Company marketing strategy: from development to analysis. Small Business Marketing Strategy

Hello! In this article we will talk about the process of developing a marketing strategy.

Today you will learn:

• What types of marketing strategies exist;
• How to develop a marketing strategy for an enterprise.

We have already written a large detailed article about. Below we will briefly recall the types and immediately move on to development and examples.

Types of Marketing Strategies

Depending on what competitive advantage the company has, strategies are divided into:

• Differentiation strategy– involves distinguishing the company from competitors due to the high quality or special properties of the product;
• Cost leadership strategy– allows the company to set the minimum price on the market, due to lower costs of production and sales of products compared to competitors. You can minimize costs if you have some objective advantage: economical equipment, favorable geographical location, special production technology, and so on;
• Cost Focus Strategy– this strategy is a cost leadership strategy, but addressed only to one segment of consumers;
• Strategy to focus on differentiation– this strategy is a differentiation strategy, but addressed only to one customer segment.

Pricing strategies are divided into three types:

• Price leadership – the minimum price on the market;
• Strategy of following a competitor - average market price;
• The skimming strategy is the highest price on the market.

Main types of product strategies:

• Innovation strategy – creating a completely new product for the company;
• Modification strategy – creating different variants of existing products;
• Withdrawal strategy is to stop production/sale of the product.

Main types of distribution strategies:

• Exclusive distribution – distribution of the product only through its own channels;
• Selective distribution – distribution of a product through highly specialized channels;
• Intensive distribution – distribution through any channels

The promotion strategy depends on what promotion tools you have chosen for your product or company.

Stages of developing a marketing strategy

The process of developing a marketing strategy for an enterprise consists of three large sections - analytical, practical and control over implementation.

Analytical stage

The development of any strategy involves the sequential implementation of the following actions:

1. General market analysis. Here you need to determine the boundaries of the market, market capacity, and market potential. This will allow you to correctly set strategic planning goals.
2. Determining the level and highlighting the main market players. This stage is easy to implement using two tools: M. Porter’s “5 Forces of Competition” model and the “Positioning Map”.

M. Porter’s “5 Forces of Competition” model consists of 5 blocks describing key market players: competitors (number, company names, market shares, competitive advantages, and so on); consumers (quantity, presence of associations, volume of purchases, etc.); companies producing substitute goods (quantity, market shares, cost of switching consumers to them); suppliers (their number, possibility of replacement, volume of purchases, etc.); new players (barriers to entry and exit, factors limiting and stimulating their emergence).

Based on the description, each block is given a danger level assessment. Future strategy should aim to minimize this risk.

A positioning map is an excellent tool for finding your niche in the market and determining the company’s place among competitors. It is a coordinate system, the number of axes of which depends on the number of parameters by which we compare ourselves and competitors.

Each axis consists of ten divisions into a positive area and ten divisions into a conditionally negative area (in the case of a positioning map, it will not be negative).

Example. We sell anti-dandruff shampoo. The parameters by which we evaluate our position in the market will be the following: price (X-axis, positive area), density (X-axis, conditionally negative area), convenience of packaging (Y-axis, positive area), efficiency (Y-axis, conditionally negative area ). We evaluate our shampoo for each parameter on a scale from 1 - the lowest indicator, to 10 - the highest indicator and make corresponding marks on the axes, we do the same with competitors' products.

When all the points are marked, they must be connected with a line. As a result, we will get a map of our product and competitors' products. It will clearly show in which parameters we are succeeding and in which we are lagging behind. This will allow us to decide on a competitive advantage strategy and positioning strategy.

1. Consumer Analysis, identifying the target audience and target segments.
2. Analysis of the internal state of the company, its strengths and weaknesses. For these purposes, we conduct a SWOT analysis, during which we assess the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
3. Analysis of the organization's product portfolio. At this stage, we need to determine the place of each product in the organization’s product portfolio: share in the profit structure, growth rate, sales volume, prospects.
4. Setting the organization's marketing goals. It is the goal that determines the future marketing strategy of enterprises. Let's analyze two goals and strategies that are used to achieve them.

In this case, it is necessary to set not just one goal, as in the example, but also to work out the tasks that need to be completed to implement it, and for these tasks, subtasks, and so on.

This process is called building a goal tree. For example, the goal: increasing sales volume; tasks: expanding the range, attracting new consumers, developing a product distribution system; subtasks: development of new product variations; searching for new sales channels, developing a promotion program, and so on.

As you can see, tasks and subtasks already contain a certain focus of marketing strategies.

This completes the analytical section of developing a marketing strategy; we begin to develop a marketing plan.

