perceive the value of the product, and how much profit you would like to get. Determining the price will affect revenue, supply, demand, as well as the amount marketers will spend to promote the product. Considering the impact that price has on how your product will sell, this is one of the most important Ps.
#3 Place
Place refers to any physical location where a customer can access, use, or purchase your product. Essentially, it covers inventory decisions, warehousing, transport, distribution centers, and franchises. The place matters as it determines the kind of market you attract, the number of people you can turn into customers, the convenience customers, enjoy as well as their overall experience. However, the internet has greatly changed how businesses reach their customers.
As much as customers may transact with your company exclusively in-store or online, they interact with your brand or products in different places. As such, it is important to think about how each of the places influences customers’ perception of your brand. Some of the issues you will need to find out include where your target customers are shopping, the devices they use to access the internet, whether and where they shop for similar products, and where they engage on social media. This way, you will identify the most effective kind of store and the right distribution channels to use.
#4 Promotion
Promotion covers all the activities that will help you make your audience aware of your product. Promotion involves what is communicated, who it is communicated to, how you reach your audience, and the frequency of the promotions. Thanks to advances in technology, promotion has grown and changed in amazing ways. Today, businesses can use various channels to disseminate the relevant product information to their target customers. These include advertising, sales promotion, public relations, TV commercials, internet ads, billboards, and events.
Your target market and brand message will determine how you promote or market your product. Your decision will also depend on how your competitors promote their products as well as the budget assigned to the marketing mix. Your marketing team will craft a message that includes details from the other three Ps, making it easy for you to reach your target audience. It is important to remember that there is a difference between marketing and promotion, with the latter signifying the communication aspect of the former.
How the Marketing Mix has Changed
Today, more than ever, your marketing mix is strongly influenced by your understanding of your target audience. The digital transformation and rapid rate of change in consumer trends have made the marketing landscape different. This change has led to the extension of the “P” system that includes up to eight Ps. The eight Ps came about after experts continued to study consumer processes and trends that shape perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. In addition to the four Ps, a marketing mix can include people, processes, and physical evidence. As consumers become more empowered, brands have greater expectations to meet as they work on delivering what the customer wants.
Which P is Most Important?
Among the four Ps of the marketing mix, the product is the most important. Indeed, the product is one of the first tools that a marketing expert should be armed with when developing a marketing strategy. In a nutshell, the entire marketing product is based on the product, without which there will be no need or reason for marketing.
Today, the modern consumer has a wide range of different products from which to choose. Freedom of choice not only means that consumers are spoilt for choice but also that businesses have to work hard to meet the expectations of their customers. The modern consumer has access to information, making him more empowered and discerning than ever before. Even with the best marketing in the world, it would be impossible to mask a bad product. In the end, the aim of the product is to satisfy the needs and wants of the target customer. As such, consumers will eventually ignore a product that does not satisfy their needs and wants in a unique way. When you have a great product, it will be easy to market, and you will be confident in its ability to satisfy the needs and desires of the target market.
Creating a Product
Before venturing into the world of entrepreneurship, you will need to identify the need that your product will satisfy. In a saturated and competitive marketplace, you should find ways to differentiate the product so that it meets this need uniquely. For your product to stand out from the competition, it should offer additional benefits besides the basic functions associated with similar products in the same space.
There is no doubt that the product is a critical part of marketing. However, for your product to perform well in your target market, you will have to include other elements such as price, place, and promotion. Some of the additional benefits that you can provide to your customers include quality, free delivery, installation, warranties, after-sales services, and superior customer service. Implementing these elements may move customers from looking at the physical characteristics of the product to the benefits they derive from using it.
Marketing a Product
There is a lot that goes into making sure that businesses market their products successfully. You should begin by conducting market research to establish whether there is a market for the product you plan to offer. Part of this process will involve finding an unfulfilled need in the market. One that you can satisfy in a better and unique way. Market research will also play an important role in helping to find your target audience and understand their demographics. Intimate knowledge of your target audience will ultimately ensure you tailor your marketing message for a successful campaign.
A product that is different and innovative will attract customers right from the early stages of the product cycle. On the other hand, no amount of promotion or price change will make a bad product successful. By understanding your target market and the kind of products they want from you, you will be in a better position to deliver products that meet their expectations.
Product Line and Product Mix
The product line refers to a broad group of products that possess largely the same characteristics and are intended for similar uses. A product mix is defined as the list of all products that are offered for sale by a given company. The product mix has four main dimensions. There is the breadth or width, which is the number of product lines offered by a business entity. The length refers to the total number of items in a line, while depth is the variety of colors, sizes, and models in each product line. Lastly, consistency involves how much the various product lines are related to the end-user, production requirements, distribution channels, or other relevant variables.
The Importance of Product
Knowing that the product is the most important element in a marketing mix is not enough. It is essential for business owners to understand just how important the product is to the business as well as its customers. Since the sale and purchase of products are at the center of any economy, the product is considered the soul of any marketing activities. Considering that the product gives life to all marketing activities, it is important to know the product well to promote it among your customers. Here are a few reasons why the product is important.
It is the Center for all Marketing Activities
Product is the pivot around which all marketing activities revolve. If there is no product, activities such as sales promotion, distribution, advertising, selling, and purchasing will be useless. It is also the main tool through which a business entity bargains its profitability. Since one of the main aims of any business is to make a profit, it follows that product plays a crucial role in the life of any business.
It is the Starting Point of Planning
Without proper planning, businesses cannot execute their functions or run their marketing programs efficiently. Unless there is a product, businesses will not be able to plan for different marketing activities. Also, marketing is done depending on the nature, quality, and demand of the product that a company offers for sale. Therefore, all other policies in an organization derive from product policies.
Product is an End
One of the objectives of a marketing campaign is to satisfy the customer. In the modern world, this is truer than ever before, as customers are attracted to products that meet their needs and offer convenience. The product is central to the satisfaction of customers, making it critical for producers to focus on the quality of their product. Low-quality products will have a short life span and will fall short of meeting customers’ needs.
Have Questions About How to Grow Revenue? We Have Answers!
Any business that wants to grow, stay ahead of the competition, and remain relevant cannot ignore the importance of marketing. By helping to promote products and services as well as build healthy relationships with customers, marketing is an essential activity for all businesses. However, to achieve the desired results, businesses have to adopt the right approach and use the correct strategy. With proper planning, you can make your business ready to respond to future changes and challenges. BizIQ works with businesses in all industries to help them attract more new customers and win new business. We will discuss the nature of your business as well as the goals you wish to achieve before recommending an affordable and smart marketing solution to help you grow. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you take your business to the next level.
