Strategic marketing - actions taken by the enterprise, the main idea of which is to increase the productivity of the work process. To achieve the company's plans, the company systematically takes measures aimed at providing the buyer with such goods that are most valued by him. At the same time, it is important that the product be preferable to that offered by a competitor. Through strategic marketing approaches, it is possible to fully, effectively use all the resources available to the enterprise, thereby increasing the profitability of a product or service.
General view
Strategic and tactical marketing - techniques that help identify all the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise in comparison with competing organizations. The term implies an active process of long-term planning, the main task of which is to improve the average market performance of the company. Detailed analysis allows you to understand what are the realcapabilities of the legal entity that can be adapted to current capabilities and resources. Planning helps create the potential for development, growth, and increasing the profitability of the company. The main task of strategists working on a marketing program is to form such a development plan, formulate such goals so that the company develops and financial results become better. At the same time, attention is paid to the correct formulation of the mission of the enterprise, the creation of a balanced, promising product portfolio.
Strategic marketing - planning work in the company in the long and medium term. The employees responsible for the development of the program formulate a strategy for improving the company, its goals. The essence of the strategy is to adjust the capabilities of the enterprise to market requirements and demand. In fact, the internal economic environment is brought into balance with external conditions.
Strategic marketing may involve the creation of one company development program or several plans at the same time. The key to success is the choice of just such a strategy that will be effective in relation to the promoted product, the market in which the company is represented. The strategy may include:
- expansion of business ties;
- improvement of the internal structure of the firm;
- development of new markets;
- decrease in activity in an unpromising area;
- closing unprofitable sectors of activity;
- opening branches abroad;
conclusionagreements with foreign partners for the development of territories where previously successful work was not possible.
Strategies and Tactics
Strategic marketing involves the use of some program that takes into account the characteristics of the market chosen by the legal entity. Different companies use programs that are fundamentally different from each other - everything is individual, so you need to work out your own plan on your own, taking into account the characteristics of the company's activities. Among the indispensable tools of work are mathematical market models, the laws of game theory, risk analysis and the choice of the most appropriate development paths. A firm's strategic marketing may combine several of these approaches simultaneously.
When working out a company's development program in the long term, it is necessary to evaluate the segmentation of the selected market, as well as the territory it is planned to enter. A reasonable, promising option is the formation of a marketing campaign in such a way that consumers from different segments react equally to the promoted product. Analysts must identify the characteristics of the public, social aspects and psychological traits inherent in the average consumer in a particular market segment. Based on such an analysis, one can understand in which areas the audience is already ready to buy services, products of the enterprise, and which ones have yet to be conquered.
Forward to success
The development of strategic marketing helps to plan the activities of the company, taking into account favorable prospects. Analysts figure out what is the capacitythe market for the chosen profile of work, how strong the competition is, whether the demand is great. By conducting a thorough research of the area, you can evaluate how to come up with a new product as successfully as possible - how to present it, in what quantity to offer. To do this, it is necessary to evaluate the consumer parameters of the market, segment, product, taking into account the reputation of the enterprise.
One of the tasks of strategic marketing is to determine the optimal moment to enter the market with a product. This is especially true if a seasonal product is presented to the customer's attention. Before voicing the offer, you should conduct an advertising campaign to attract attention. In addition, the reaction to advertising allows you to assess the prospects that await products: it is possible to identify an unfavorable market situation. If analysts can reasonably assume that in some not too distant future the demand for the product will become higher, it is reasonable to postpone the release of the goods to this period.
Theory and practice
Another task of strategic marketing is to work out the procedure for entering a new market. Considering the experience of successful enterprises, attention should be paid to the practices of Japanese firms: first, there is a consolidation in the market of a country in which there is no national manufacturer of a particular product. Having accumulated certain experience, the company can develop further, gradually covering the powers where there are also manufacturers in the chosen field of work. This strategy is called "laser beam".