Practical stage - development of a marketing plan for an enterprise

Now we have come to developing the heart of the marketing strategy - the marketing plan. At this stage, all efforts are focused on identifying measures to improve the company’s position in the long term.

As part of the enterprise's marketing plan, it is necessary to work out the following elements:

• "Weapons" of competition. We choose those product or company parameters that set us apart from our competitors. We develop a development plan for each parameter. We determine the competitive strategy;
• Action plan for each target segment. For the most promising segments, measures can be taken to expand the range, increase the number of retail outlets, and in less promising segments, on the contrary, reduce your influence. We determine the development strategy for each target segment;
• Elements of the marketing mix. We summarize and determine actions for each element of the marketing mix, draw up a calendar plan, appoint those responsible and determine the budget. We choose a strategy for each element of the marketing mix, taking into account the selected competitive strategies and segment development.

Control and analysis of marketing strategy

An enterprise's marketing strategy must be flexible to respond to changes in the external environment, the actions of competitors and consumer behavior. Therefore, after you have begun implementing a marketing strategy, it is necessary to take measures to monitor its execution.

Marketing audit – systematic analysis of the external and internal environment of the enterprise for compliance of the company’s position with the adopted marketing strategy, followed by taking corrective actions.

In this case, analytical work occurs in the same way as when developing a marketing strategy for an enterprise. Our goal is to identify changes and adjust the marketing strategy.

An example of an enterprise marketing strategy

We will omit the analytical stage of building a marketing strategy for an enterprise so that you can clearly see how a strategy is formed according to the goals of the organization.

For example, we bake cabbage pies and want to sell them. And as you know, sales without marketing today are impossible, so we begin to develop a marketing strategy. A little about the product: homemade pies, only natural ingredients, prepared according to a traditional recipe. We have no cost advantage.

Target segment: small cafes.

Our goal: ensuring sales volume at the level of 50 thousand rubles per month.

Tasks: searching and attracting clients; search and selection of distribution channels.

Subtasks: development of a promotion program for each distribution channel and consumer segment.

Competitive strategy: our competitive advantage – our product. We place emphasis in positioning on its naturalness and tradition, that is, the quality of the product. In addition, this is not a mass product, so we choose a strategy of focusing on differentiation and developing our product further (for example, adding different spices).

Action plan for each target segment: We are expanding our presence in the small cafe segment, expanding the range with various additives and sizes of pies. You can choose a modification strategy and also offer cabbage pies according to the traditional recipe.

Elements of the marketing mix: we need to attract new consumers, for this we are creating a promotion program using online promotion tools aimed at the target segment; The distribution strategy is exclusive; we will distribute the pies using a page on a social network.

In terms of pricing strategy, we have a choice between a mid-market strategy and a skimming strategy. Everything will depend on the uniqueness of your product in a specific geographic market. For example, in America, pies with cabbage according to a traditional Russian recipe will be a unique product and you can set a high price.

The concept of "strategy" implies a method of action or plan, presented in a general form over a significant period of time. It can be developed in any direction. The main thing is that pre-thought-out actions contribute to the most efficient use of available resources and lead to the set goal.

As for the marketing strategy, it is one of the components of the company's overall strategy. At the same time, it contains a description of the methods that should be used by the company to increase sales profits in the long term. It is worth noting that the marketing strategy does not offer users any specific actions. She only describes them.

The Importance of Marketing

Any economic plan allows you to get an idea of ​​the company’s development prospects in the market, as well as the theoretical and practical aspects of its activities. And this can be done by marketing, which is the science of setting tasks and goals, achieving and solving them, as well as ways to overcome existing problems in an organization across the entire range of products over a certain time period. Why does a company need such a strategy? It allows you to achieve the maximum possible correspondence between available resources and the current economic situation. This is what will help the company conduct successful financial and production activities.

What are the features of a marketing strategy and what needs to be taken into account when choosing the most suitable one?

The essence of pre-planning

What is the main point of a marketing strategy? If we consider a specific market environment, then creating the right direction in it allows the company to develop as efficiently as possible. When forming such a strategy, an executive plan is drawn up that allows the organization to carry out its activities taking into account the chosen policy.

There is a very important element in marketing work. It is called marketing planning, thanks to which the company is able to constantly analyze the market, as well as learn about the needs of customers.

The business strategy developed by marketing makes it possible to offer products that would fully satisfy the demand of a certain group of consumers. In this regard, the main task that such a document sets for itself becomes clear. The action plans developed by the company are designed to identify both existing and potential markets for products.

