Market and marketing strategy. Theoretical aspects of developing a marketing strategy for a company

The success of the company and a long stay in the market are ensured by the right approach to doing business and constant monitoring of the situation in the economic sphere. If management plans and analyzes its actions, then any risks will be identified at an early stage and measures will be taken to minimize them. A marketing strategy is a huge mechanism for such planning, which determines the goal to which you need to go, and how to achieve it.

It is believed that such a tool is needed only by large enterprises. But can a business of medium and small type be successful if the top management does not analyze the pros and cons of its activities, plan further steps according to the financial condition and possible competition? The basics of a marketing strategy should be of interest to any manager or marketer in order to find the perfect path to achieve high results with minimal losses. What is such a strategy, what types of activity planning exist and how to use them - details in the article.

Understanding the essence

Enterprises at any stage of their development use different methods of promoting and fighting competitors. A set of such measures is usually called a corporate strategy. One of its links is a marketing strategy, the specificity of which determines the direction of the organization's actions, taking into account its internal capabilities and the influence of the external environment.

An entrepreneur should always have a picture of the desired result, or rather, the position that the company should take, say, in 3-5 years. To achieve the goal, you need to make a plan and evaluate your capabilities.

You can randomly spend a large amount on a product that only at first glance seems to be in demand among the consumer and cost-effective for the manufacturer. But, having released it in a large volume, the company encounters sales difficulties or the buyer does not show due interest, because the niche is already occupied and the consumer has chosen a similar product on favorable terms from competitors. It follows that an entrepreneur should not take hasty steps without prior preparation and careful analysis, which is included in the list of marketing strategy methods.

Instructions for successful development should be prepared, risks taken into account, the right niche chosen, consumer demand, market assortment and the position of competitors in the selected segment analyzed. For a manufacturing enterprise of any scale, a preliminary program for reaching a specific level can be drawn up for one year, five years, or a longer period. If the external or internal conditions that are taken as the basis for marketing planning change, it is always possible to adjust the program. Even the most seasoned marketer or manager cannot foresee all the nuances of the economic situation on the market.

Proper management always involves the use of a marketing strategy so that the company does not stray from the right path, does not waste time and money.

Different planning methods

The management strategy in the organization depends on the specifics of the activity, the time of presence in the market and other criteria. There is a certain classification of marketing strategy. Let's look at the main types of large-scale strategies in order to understand in which direction an enterprise can move.

Leader position, power strategy

The essence of planning is to take a leading position among competitors in the sale of goods on the market. The focus is on increasing the pace of production. The company's goal is to produce a large volume of high quality products. The product range is standard, it can be updated, but only slightly. Typically, such a strategy is chosen by large firms that have been on the market for a long time, but want to improve their positions without investing extra effort and money. Careful control of expenses and labor productivity is carried out. The forces of marketers are aimed at increasing the volume of the manufacturer's presence.

This type of planning is also called concentrated growth tactics. The boundaries of presence are expanding due to new territories, modernization of the existing sales line, release of updated goods (improvement of the production recipe without financial losses).

But it is worth considering the fact that even the most sought-after product has stages of popularity and there may come a time when the consumer will look for something new.

Differentiation

This type of strategy involves expanding the specifics of the enterprise, that is, the activity is not concentrated on one product or service, but is focused on offering the consumer an additional assortment. Suppose a farmer at the initial stage chose the livestock sector in a narrow direction - breeding and keeping cows for milk. But there is a desire to cover another segment - breeding of elite breeds for sale to other farmers. Or add cowsheds with places for keeping pigs for meat.

So that the entrepreneur does not find himself in a losing position, you should not focus on only one direction. The economic situation is always unstable, and it is necessary to predict its development.

An example is present in trade (expanding the range of branded goods), in pharmaceuticals (wholesalers open their retail pharmacy chains at more affordable prices for buyers).

But you should not expand the specifics of economic activity too much, you can not get the expected profit if you are torn in different directions.

Specialized, niche promotion tactics

Both in production and in trade or services, there are two directions in reaching the target audience:

Mass - designed for the main categories of consumers, which are the majority.
Individual - focused on a narrow circle of people, products or services in a single copy or limited edition at a fairly high price.

This type of planning to move the organization towards the goal is quite risky, especially for new business participants.

The strategy is based on the search for promotion options in a specifically selected (special) segment. It can be a niche (unique) product or a product of mass demand, but only one type, for example, branded clothing for children under one year old.

The task of marketers is to plan the work in such a way that the organization takes the lead in the chosen segment even after 10-15 years. Particular attention is paid to potential competitors in order not to give them the opportunity to bypass the company.

Having considered several types of marketing strategies, we can say that this is a general classification of planning to achieve the goal.

Additional Methods

Each type contains narrower elements of promotion in the market:

Commodity. The focus of marketers is the quality of goods, the range of products, the characteristics of raw materials.
Price. A strategy is being developed to hold, lower or increase the price. Results are determined by the presence or absence of competitors. Producers choose consumers from the economy class, middle-income or elite. Discounts, promotions are launched, the design changes, additional services appear (for example, an additional guarantee for household appliances).
Firm. Enterprise promotion strategies that apply only to a specific brand.
. This is a separate strategy, in which the success and recognition of the manufacturer or seller depend on the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. You can spend a lot of money on advertising, but not get the expected profit.

Regardless of what marketing tactics an entrepreneur chooses, it is necessary to understand the steps in the formation of an action plan, which is commonly called the "marketing policy" of the organization.