Typical example: automotiveJapanese enterprises, which initially opened only in a few northern countries, Ireland. Only with time, when it was possible to create a strong reputation, accumulate experience in building a product, understand what exactly the consumer expects in this area so far from home, it was decided to start conquering more complex markets. In the process of strategic marketing, it was thought out how to achieve success in Belgium and Austria, and some other European countries. Having achieved success in this as well, Japanese corporations ventured to introduce their product to the automotive markets of countries traditionally distinguished by their powerful concerns in this area.
Attention to details
If we analyze the strategic marketing applied by Japanese enterprises in the international market, we can see that it originally assumed a long-term plan. This strategy is generally characteristic of firms in the Land of the Rising Sun. Noteworthy features of the implementation of the program. First, the export of affordable to the masses, but high-quality cars was established, which made it possible to satisfy the demand among the inhabitants, who were not too picky about the goods. This made it possible to form a persistent stereotype: in the minds of the layman, Japanese cars have become synonymous with excellent quality and reliability. There was a platform for expanding influence, which was reflected in the supply of a more expensive product, specialized, and also made it possible to open their own production facilities in the powers, where cars were previously exclusively brought ready-made.
The strategic marketing of the companies whose example is considered was immediately built withtaking into account the complexity of the marketing aspect in the European powers (and any other capitalist country). Competition is growing rapidly, the consumer is demanding a new product, and the survival of each individual company is possible only in conditions of a successful combination of long-term planning and a clear instantaneous response to demand. At the same time, you need to be prepared for taxes and duties - not only existing ones, but have certain reserves in case new ones are introduced.
Success these days: what to bet on?
Strategic marketing for businesses that want to be successful now or in the future must focus on the most promising field available in today's world: knowledge-intensive, innovative technologies. This applies equally to goods and services. Areas considered promising are:
- consulting;
- licensing;
- design;
- construction;
- research;
- engineering.
When planning the future of an enterprise, it is reasonable to consider the possibility of participating in a leasing program. Technical, technological, scientific superiority over a competitor is the main component of success. The development of strategic marketing involves increasing the existing gap, while it is important to remember that other market participants are also awake - they seek to use promising tools to their advantage in order to break into first place.
Promising Strategies:
- increasing the intensity of research and development(R&D);
- getting rid of an unprofitable product;
- active restructuring in accordance with the requirements of the times;
- capturing wide territories (the whole planet);
- application of the most modern methods and approaches;
- maximum speed of distribution in different markets;
- specialization on a specific group of clients.
To attack and defend
The above strategic marketing and marketing strategy can rightly be called offensive. Not every enterprise is ready for this - for example, others believe that there are not enough resources yet. The alternative is a defensive program that involves protecting an occupied position in the market from competing enterprises.
By the way, no one forbids conducting an offensive strategy in one market, and defense in another.
Classic defensive program - leaving the selected segment, throwing resources to other, more promising, reliable ones. This is most relevant if the product is unprofitable, looks the same in the future.
Yesterday, today, tomorrow
One of the methods of strategic marketing is to make a forecast for the long term, taking into account the adjustment of the consumer term. The tactics of the enterprise should be based on the peculiarities of the conjuncture, the principles of market formation. Based on a full analysis, it is formulated what the product range should be to meet demand. The optimal period of tactical planning is a year, a maximum of one and a half. The revision of the plan should be carried out regularly, well in advance.before the end of the selected period. This helps to correct the firm's activity line and quickly adjust to market changes.
The organization of strategic marketing makes it possible to create successful product movement processes, find methods to stimulate transactions, increase the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, taking into account the product life cycle. When planning to capture a new segment, it is through marketing that an enterprise receives information about the principles of successful market entry.
And more details?
One of the functions of strategic marketing is to create a product movement system. Logistics that works correctly and without failures is a guarantor of the timely receipt of the necessary volume of product in adequate condition by the consumer. This increases the economic results of the enterprise and is one of the factors for building a good reputation.