When developing long-term plans in any economically successful state, it is always worth remembering that marketing products most often causes certain difficulties. Given the fierce competition in the market, the majority of enterprises prefer to produce and sell their goods themselves. They consider this method the most reliable for maintaining their leading positions.

Marketing tactics and strategies for successful businesses involve outperforming competitors, as well as strengthening their position in the future. You can only change initially created plans in situations where:

For several years, the company did not achieve good results in terms of sales of goods and revenue generation;

There has been a change in the strategies of competing companies;

Some external conditions affecting the operation of the enterprise have been transformed;

A chance has arisen to implement new reforms that would be able to increase benefits and bring profit to the organization;

The company has achieved the goals outlined by the current sales strategy.

Marketing plans can also be adjusted due to changes in the market, which has begun to focus on other indicators. This could be the emergence of fundamentally new products, as well as the use of modern methods of bypassing competitors. An example of a company's marketing strategy can make it clear that the company, in its desire to sell a product, actively uses various directions at the same time.

Marketing Strategy Goals

Why are long-term sales plans created? From the example of the company’s marketing strategy, it becomes clear that they are intended to implement external program or market goals, namely for:

Increasing the organization's market share;

Growth in the number of clients;

Increasing the level of sales, taking into account their natural and cost indicators.

The marketing strategy also presupposes the achievement of certain internal program (production) goals. They serve as a continuation of the market ones. These plans reflect everything that the enterprise needs to achieve program goals. At the same time, the strategy does not take into account organizational resources, but takes into account the issue of ensuring the required production volumes. It is worth keeping in mind that this indicator consists of the number of sales, from which existing inventories are subtracted, summing the result with planned inventories. This also includes issues of creating new workshops, introducing the latest production technologies, etc.

Marketing planning also sets organizational goals for the enterprise. It looks at the structure of the firm, as well as its management and staff. If we consider the example of a specific company, a marketing strategy may, for example, plan to increase staff salaries to the level available in the organization that occupies a leading position in the market, and also provide for the hiring of several specialists with knowledge in a particular industry. In addition, long-term plans sometimes include the introduction of a system that allows for project management, etc.

An example of an enterprise's marketing strategy allows one to judge the company's financial goals. This section of the plans indicates all the expected indicators in their cost terms. They include in their list: the amount of costs, gross and net profit, volume and profitability of sales, etc.

Types of Marketing Strategies

The company's long-term sales plans are classified according to various criteria. But the most commonly used categories are:

1. Integrated Growth. An example of developing a marketing strategy suggests that the company wants to expand its own structure, using “vertical development”, which involves the release of new services or products. If the integrated growth strategy is successfully implemented, then the company begins to exercise control over the branches of the enterprise's suppliers and dealers, trying to influence the end consumer.
2. Concentrated growth. An example of an enterprise's marketing strategy in this case indicates that within the framework of these long-term product sales plans, a change in the market is possible. In addition, such a strategy also provides for the modernization of goods. The main objective of the plans describing the concentrated growth of the company is the fight against competitors, as well as the desire to occupy positions in an expanded market share. This process is called “horizontal development”. This strategy allows you to improve the quality of existing products and find new markets for them.
3. Diversified Growth. An example of a marketing strategy in this area, as a rule, occurs in cases where a company currently does not have the opportunity to develop in a market environment with a certain type of product. The enterprise can make maximum efforts aimed at producing new products using its existing resources. At the same time, the received product sometimes has only slight differences from the old one, and sometimes it is completely different.
4. Reduction. An example of a marketing policy in this area may clearly indicate that the company is setting itself a goal aimed at increasing the efficiency of its work after a significant period of development. Here, for example, you can plan to reorganize a company by cutting down certain departments. Another option for such a strategy could be the liquidation of the company, which involves gradually reducing its activities to zero, which makes it possible to obtain maximum income.

Main directions of marketing strategy

After determining one direction or another, the company has the opportunity to focus not only on certain elements of the market environment, but also on its entire volume. At the same time, it becomes possible to implement the main strategic directions. Among them:

1. Mass (undifferentiated) marketing strategy. It is focused on the entire market environment without taking into account the differentiation of consumer demand. As a result of applying this direction, it becomes possible to reduce production costs, which gives the product serious competitive advantages.
2. Differentiated marketing strategy. Its use allows us to judge that the company is trying to take positions in more market segments. To achieve this goal, it begins to produce products with attractive designs, high quality, etc.
3. Concentrated marketing strategy. When using it, the company focuses its efforts on only one market segment. The products produced are intended for a certain category of consumers. In this case, the emphasis is on originality. This type of marketing strategy is ideal for those companies that have limited resources.