Formation process

Any strategy takes time and is formed in a certain sequence:

Determination of the company's opportunities for marketing activities. Weaknesses and strengths, the ability to fight competitors, financial opportunities, the pros and cons of previous promotion attempts are studied. These features determine the ways to achieve the goal.
Stage . The choice of a niche in which the entrepreneur can operate without serious risks. We study consumer demand, niche employment, the pros and cons of this particular market direction.
on paper with all the recommendations, actions. Analysis of the financial costs of an advertising campaign, release or development of a new product. This stage can be considered the main and rather laborious.
Final result. After studying the program compiled by marketers, the management apparatus evaluates the marketing strategy and makes a decision: the use of tactics or its further refinement. The functional elements of the marketing strategy are taken as a basis and transferred to special departments for implementation.

A sample marketing strategy can be borrowed from successful competitors if there is no time or money to develop your own plan. The development of different levels of business requires different approaches.

Some organizations go with the flow and don't get hung up on developing a strategy. External economic factors, consumer demand, the financial position of the company create special conditions for the development or modernization of activities.

Sometimes the criteria for choosing a business area are reduced to the fact that there is always a demand for a particular product or service, such as car tires or hairdressing services. Why not take up the implementation of this project, rather than spend time describing methods for achieving results. Of course, this is not the right approach, but it is the case in small businesses.

Regardless of what type of activity is chosen and what is its volume in the general economic market, it should be understood that a marketing strategy is a whole system of interrelated activities aimed at creating comfortable working conditions. But it cannot be overestimated either, a strategy is just a plan of possible actions that is offered to the management apparatus as a choice of further actions.

Summing up

Trade, construction, medical services, finance, and other forms of economic activity cannot stand still if they want to be successful and attract their target audience. This requires serious work and the formation of your marketing strategy, which must be adjusted to the conditions of reality.

Planning allows you to assess your capabilities, predict or prevent the risk of being left out of the selected segment. Leaders of large companies spend heavily on marketers to keep up-to-date information and dynamics of the enterprise. The types of tactics described in the article are only a general idea of how you can achieve your goal. Each strategy is worth studying in detail in order to find effective methods for your promotion.

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Planning and analysis of decisions made by management allows timely identification of risks and taking measures to minimize them. A company's marketing strategy is a mechanism for drawing up a plan that defines the desired goal and how to achieve it.

From this article you will learn:

Its main types
Marketing strategy on the example of specific companies
Development of a strategy for different product life cycles
Classic stages of developing a marketing strategy
Common Development Mistakes Small Businesses Make

Marketing strategy

this is one of the components of the company's overall corporate strategy, its task is to describe how the organization's existing funds are invested, which will increase sales profits in the long term. It is part of a company's marketing plan and is more descriptive than provocative, offering only a direction for specific actions.

To develop a marketing strategy for a company, you need to consider:

the main goals of the organization;
the position of the company in the market;
funds available;
prospects for the development of the company in the market;
possible moves by competitors.

Often the goals of a marketing strategy are:

increase the volume of sales (either by increasing the number of customers, or by increasing the average bill);
increase the income of the organization;
ensure the attractiveness of the product for the target audience segment;
conquer new markets;
become a market leader in its niche.

There should be no conflict between the goals of the marketing strategy and the main mission of the company, as well as the strategic goals of the business in general. All marketing activities of the organization (advertising campaigns, public relations, sales organization) should be focused on the marketing strategy.

What is the implementation of a marketing strategy? This is a step-by-step implementation of operational-level strategies that are interconnected: sales strategies, advertising, pricing, etc. Currently, companies often aim not only to maintain or increase their market share in which they are present, but also to enter markets that have not yet been developed.

Due to the fact that the market is constantly developing dynamically, the marketing strategy must be flexible and mobile. It needs to be adjusted periodically. It is impossible to single out a single marketing strategy that would be acceptable for all organizations and types of products. To increase sales of a particular company or promote any product, you will need an individual development of areas of activity.

Marketing strategies are classified depending on the competitive advantages of the company into the following:

Differentiation strategy- sets the task of distinguishing the company from competitors by providing high quality goods or giving them special properties.
Cost leadership strategy- involves the establishment of a minimum price in the market, for which it is necessary to reduce the costs of production and sale of goods (their level should be lower than that of competitors). Cost reduction is possible if the company has an objective advantage (economical equipment, advantageous geographical location), uses special technologies, etc.
Cost focus strategy It is a type of cost leadership strategy. Its peculiarity is that it is addressed to only one group of consumers.
Differentiation Focus Strategy- similar to the differentiation strategy, but addressed only to one segment of the consumer audience.

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There are three types of pricing strategies:

Price leadership - the lowest market price.
The strategy of following a competitor is a price close to the market average.
The cream skimming strategy is the highest market price.

Commodity strategies are divided into the following main types:

Innovation strategy - speaks of the need to create a completely new product for the company.
Modification strategy - involves the development of various modifications of existing products.
Withdrawal strategy - requires to stop the release / sale of the product.

Distribution strategies are as follows:

Exclusive distribution - products are distributed only through their own channels.
Selective distribution - products are distributed through channels of narrow specialization.
Intensive distribution - goods are distributed through any channels.

Marketing strategy on the example of a specific company

Nestle

Nestle is the world's largest food manufacturer. The company's credo is to improve life by producing high quality, balanced and complete food products.

Nestlé was founded in 1866. Fighting infant mortality, Henry Nestle developed Farine Lactee infant formula and organized its industrial production. Since that time, the company has been constantly expanding its product range with new products: now it produces products under 8500 trademarks known to consumers on every continent.

As part of its development strategy, Nestlé sees its task as making long-term investments. In our country, the company constantly invests in local production, the development of new products that meet the preferences and traditions of Russians, and also processes local raw materials and uses domestic ingredients. This allows you to combine global experience and leadership in the food industry with the needs of the target audience.

