In today's world it is difficult to imagine even a medium-sized company without a marketing department or at least one or two specialists in this field. Market realities do not allow to do without an integrated approach to the process of creating a product or service and their further distribution. In the variety of brands and brands, it is very difficult to find a place for your product on a shelf in a store. Without knowledge and practical skills in this area it will be very difficult to continue their activities.
Market activity
Marketing is any activity of a company or firm with the goal of creating products and their further marketing. The main tasks can be considered the collection and analysis of the necessary information to draw a portrait of the target audience, search for UTP, the study of the commitment and expectations of potential buyers. In addition, marketing helps to understand what place the company occupies among other companies in this industry.
Market activity begins with the development of a product and ends only after a person has purchased a product or service, tried them and was able to form an opinion. If the final product in some way does not meet the expectations of customers, the task of specialists is to understand the reason and find ways to eliminate it.
To answer the question of what the marketing department does, you need to decide on its functions. The tasks that specialists solve can be both tactical and strategic, the correct formulation of which can affect the achievement or failure to achieve the goals. Any marketing activity should have a result that can be estimated in units of measure (company profit, quantity of goods sold, percentage growth of buyers, etc.).
Work principles
To organize a competent functioning process, several rules must be observed.
First, the structure of the marketing department should be simple. From it you need to remove all the extra links that affect the speed of the search for the necessary solutions.
Secondly, each employee must be responsible for a limited number of functions. It is categorically impossible for a large number of people to be responsible for the same area of work. This will complicate and extend the process of solving tasks.
Third, all employees must be flexible and adaptable. Under the conditions of rapidly changing market conditions, the main success factor will be the ability to quickly find new ways to solve the tasks than a competitor can do.
The specifics of the organization of work of the marketing department also depends on the type of activity of the company, production volumes, number of employees, presence of subsidiaries and branches, industry focus, presence of competitors and their number, remoteness from end consumers and points of sale.
Structural device
The number of specialists working in one marketing department may be different. It depends on the size of the company and the goals set. As mentioned above, each marketer should be engaged in their own field of market activity. Someone will investigate competitors, someone will draw up a portrait of a buyer, someone will look for new ways and ways of marketing finished products.
Many modern firms sell their goods not only offline, that is, through physical stores, but also online. The ways of promoting services through these channels are significantly different, so it’s advisable to assign these tasks to different specialists. In addition, it requires marketers who are responsible for ongoing projects and SEO-promotion of the company on the Internet.
The marketing department also includes logisticians, designers, content editors, copywriters, photographers, and videographers. Often, it is required to supplement the existing team with more promoters and employees for one-time projects. Each of these specialists has a number of their unique tasks, of which, as a result, a full-scale marketing activity is formed. In most cases, either a chief or a general manager is present in departments, who controls the work process and directs it in the right direction.
Marketing Department Functions
To achieve all of the company's goals, a clear tactic and strategy is required. Responsible for this type of work is the marketing manager, or marketer. It is from his professional efforts that the positive dynamics depend. This may be an increase in sales or recognition, the conquest of new target groups, access to a new market segment or the success of an advertising campaign to launch a new product or service.
The responsibilities of marketers, or marketing managers, include the following activities:
- Analysis of the market situation and future trends.
- Analysis of the behavior of potential buyers and consumers.
- Definition of the target market.
- Identification of competitive advantages.
- Drawing up programs to introduce benefits to the company.
- Development of strategies and tactics for product promotion.
- Tactical product line management.
- Increase customer loyalty.
- Analysis, control and calculation of the results of the work.
Studying market needs and trends
A marketing manager should begin his activity with a complete analysis of the market: from its trends and competitors to the expectations of buyers and intermediaries (for a company like B2B). Often, for better research, specialized analytical and statistical agencies are involved. Small and medium-sized businesses with a limited budget usually do not need this.
Upon completion of marketing research, the specialist draws up relevant reports and draws conclusions regarding a particular development and promotion strategy for the product. If he receives third-party data, then he will still have to adapt the information received taking into account goals and objectives.
After a thorough and thorough study of market niches and segments, assessment of the attractiveness of each segment and the potential viability of the company in the selected category, the marketer can determine the prospects for business development and the direction in which to move.