In addition to all of the above categories, product sales plans can be price and product, branded and advertising. In this case, they are classified according to the means of marketing products that are mainly used by the company.

Let's look at the most modern examples of marketing strategies.

Positional defense

As you know, in order to protect yourself from enemies, a defensive fortress must be built. However, it is always worth remembering that a static defense that does not provide for any forward movement is a sure path to defeat. And if the marketing strategy adopted by a company is purely defensive, then it can be called short-sighted.

If we consider enterprises such as Coca-Cola or Bayer, then it can be argued that even in their work it is impossible to guarantee a stable income. A successfully developed marketing strategy (using the example of the specific Coca-Cola company) clearly adheres to the line of expanding the range of its products and developing new types of production. And this despite the fact that this company produces its products in huge quantities! Coca-Cola's share of the global soft drink market is almost 50%. But the marketing strategy that the company adheres to leads to the fact that it is actively buying up companies that produce fruit drinks. And this is in addition to expanding the range and introducing the latest technologies.

Flank protection

Companies that occupy leading positions in the market need a special marketing strategy. Its main goal is to create a “border service” and concentrate “combat-ready units” on the most vulnerable borders. But flank protection is considered the most effective, which provides for the conditions for the detailed development of all operations and their phased implementation. And in this case, we can give examples of failures of marketing strategies. For example, the main mistake of General Motors and Ford was the lack of proper training. At the moment when European and Japanese manufacturers began attacking the market, these firms did not take them seriously. As a result, American automobile companies lost part of the domestic market. After all, Japanese manufacturers have offered the American consumer vehicles that are compact. Such products have attracted interest from a wide range of car enthusiasts.

Pre-emptive strikes

How to develop a marketing strategy? An example of the organization of proactive actions can be found in the history of various companies. They come down to the use of several methods.

The first of them is similar to combat reconnaissance. For example, some firms affect one competitor in their market, attack another, and pose a threat to a third. This disrupts their activities.

The next method is to attack on all fronts. An example of a project's marketing strategy using such actions is the decisive step of Seiko, which offered 2,300 models of its watches to distributors from all over the world. Texas Instruments can also be mentioned here. She successfully used price attack tactics. One of the most basic objectives of such a marketing strategy is to maintain a high competitive level of the company's products.

International Marketing Strategy

Marketing strategy in banking

When developing long-term plans for the implementation of services by financial and credit institutions, their inextricable connection with IT areas is primarily taken into account. Thus, the development of a marketing strategy using the example of Cetelem Bank indicates a constant increase in the use of information technology.

This process will require an increase in the number of sales points, as well as the number of employees. The bank's marketing strategy also assumes a significant increase in costs for equipment, telephony and telecommunications. At the same time, issues of effective use of financial investments are considered. Despite the complexity of the task, most of the most key aspects of the bank’s developed strategy are being implemented within the scheduled time frame.

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 manufacturer to consumer.

What is meant by strategic marketing?

Through strategic marketing, consumer positions, preferences and requirements 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 the products will be transported, i.e. the most economical options for delivering goods to the consumer are sought out, and 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 wholesale and retail sales of products, provide customer service in the trading floors, and consider providing the necessary assistance in choosing a specific product. An important aspect of marketing is the possibility of purchasing products on credit, when the consumer pays for an already purchased product over a period of time. Advertising companies are organized where the manufacturer communicates impersonally with potential consumers through the media: television, radio, printed materials, by mail or via the Internet, and also considers installing billboards and applying advertising text to vehicles.

Strategic Marketing Goals consist in the systematic collection and analysis of data obtained on product sales. 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.

One characteristic of thriving businesses is that they focus on the customer and use strategic marketing to achieve this. They are united by the desire to understand and satisfy the consumer as best as possible; the company’s employees are committed to producing products of only excellent quality, 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 certainly leads to an increase in the profit of the enterprise.

How does strategic planning happen?