Nestle's strategy aims not only to strengthen and modernize the production infrastructure of enterprises, to introduce innovative technologies. It also aims to increase production efficiency while reducing costs. In addition, the company invests a lot in staff training, advanced training and professionalism of employees, transferring international experience and scientific and technical knowledge to them.

Apple

Without a doubt, Apple is one of the most successful companies today. Apple not only has millions of fans: it has a lot of people imitating it. The company's products inspire its followers to develop new devices. Microsoft can be mentioned here: it is believed that it became successful largely thanks to Apple.

Apple has always prioritized creating the best customer service in the world. The management believes that the company's marketing development strategy is very important, and if it is correctly implemented, excellent results can be achieved. No one knows the details of this strategy. Nevertheless, we give a general description of the marketing strategy of the company's policy:

Coca-Cola

Coca-cola's strategy puts stable growth at its core. If the company develops, it will be able to realize its long-term plans and grow further, it will become successful.

Competitive advantages of the company is a competent marketing and implementation of innovations. By choosing the right development strategy, Coca-cola has achieved success and become a leader in the soft drink industry. Its brands are known all over the world.

One of its principles is to look for opportunities in everything and everywhere. Here are convincing examples:

The company's enterprises located in more than 200 countries of the world produce over 2800 product items. The range includes juices and nectars, drinking water, sports drinks and energy drinks, iced tea, children's food, kvass. Every day, the company's research centers are developing new flavors that will give consumers energy, help quench their thirst, and cheer up.
The company has the largest distribution system of goods, due to which the delivery of products is carried out in the shortest possible time. She tries to anticipate the tastes and satisfy the desires of customers.
A few years ago, Coca-Cola invested $40 million to build the world's largest PET bottle-to-bottle recovery facility in America.
The company's specialists have achieved a reduction in the amount of water used for production needs by more than 20%. This made it possible to save more than 160 billion liters of water.

bmw

BMW's success is based on two interrelated factors. BMW is characterized by a higher level of development than other car manufacturers. Often, companies move their production to countries with low wages, where employees who do not have the necessary qualifications work in the assembly, or they are completely replaced by robots. At BMW factories, highly qualified specialists are involved in assembly work. Like many German companies, BMW takes advantage of the German educational system. Its peculiarity is the provision of the opportunity to acquire basic technical skills of activity to almost all citizens. That is why the reputation of the company, which is a typical representative of the German industry, is high.

However, it cannot be said that the achievements were given to BMW easily, and that they are unambiguous. Previously, the company was engaged in the production of aircraft engines, and in the summer of 1945 it did not have a sales market, equipment ... The times of the German economic miracle were also difficult for BMW. She did not have any definite prospects, but nevertheless began to produce cars of various models (from small cars to limousines), and in 1959 she became practically bankrupt. Many believed that the only chance to survive was to agree to the takeover of Mercedes. However, BMW management was able to find an influential shareholder - Herbert Quandt, who highly appreciated the internal advantages of the company. The situation was reversed by the company's identification of the target market in which the implementation of opportunities was most effective (the market for universal cars).

In 1961, the BMW 1500 rolled off the assembly line and gained a reputation for being a top quality car. Young businessmen with money paid attention to the brand. BMW has become one of the most profitable companies thanks to the combination of a production system that gives a certain advantage in the target market segment, high quality that has gained worldwide recognition, and a brand that emphasizes the goals and aspirations of car owners.

Advice on the current marketing strategy from the current entrepreneur and marketing director of the company Launcher, Alexander Onikienko

Nike

This brand is so famous that we can talk about the exceptional results of the company in the use of marketing. The company has developed a strategy to provide the highest quality products to famous athletes, and this has changed the idea of sports marketing forever. Each year, Nike dedicates hundreds of millions of dollars from its budget, paying for the endorsement of its brand by famous personalities, organizing promotional events, and issuing a lot of catchy advertising. Consumers associate the company with the names of sports stars. It doesn't matter what sport you are into. With a high degree of probability, we can say that your favorite athlete is a Nike client.

The company cares not only about the mental, but also about the physical condition of its customers. She sees her task as not only increasing sales, but also developing sports for the common good. For example, she runs an advertising campaign "If you have to play", her goal is to attract women to engage in various sports. It demonstrates the benefits that girls and women get from sports activities. Nike also invests in the development of sports that are less popular, although they receive much less profit from this. This reinforces the notion that Nike doesn't just make high-quality sportswear, but also cares about its customers.

Development of a marketing strategy for a company at different product life cycles

In strategic management, it is very important to take into account the life cycle of the product, as well as the product itself. When developing a marketing strategy for the development of a company, the stage experienced by the product at a given time should be taken into account.

Product life cycle- this is the time that it is on the market (from the moment the product is launched on the market until it disappears from it).

The stages of the life cycle of goods are distinguished by specialists in different ways. However, there are 4 main ones that are common:

Origin stage

The product is just being introduced to the market, it does not have specific characteristics, the market saturation is low, so there is little or no competition. At this stage, the cost of the goods is high, as the manufacturer seeks to quickly recoup its investment. To avoid high spending on sales promotion, product improvement at this stage is impossible. Often the company incurs losses, and sales grow slowly, because the market has not yet been mastered to an insufficient degree.

What is the marketing of this stage? The company must:

to study the current demand;
adapt your product to it;
tell consumers about the benefits of the product;
organize marketing and promotion systems.

The company's strategy in the field of marketing at the nascent stage is aimed at achieving the main goal - to conquer the market.

At this stage, management decides what the strategic behavior should be. There are two main models of it: "cream skimming" and penetration. The choice in favor of one or the other depends on the level of prices for products and the amount of spending on sales promotion.