Another function of strategic marketing is to work out the provisions of an advertising campaign. It must be launched just in time, not earlier and not later, filled with convincing slogans and effective messages. If the work is done poorly, the consumer simply will not know about the properties of the outgoing position, which means that he will not be able to associate it with his own needs. At the same time, scientists have found that it is advertising that often reveals the needs of the buyer, which were previously unclear to him, and encourages him to purchase a new product.
The right moment, the correct tactical program is the key to successful product promotion. But the error canresult in considerable losses, since sales, sales volume and advertising scale can be so unfortunately combined with each other that the company will be on the verge of bankruptcy.
Responsibility and success
A strategy is a plan whose main idea is the achievement by the company of all formulated goals. Strategy development is the responsibility of the head of the enterprise. It is he who must understand which direction of work is the most promising, how it needs to be developed, what decisions will be justified, and what methods of action will be effective.
The manager is obliged to analyze all possible ways and methods of expanding the company's activities, on the basis of which to choose the most promising option. That is where the company will go. After making the initial decision, it is necessary to work out actions that will increase the ability to compete with other market participants, as well as choose the best business approaches.
When planning the management of a company, you need to evaluate all aspects of the activity, both monetary and production, personnel and material, marketing. A strategic choice obliges all actions and decisions in the future to be subordinated to it. The activities implemented by the company will have to comply with the chosen strategy. Unity of purpose is the key to the success of the company.
Difficult but possible
The main problem in formulating a successful strategy is the difficulty of forecasting for long time periods. On the one hand, once a plan has been formulated, there is no need to rework it, on the otherOn the other hand, the program still does not allow static, but requires innovative introductions and adjustment to market conditions. By adapting the strategy to the requirements of the present and the predicted future, one can understand in which direction the development will be the most promising, which means that the enterprise will be able to notice and use favorable market conditions in time, effectively applying the advantages that are available at the moment.
The strategy clearly regulates how it is necessary to compete, what strengths of the company will help win back its “place in the sun”. At the same time, the program should take into account the characteristics of the market, the buyer to whom the product is directed. The approach is conceptual, special, while attention is paid to all types of the company's activities. Only such a strategy will be effective, which reflects the main vector of activity, while taking into account all possible, planned ones. At the same time, one should adhere to the “golden mean”: if the strategy turns out to be too complicated, it will be impossible to delve into the essence of all the components and connect them together, and therefore implement them. The more departments, responsible persons, areas of activity, the higher the likelihood of confusion and errors.
Influencing factors
The choice of strategy should be based on information obtained from the analysis of the following aspects:
- field of activity;
- competitor advantage;
- market accessibility;
- type of economic activity.
Firstinvolves identifying markets where you can become an active service company, as well as promising segments. In the analysis of advantages, attention is paid to all those positions that represent an advantageous difference from other companies engaged in similar business.
Market accessibility involves an analysis of available supply channels, sales, their applicability for a particular company planning to start working in the selected market. Finally, the fourth aspect is the choice of the scale of activity, a specific direction that will make it possible to succeed.
Decision-making on the mentioned aspects is interconnected, each of the choices determines the other, and a change in at least one of them forces changes in other elements of the strategic planning and marketing project. In fact, the company's strategy is an integrated selection of all elements in the aggregate.
Attention to all sides of the issue
Analyzing the field of activity, one can understand what the target audience is, what competitors will have to fight for its attention, what advantages will help achieve the best financial result. These strengths of the company are extremely important in creating a unique position of the company in the market, as well as in presenting the product to the buyer. By drawing the attention of the consumer to the most important aspects, you can create an advantage against your competitors.
Market availability forces the search for alternative distribution channels. For controlabove the cost factors, it is necessary to adjust the distribution channel management in such a way that it will ensure a profit covering the costs. As the practice of modern companies shows, it is the control of distribution channels that is one of the most important issues of strategic marketing for almost any modern company that expects continuous work.