Target Audience
The marketing manager must have the necessary knowledge to identify the desires and expectations of the end user. They will ultimately help create a product that is in demand on the market, correctly determine its price and distribution methods.
This complex process chain begins with a detailed analysis of a potential buyer. Marketers conduct surveys, work with representative groups, collect research conducted before them. Based on these data, it is already possible to determine the needs and prejudices of the audience. The marketing manager should not only know all the positive aspects that customers would like to find in the proposed product, but also all their concerns about it.
The main task of the product is to solve the specific problem of the buyer. Moreover, he must meet his expectations. Behind the act of purchase are also certain motivational incentives. The task of the marketer is to identify them, then the consumer will buy the product more often and more willingly. For example, a cellulite cream can be sold on the basis that attractiveness and harmony will help women maintain relationships in the family or simply attract the attention of the opposite sex.
The mood of the audience can change due to various external reasons (the emergence of cheaper competitive counterparts, cooling interest and others), so the marketer should always monitor the behavior and attitude of customers to the product in order to determine when the product or service needs to be modified.
Target Market Selection
There are two ways to develop a product or service:
- Conduct a study of the target audience and identify their expectations, on the basis of which the product is further created.
- To analyze the technical and resource capabilities of the company and create a product based on them, and then look for the audience that will be interested in the existing product.
A thorough study of the market allows marketers to identify the most promising group of buyers, which will bring maximum profit and will be distinguished by loyalty. It also helps determine the target market and the segment in which the company would be most profitable to be represented. Knowing your customer preferences helps to identify the weaknesses of competitors and the shortcomings of their products.
Creating a competitive advantage
Attractive appearance can be considered one of the keys to product success. The task of marketers in this case is to give the product the necessary external characteristics and distinguish it from a number of similar products. In addition to this, you can create a unique selling proposition (USP), which will make the product even more attractive in the eyes of potential buyers.
Product competitiveness is considered one of its key characteristics. With the same functional set of two products, such as pots, the client will choose the one that he liked more or approached for the price. For some categories of goods, price is no longer a determining factor (essential goods, luxury products). In this case, it all depends on the appearance and the availability of additional services that come with the goods. Knowing the weaknesses of competitor products allows you to take a more advantageous position in the market.
Development of a long-term strategy
Without the participation of the marketing department in the enterprise, planning in the future is impossible. Firstly, its employees are familiar with all market trends and customer expectations. Secondly, they will quickly find a profitable segment for placing goods. Thirdly, they can not only develop a strategy aimed at emphasizing the strengths of the advertised product, but also take into account potential dangers, reduce the risk of losses and develop a plan for marketing research and events that will help to achieve the goals faster.
Company product management
The marketing manager always knows the product in detail. He will be able to highlight the strengths and hide not the most attractive. In addition, the marketing manager will always be able to talk about the product and stimulate both the interest of the buyer and encourage him to the final action.
Skillful product management is just as important as developing a competent strategy and media plan for an advertising campaign. Without understanding the expectations of consumers in relation to a particular product, it will be impossible to correctly determine the price, size, number of units of goods in the package.
Customer Relationship Formation
Since the marketing and advertising department is responsible for the growth of the client base and establishing feedback with consumers, their responsibilities also include the development and implementation of measures to attract more attention to a product, service or organization. Specialists should attract new ones, maintain relations with existing ones and try to return the departed customers.
In the realities of the modern market, it is the expansion of the customer base and the establishment of relations with them that becomes the key task of marketers. This is primarily due to the simplification of other processes thanks to the Internet. In addition, it has been proven that loyal customers can provide more stable income in the long run.
Control and analysis
As a rule, the chief marketing manager sets short-term and long-term goals for the whole team. In the future, he also has to control the process of their achievement. He will need to develop “corrective measures” if any of the tasks set cannot be successfully implemented. Resource management and control is also on his direct responsibilities.
From idea to sale
By itself, the marketer is both a manager and coordinator, and often an executor. The further fate of not only one product taken, but the whole organization as a whole depends on his knowledge and actions. When answering the question about what the marketing department is doing, it is important to remember its multifunctionality. He not only manages existing goods and services and conducts research, but also develops and implements new ones, helping the company move forward, increasing its customer base and annual turnover. Therefore, the presence of a competent marketer is important to maintain the life of the company in the long term.