Entrepreneur Anton Iskusnov talks about the company's marketing strategy

growth stage

At this stage, sales volumes grow, the formation of demand for the product ends, competition intensifies, and the product has undergone improvement, it has been adapted to the existing demand. The profit of the company is highest at the final stage of the growth stage.

The main task is to strengthen the competitive position.

maturity stage

At this stage, the demand for products is stable, its quality has already been established, as well as distribution channels. Sales volumes are gradually reducing growth rates. With an increase in the number of manufacturers of similar products, competition becomes more intense, and this dependence is directly proportional. As a result, the manufacturer is forced to reduce the cost of the goods, as a result, there is a decrease in the level of profitability, and the stage of aging of the goods begins. The manufacturer focuses more on the fight against competitors and tries to maintain its position in the market, rather than satisfying consumers.

The main task is to defend positions in the competition and maintain efficiency.

aging stage

This stage completes the life cycle of the product, it is characterized by a stable sale or a decrease in its volume. Competition is no longer so intense, as many manufacturers leave the market. Advertising costs are decreasing. A completely unfamiliar product, better adapted to existing demand, can be brought to the market. A new company that operates more efficiently may also emerge.

The implementation of the marketing strategy of this stage involves several stages:

use of merchandising tools;
stimulating sales staff to effective sales;
stimulating the implementation of after-sales service;
liquidation of strategic business units with low profitability.

The main goal of this stage is to maintain the profitability of production, return the product to the previous stage or exit the market.

Classic stages of developing a company's marketing strategy

Stage 1. Analytics

To develop any strategy, it is necessary to implement the following steps in sequence:

Make a general market analysis. It includes the definition of its boundaries, capacity, potential. This is necessary for the competent setting of strategic planning goals.
Determine the level of competition and highlight the main market players. The implementation of this stage is facilitated by the use of such tools: the “5 forces of competition by M. Porter” and “Positioning Maps” models.
Analyze consumers, determine the target audience and target segments.
Analyze the internal state of the company, identify its strengths and weaknesses. This will help SWOT analysis, aimed at assessing them, as well as assessing opportunities and threats.
Analyze the company's product portfolio. This stage involves determining the place of each product name in the product portfolio: share in the profit structure, growth rates, sales volume, prospects.
Determine the company's marketing goals. It is on them that the developed marketing strategy depends. Let's analyze two goals and strategies to achieve them.

In addition to setting a goal, you will need to work out the tasks that must be completed in order to achieve it. Each task should be broken down into subtasks, and so on.

This process is the construction of a goal tree. For example, your goal is to increase sales volume. Then your tasks are to expand the assortment, attract new customers, develop a system for distributing goods. Sub-tasks are to develop new product variants, find new distribution channels, develop a promotion program, etc.

It is easy to see that tasks and subtasks already contain a certain direction of marketing strategies.

At this point, the analytical stage of developing a marketing strategy is completed, the next step is to develop a marketing plan.

Stage 2. Development of a marketing plan for the company

At this stage, the main task is to identify measures that will improve the position of the company in the long term.

An organization's marketing plan should include the following elements:

Ways to deal with competitors. We determine such parameters of a product or company that distinguish us from competitors. Next, we draw up a development plan for each of these parameters and develop a strategy to fight competitors.
Action plan in each target segment. If the segment is very promising, then you can expand the range, increase the number of outlets. In less promising segments, it will be advisable to reduce its influence. We determine the directions of development of each target segment.
Elements of the marketing mix. After summarizing the results, we determine the actions for each element of the marketing mix, draw up a calendar plan, assign responsible persons and determine the budget. We choose a strategy for each of the elements of the marketing mix, taking into account the developed strategies for fighting competitors and developing target segments.

Stage 3. Control

The company's marketing strategy must be characterized by flexibility, without which it is impossible to correctly respond to changing external conditions, the actions of competitors and consumer behavior. Therefore, starting to implement a marketing strategy, take care of proper control over the execution of all its stages.

A marketing audit is a systematic analysis of the external and internal environment of an enterprise, which allows you to find out whether the position of the company is in line with the adopted marketing strategy and develop corrective actions.

At the same time, analytical work is similar to that in the development of a company's marketing strategy. Our goal is to identify changes and adjust the marketing strategy.

5 tips to consider when developing a company's marketing strategy

The priority should not be the superiority of the company, but uniqueness. A common mistake organizations make is copying competitors' strategies. You do not need to seek leadership in your industry. It is better to become an indispensable company for your consumers.
Investments must be made correctly so that the return is maximum. Think about how you will develop the business after achieving the above goal.
Being in the first place for every client will not work. It is necessary to determine the limits of the organization's capabilities. Also, outline what the company will not do to meet the needs of customers who are not particularly willing to cooperate.
The task of the company is to successfully cope with its tasks at all stages of the sale of goods / services. That is, focusing directly on the product and ignoring the level of service or delivery is the wrong way. This is where a good marketing strategy is needed. For example, Zara was able to successfully pass all stages of the marketing strategy and received consumer recognition.
Stability should be one of the main qualities of the strategy. When developing a marketing strategy, management should not doubt the chosen ways to generate high income in a short time and win customer loyalty. The nature of a company's marketing strategy must be long-term. It is possible that it may be necessary to take a forced step - to give up part of the consumers in favor of competitors and part of the income, than to ensure a stable profit for your company.

Common Marketing Strategies Mistakes Small Businesses Make

Marketing strategy

Marketing strategy- the process of planning and implementing various marketing activities that are subordinate to the achievement of the goals set for the company (firm, organization, business structure). Marketing strategy is an integral element of the overall strategy of the company, defining the main directions of the company's activities in the market in relation to consumers and competitors. The marketing strategy of the company depends on its current position in the market, assessment of the prospects for market changes and future actions of competitors, goals set and existing resource constraints.

Marketing Strategy Goals

The main goals of a marketing strategy are usually: increase in sales (including an increase in customer flow or an increase in the number of orders); increase in profit; increase in market share; leadership in its segment. Goals should be consistent with the mission of the company and the strategic goals of the business as a whole.

Marketing strategy and marketing activities (marketing communications)

Marketing strategy is the foundation of a company's marketing activities. All activities in the field of marketing, advertising, public relations (PR) and sales should work in the same direction, which means that they should be consistent with this strategy and not contradict it. It is these events that put the marketing strategy into practice, putting it into practice.

If marketing strategy is the trunk of a tree, then advertising, public relations (PR), exhibitions, printing products, points of sale, sales representatives, etc. are its branches. Therefore, a marketing strategy will be as effective as possible only if all tactical steps are consistent and are its consequences. Often there is a substitution of concepts, the marketing strategy is identified with the business strategy, or is considered as a set of marketing actions. In the terminology of Philip Kotler, the essence of strategic marketing is expressed by the formula "segmentation, targeting, positioning" (STP).

The key concepts of the marketing strategy are: market segments, goals in relation to the market and its segments, the company's position in the market and alternative solutions developed on their basis in relation to the marketing mix. A marketing strategy is the means by which a marketing goal is to be achieved. Usually it is characterized by the target market and the program of its development.

the marketing strategy is developed within the framework of the overall corporate strategy and must be consistent with it. The matching procedure can be iterative.
the marketing strategy is largely determined by the scope of the company, its position in the market (whether it is a leader, a follower, occupies a market niche, etc.), as well as its aspirations (become the first, etc.). That is, the competitive position of the company and its strategic objectives are important factors in the formation of a marketing strategy.
In a dynamic and changing world, companies are increasingly focused not on maintaining or increasing the share of the existing market, but on finding new or expanding existing sources of value added (creation of new markets).
the marketing strategy must evolve into a cohesive set of operational-level strategies (sales strategy, advertising strategy, pricing strategy, etc.).

Western experts [ which?] note that it is much easier to translate a marketing strategy into a successful slogan than to put it into practice.

Literature

Markova V. D. Marketing management. - M.: "Omega", 2007
W. Walker Jr. and etc. Marketing strategy. - M.: "Vershina", 2006.
Jack Trout, Al Rice. Marketing Wars. (any edition)

Notes

Links

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

Books

Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning, Huley Graham. This book is the most up-to-date strategic marketing book on how to achieve and maintain excellence in the marketplace. The emphasis here is on…
Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning, Graham Hooley, John Saunders, Nigel Piercy / Graham J. Hooley, John A. Sannders, Nigel F. Piercy. 778 pages This book is the most up-to-date strategic marketing book on how to achieve and maintain excellence in the marketplace. Emphasis here...

Marketing strategy- an element of the strategy of the enterprise, aimed at the development, production and bringing to the buyer of goods and services that best meet his needs.

Marketing strategy is a program to achieve the main goal of the company - ensuring profit from market activities. The goal is a statement of what the company wants to receive (stably receive) in the foreseeable future.

Marketing strategy is a set of principles by which an enterprise forms marketing goals and organizes the implementation of these goals in the market.

The marketing strategy determines the pace of achieving the goal:

rapid growth in profits from market activities,
growth stability,
or a reduction in profits, for the sake of the growth of other non-market indicators (capitalization, globalization, presence, etc.).

The most important indicator of the company's market activity is sales volume, the ratio between sales volume and profitability. Depending on how this ratio changes, the marketing strategy may include:

rapid growth of marketing indicators,
stable market presence
reduction in market presence

To achieve strategically important sales volume and profitability for the company, it is necessary to set a number of marketing sub-goals and define a marketing strategy in relation to:

increase or decrease in market share
the need for a presence in a particular market segment
the number of buyers, their typology, one or another personalized attitude to the types of buyers;
recognition, memorability and loyalty to the brand, product and product offer
other marketing metrics.

To develop a marketing strategy, it is necessary to analyze and take into account the influence of a number of non-market factors:

Macroeconomic factors;
political factors;
Technology development;
social factors.

Marketing strategy development process it is advisable to carry out sequentially using the following steps:

Leader;
"Catching up" ("challenging")
Follow the leader;
Care in a niche ("specialist")

Identify and analyze patterns. You need to clearly understand:

social trends;
rates and directions of market development;
evaluate prospective factors influencing the formation of supply, demand, consumption methods, etc.;

Look into the future development of the company and justify its condition in ideal conditions;

Assess prospective risks and correlate them with the company's capabilities, as well as take into account anti-risk compensation measures in the subsequent preparation of a marketing strategy;

Establish a primary goal in terms of profits and sales that can be achieved using marketing methods;

Carry out market segmentation. The marketing strategy must accurately name those market segments on which the firm will focus its main efforts. For each of the selected target segments, it is necessary to develop a separate marketing strategy. Segmentation can result in:

marketing strategy of concentration on one segment (group of clients, client), considering it as a target;
or market coverage, offering the creation of a separate marketing program for each segment.

It is necessary to build a strategy tree in accordance with the marketing mix, in relation to each of the market segments (see paragraph 5):

In relation to the product (creation, correction of a product that can achieve the main goal of the company in this market segment).

general concept of the product;
components of the goods (form of presentation);
product functions and characteristics;
sensory unity (taste, tactile perception, smell, sound, appearance);
packaging that makes up its physical shell;
overall quality of the offer;
accompanying services;
a brand that carries certain values and has a symbolic meaning.

With regard to price - profit maximization with sales opportunities and demand for goods (stable positioning or correction of price positioning in the future):

Estimate demand (size, elasticity).
Analyze your own capabilities (cost structure).
To study the possibilities of competitors (to determine the pricing policy).
Choose pricing methods (taking into account obtaining the maximum profit).
Conduct an analysis and accounting of non-market factors influencing price setting (inflation, actions of regulators, etc.).
Finally accept prices.

In relation to the promotion of goods (achievement of communication goals). Marketing strategy is the basis for:

Advertising strategy;
sales promotion;
Direct marketing (direct marketing);

With regard to building a distribution system - goals and objectives in relation to:

Creation of a distribution and movement system,
Product presence
Sales;

It is necessary to indicate the time for which it is supposed to implement the planned;

It is necessary to draw up a plan for the main marketing activities;

Determine funding sources, plan financial expenses.

__________

This is a type of entrepreneurial activity aimed at determining its position in the market for the services provided by the enterprise, determining a strategy for promoting a product group or service from producer to consumer.

What is meant by strategic marketing?

Through strategic marketing, the position, preferences and requirements of the consumer are analyzed, all this data is used to produce a new group of goods or provide services.

Marketing is characterized by planning the range of products, determining the pricing policy, that is, setting a certain price for the product for which the buyer will purchase it. Strategic marketing also determines how products will be transported, i.e. the most economical options for the delivery of goods to the consumer are sought out, optimal conditions for storage and warehousing of the released product group are selected. The purpose of strategic marketing is also to determine the direction for the wholesale and retail sales of products, to provide customer service in the halls of trade, to provide the necessary assistance in choosing a particular product. An important aspect of marketing is the possibility of purchasing products on credit, when the consumer pays for the goods already purchased for some time. Advertising campaigns are organized, where the manufacturer in an impersonal form communicates with potential consumers through the media: television, radio, printed materials, by mail or via the Internet, also considers the installation of billboards, applying advertising text to vehicles.

Goals of strategic marketing consist in the systematic collection and analysis of the obtained data on the sale of products. The combination of all these methods will constitute strategic marketing, and not separately for each position, only by drawing up a program of action can success be achieved in the prosperity of the enterprise.

Thriving enterprises have one characteristic: they pay great attention to the consumer, and for this they use strategic marketing. They are united by the desire to understand and satisfy the consumer as best as possible, the employees of the enterprise are set to produce only excellent quality products, which leads to the greatest satisfaction of consumer demand. Knowing the marketing strategy, you can significantly increase the distribution of products in the consumer market, which will certainly lead to an increase in the profits of the enterprise.

How does strategic planning work?

Strategic planning is characterized by setting goals, strategies and a specific direction for their achievement. It contains several steps:

Strategic, or long-term planning, its purpose is to determine the important tasks for product marketing
Tactical planning currently used, it is needed to determine the tasks for the year

Under strategic planning understand the creation and support of the strategy of the enterprise to achieve its goals, the identification of opportunities for marketing. It is developed for a long time, it includes the following points:

The long-term goal of the marketing enterprise is determined
Marketing strategy is defined
The economic portfolios of the enterprise are monitored, their development in the future

The purpose of marketing is to be able to consider different areas of the enterprise's activities, aimed at transforming the consumer's needs into profitable items of the enterprise, in achieving predictable results on, in determining the social significance of the enterprise.

Marketing goals can be achieved if several conditions are met.:

The enterprise has the availability of the necessary resources
The production process does not violate the ecological situation
The internal capabilities of the enterprise allow me to implement the plans

To determine the goal of the marketing policy of the enterprise, they use analytical data on the strengths and weaknesses of production, the possibility of optimizing production lines, and be able to foresee threats to the production of goods in advance.

Fundamentals of Strategic Marketing consist in the process of choosing strategic actions in the general direction of the enterprise, aimed at increasing business. Developing a strategic line of an enterprise, the data can constantly change, therefore, enterprises cannot stop at only one chosen strategy, it is necessary to adapt to market conditions, cyclically, changing the primary goals set for new solutions.

An important difference between strategic planning is the difficulty of determining digital indicators in determining the usefulness of a particular decision. To do this, it is required to develop and constantly adjust an evaluation system based on the commonality of a digital indicator, this can be a monetary indicator of costs, with a numerical value of the estimates.

How the stages of the strategy are developed

Analyzing the state of the sales market
A qualitative assessment of the state of the sales market for the current period is made
A thorough study of competitors is carried out, the competitiveness of the enterprise is determined
The goals of the strategic policy of the enterprise are set
An analysis of the sales market segment is carried out, the desired target segment is determined. To do this, it is necessary to conduct consumer market research
An analysis of the strategy alternative is carried out, the desired option is determined
Determining the positioning of the product group in the consumer market, developing means to determine the competitiveness of the company's products
Preliminary assessment of strategic policy and control instruments is underway
Thorough research is carried out on the state of the sales market and the external environment of the enterprise

To conduct market analytics, the following components are used:

Market boundaries are defined
The saturation of the market with goods of one group is estimated
The market share of the enterprise in total production is determined
The competitiveness of the sales market is assessed
The development trend of the sales market is determined

The main component of market analytics is marketing research, which is carried out both in the office and in the working environment of the enterprise.

The analysis of the external macro environment is carried out according to the following components:

macroeconomic factor. Separate factors of the economy in the environment must be subject to constant diagnostics, subject to evaluation, since the economic condition directly affects the achievement of the goals of the enterprise. These include: the development of inflation rates, international balance of payments, the level of employment of the population, its financial capabilities, demographic growth, etc. Any of these factors can cause either a threat to the activities of the enterprise, or open up additional opportunities.
political factor. If the enterprise takes part in the political programs of the state, then the state exercises control over the norms and acts of local, federal authorities, calls on the enterprise to follow their instructions.
technological factor. Analytical actions on the technological environment will help the enterprise develop new solutions for the production of a product group in time, use scientific research, new technology to create a project for the development of the enterprise as a whole. It is important for any leader to keep abreast of all changes in production technology.
Social behavior is an important factor in the analysis of changes in morals in the social system, where it is necessary to determine the role of entrepreneurial activity, women, representatives of the national minority of the society, analyze the situation of consumer protection.
international factor. Those enterprises that operate in the international market must constantly monitor all changes taking place in the international market for the sale of products.

What are the goals of strategic marketing?

One of the important tasks of strategic marketing consists in constant monitoring of the situation at the enterprise, establishing the possibility of reorienting the activities of the enterprise in those directions that provide its greatest development, which should lead to the greatest profitability.

Basically, strategic marketing includes pre-planned marketing analysis, research, market segment definition and product group positioning in sales markets. As follows from the tasks of marketing, they must have their own tactical actions. There are mainly tactical and strategic tasks.

The main tasks of strategic marketing are :

Orientation of the company's activities to meet the needs of the consumer
Setting the vital position of the enterprise
Substantiation of their conclusions before the management of the enterprise

All activities of the enterprise must comply with the principle: "to produce such products that the consumer needs, and not try to sell him unnecessary goods." If you follow this principle, then the company at any time should be able to restructure its activities to the needs of the purchaser, while the products should be of high quality.

The main objective of marketing is to ensure customer satisfaction at the market level, through which the maximum profit of the enterprise is achieved.

Marketing is one of the components of the market mechanism, it should work in the following directions:

Try to streamline the sales market, because it works according to its own rules, make it transparent, when you can assess its condition, set parameters and directions for its development. It is important to predict the development of the market, or to make an attempt to predict the future
Try to reduce the spontaneity of the sales market, using its regulation
The competition of a product group must be orderly and subject to restrictions, to seek the exclusion of unscrupulous competitors.
Regulation of the production process and trade operations at the request of the sales market, aimed at satisfying the consumer
Try to develop and implement new technological solutions, they must have their own rationale, affect the turnover and distribution of the company's products
The entire marketing process should provide a greater return on the advertising company, influence the sales market and shape it in the interests of the enterprise, ensure the greatest attractiveness of the product group for the consumer.

Each enterprise operating in the sales market has its own tasks; they underlie strategic marketing. Here it is possible to allocate aggression to a certain market share, or to allocate, or take into account intermediate tasks. For each enterprise they have their own, aimed at achieving a specific goal, leading to prosperity and well-being.

What is the role of strategic marketing in enterprise development?

The main function of the producers of goods, working on marketing principles, is to satisfy the consumer, the production itself should be oriented to the sales market.

Key Roles of Strategic Marketing :

Orientation to the final result in the production and marketing sphere
Devotion of all efforts in the main strategic marketing to conduct research in the production area and product sales
The priority role of marketing should be aimed at long-term results, not short-term ones. To do this, it is necessary to conduct a study of the forecast in the activities of the enterprise, try to find ways to develop a new product group, which should increase the profit of the enterprise.
Link together strategic and tactical planning, which will be aimed at satisfying the consumer in their needs, and at the same time they must fulfill the interests of the enterprise

The following positions are typical for the strategic marketing of an enterprise:

Analytical analysis of the external environment. It uses data from the market component, political and economic conditions, the state of the social and technical sphere. Analytical data is used to determine the key components of the successful operation of the enterprise, according to which data is generated on the estimated properties of the external environment, the capabilities of the enterprise are established
Analytics of consumers, both existing and prospective. To do this, studies of the social, economic opportunities of the consumer, who purchase goods of our and competitive production, are carried out.
A thorough analysis of already released and upcoming products is being carried out, work is underway to create a new product group and possible improvements in the products manufactured by the enterprise are being studied: new packaging and assortment are being developed. Those goods that are not in demand by the consumer should be discontinued.
A project of trade turnover is created, the sales market for products is analyzed. Here you can connect your own trading places and industrial warehouses
The marketing service must ensure the formation of consumer demand, using combined advertising campaigns, stimulating the consumer through a system of discounts, sales, which will ultimately affect the profitability of the enterprise
A new pricing strategy is being developed, using a new pricing system for produced product groups
Enterprise marketers make up strategic marketing plan, which includes planning, monitoring the implementation of strategic marketing by each of the entire chain of the enterprise, analyzing the profitability, effectiveness of the marketing steps put into action.

Strategic marketing on the example of JSC "Progress"

Using the example of Progress OJSC, let's look at new methods in organizing all commercial activities of an enterprise in a market economy. (This enterprise is not really operating and is presented as a subjective example for the thematic disclosure of the article)

The main factor in regulating the economic activity of an enterprise is the ability to make optimal forecasts for further development, the choice of tactical and strategic actions.

To conduct strategic planning, it is required to consider the entire enterprise as a whole, with a long-term focus, which will determine all areas of its activity.

After the management realized the impossibility of managing the enterprise as it was in Soviet times, it began to think about reorienting the main activity according to the principles of marketing, which includes a set of practical methods for managing an enterprise in times of market relations.

Having made significant decisions in advance on the creation of a marketing department, the management team is already in practice beginning to closely engage in marketing, that is, to analyze, plan, implement and control the activities of the entire enterprise in order to better satisfy the needs of the consumer, this is the main task.

Analysis is necessary to identify and determine the assessment of the sales market, the external environment, and the analysis data is used to establish new capabilities of the enterprise, identify weaknesses and all kinds of difficulties in its activities.

At its core, strategic marketing contains a number of articles on which significant decisions are made for the enterprise by the management team to improve their core activities.

There are 4 main areas of marketing strategy :

Landmark is a qualitative assessment of the criterion for choosing the activity of an enterprise
Task - contains the quantity of products produced
An important feature of any strategic marketing is the establishment of rules for the relationship with the external environment, here it is necessary to determine the type of activity of the enterprise, develop new types of products, and determine the sales market. It is also necessary to determine how the company can achieve the superiority of its products over competitors. All these actions constitute a product-market strategy, or a business strategy.
Organizational concept strategy. It provides for the establishment of special provisions for the greatest benefit of the enterprise in the internal environment, the organization of the greatest productivity

What is the difference between marketing strategies at Progress OJSC?

Basically, all marketing policy activities are aimed at establishing the general direction of the enterprise, working in this direction, the greatest increase in productivity is achieved, and the position of the enterprise in the sales market is strengthened.
Strategic marketing involves a search technique, the role of which is to focus on a particular area, with the development of its potential. Work is being done here to eliminate other possibilities if they are incompatible with the main strategy. After the intended goals are achieved, strategic actions can be stopped.
When defining strategic actions, it is not possible to immediately establish their results, which may appear at the time of leaving the action plan. And to establish the direction, incomplete, generalized information is used that makes up alternative projects. During the search, certain alternative solutions may come up, with more accurate information, but this may lead to questionable conclusions, according to the initially established strategy. And without feedback it is impossible to use the established strategy.
When drawing up a project of action, both a strategy and a guideline are used. At first glance, it may seem that they have the same meaning, but this is far from the case. Under the benchmark understand the specific goal to which the enterprise is striving, and under the strategy, those means by which it can be achieved. Typically, benchmarks are for higher level decision making. And strategic actions, provided that there is only one set of guidelines, will not fulfill their main role if they are not changed. They are so interconnected that they can simultaneously be both a guideline and a set of strategic actions developed in the internal environment of the enterprise, for management they can be of a strategic nature, and among employees - a guideline for further activities.

What are the methods of strategic marketing?

Strategic marketing refers to a special type of enterprise management, where both internal structural objects are managed and the position of the enterprise in the external environment is determined. A modern enterprise must manage a whole system of marketing methods with intermediaries, consumers and other contacts. It is typical for consumers to hear information about manufactured products from the words of friends, colleagues at work, and at the same time pass it on to other consumers.

Strategic marketing involves the use of different methods of influencing the consumer :

Through advertising
Sales promotion
Mass media
Personal trading events

Sales promotion is possible in short-term incentive methods that involve some encouragement to purchase a product or use a service.

In the mass media, it is possible to stimulate demand for a product group, it is not carried out personally by the enterprise, you also need to pay for it. The meaning of this method is that the product is being presented, important information about it is communicated in a benevolent direction by distributing it in print publications.

In a personal sales event, an oral presentation of the product is carried out during a conversation with one or more potential purchasers, the purpose of which is to sell it.

Each company has its own methods of strategic marketing, but which methods to apply?

The marketer must be well versed in the effectiveness of strategic marketing, his actions can be a chain of interrelated methods:

Orientation of the enterprise to manufactured products. For example, you have made, in your opinion, excellent quality products, but this is only half the battle. The introduction of new products can be considered completed only when the consumer truly appreciates it, considers it necessary to meet their needs. But they acquire the product that they know well, understand it, and know its merits, scope, use, and from which you can get satisfaction. It is important to understand that with the release of a new product, unknown to the consumer, which contains the latest technological solutions, there may be a risk of a lack of sales. When a new product group is released, which has no analogues yet, a special marketing approach should be carried out, where the consumer will work on its description, purpose, method of use, and tell how difficult it is to live without it.
With the release of a completely new product group, the data of the old market research will no longer be suitable, since there is no way to find out from the consumer what they did not know about before, because they did not use this product.

Let's look at the example of several well-known enterprises that have used strategic marketing methods for their prosperity and well-being.

The well-known stationery sticky notes, which are pasted in a prominent place with the necessary text, went to the consumer for a long time, and only when the consumer realized how convenient and practical they were, then he began to use them and purchase them more often. Why this example? Only after purchasing the product, the consumer can truly appreciate its need for everyday life, and get satisfaction with the product.

A fairly well-known enterprise also used strategic marketing, and, at great expense, began to produce a special fiber that has the properties of steel and great flexibility. As the company's management thought, all buyers should be satisfied with the release of this product on the market. And only after the creation of a new product, it began to look for customers, ways to implement it, and develop areas of application. It sincerely believed that large capital investments and the use of innovative technologies would allow them to get ahead and overtake their competitors, becoming the market leader. But the results did not live up to their expectations. Only after certain marketing actions aimed at explaining the significance of products in certain technical areas, determining the scope of its application, did the digging business go smoothly.

It is important not only to develop the latest product, it is important to be able to form a new type of industry, and only under these conditions can an enterprise have low production costs and low risks.

If you decide to use this method of strategic marketing, in the already established environment of your enterprise, and before incurring the costs of the production process, then it would be good to find out if there are such consumers who are interested in your new product, whether they will acquire.

You can significantly reduce the amount of risk if you have a strong belief that your business will definitely increase sales.

The use of the general scientific method, when the method of an integrated approach to studying the state of the market is used, all activities related to the release of products are established

Any of the applied methods of strategic marketing should lead the enterprise to the highest goal: conquering the market, and achieving the greatest profit.