Strategic planning is characterized by the establishment of goals, strategies and specific directions for achieving them. It contains several stages:

• Strategic, or long-term planning, its purpose is to determine important tasks for marketing products
• Tactical planning used at the moment, it is needed to determine goals for the year

Strategic planning refers to the creation and support of an enterprise strategy to achieve its goals, and the identification of marketing opportunities. It is being developed for a long period of time and includes the following points:

• The long-term marketing goal of the enterprise is determined
• Marketing strategy is determined
• The business portfolios of the enterprise and their development in the future are monitored

The purpose of marketing is to be able to consider different areas of the enterprise’s activities aimed at transforming consumer needs into income items of the enterprise, achieving predicted results, and 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 disturb the environment
• The internal capabilities of the enterprise allow us to implement the plans

To determine the goal of marketing policy, enterprises use analytical data about 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. When developing a strategic line for an enterprise, data can constantly change, so enterprises cannot stop at just 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 numerical indicators in determining the usefulness of a particular solution. To do this, it is necessary to develop and constantly adjust an evaluation system, which is based on a common digital indicator, this can be a monetary indicator of costs, with a numerical value of the estimates.

How strategy stages are developed

• Analyzes of the state of the sales market are carried out
• 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 enterprise’s strategic policy are established
• An analysis of the sales market segment is carried out, and the desired target segment is determined. To do this, it is necessary to conduct consumer market research
• An analysis of strategy alternatives is carried out and the desired option is determined
• Determining the positioning of a product group in the consumer market, developing means to determine the competitiveness of the enterprise’s products
• A preliminary assessment of strategic policies and controls is carried out
• 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 determined
• Market saturation with goods of one group is assessed
• 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 macroenvironment is carried out according to the following components:

• Macroeconomic factor. Individual economic factors in the environment must be constantly diagnosed and assessed, since the economic state directly affects the achievement of the enterprise's goals. These include: the development of inflation rates, international balances 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 enterprise's activities or open up additional opportunities.
• Political factor. If an enterprise takes part in the political programs of the state, then the state exercises control over the regulations and acts of local and federal authorities and calls on the enterprise to follow their instructions.
• Technological factor. Analytical actions on the technological environment will help the enterprise timely develop new solutions for the production of a product group, use scientific research, new technology to create a project for the development of the enterprise as a whole. It is important for any manager to keep abreast of all changes in production technology.
• Social behavior is an important factor when analyzing changes in morals in the social system, where the roles of entrepreneurial activity, women, representatives of a national minority in society should be determined, and the situation regarding the protection of consumer rights should be analyzed.
• International factor. Those enterprises that operate in the international market must constantly monitor all changes occurring in the international market for the sale of products.

What are the objectives of strategic marketing?

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

Basically, strategic marketing includes pre-plan marketing analysis, research, identification of market segments and positioning of product groups in sales markets. As follows from the objectives of marketing, they must have their own tactical actions. There are mainly tactical and strategic tasks.

The main objectives of strategic marketing are :

• Orientation of the enterprise's activities to meet consumer needs
• Setting the vital position of the enterprise
• Justification of your conclusions to the management of the enterprise

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

The main objective of marketing is to ensure consumer 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 market developments, or attempt to forecast the future
• Try to reduce the spontaneity of the sales market using its regulation
• Competition within a product group must be orderly and subject to restrictions, ensuring the exclusion of unscrupulous competitors
• Regulation of the production process and trade operations according to the demands of the sales market aimed at satisfying the consumer
• Try to develop and implement new technological solutions; they must have their justification and influence the turnover and distribution of the enterprise’s products
• The entire marketing process must ensure greater returns from the advertising campaign, influence the sales market and shape it in the interests of the enterprise, and ensure the greatest attractiveness of the product group for the consumer.

Each enterprise operating in the sales market has its own objectives; they form the basis of strategic marketing. Here you can allocate aggression to a certain market share, or highlight, or take into account intermediate tasks. For each enterprise they are different, aimed at achieving a specific goal, leading to prosperity and well-being.

What is the role of strategic marketing in the development of an enterprise?

The main function of product manufacturers, working according to marketing principles, is to satisfy the consumer; production itself should be focused on the sales market.

Key Roles of Strategic Marketing :

• Focus on the final result in the production and sales sector
• All efforts in the main strategic marketing to conduct research in the field of production and sales of products
• Marketing's priority should be on long-term results rather than short-term results. To do this, it is necessary to conduct research into the forecast of the enterprise’s activities, try to find ways to develop a new product group, which should increase the profit of the enterprise
• Bring together strategic and tactical planning that will be aimed at satisfying the consumer's needs, and at the same time they must meet the interests of the enterprise

The strategic marketing of an enterprise is characterized by the following positions:

• Analytical analysis of the external environment. Data from the market component, political and economic conditions, and the state of the social and technical sphere are used here. Analytical data is used to determine the key components of the successful activity of the enterprise, which are used to generate data on the estimated properties of the external environment, and establish the capabilities of the enterprise
• Analytics of consumers, both existing and potential. For this purpose, research is carried out on the social and economic opportunities of the consumer who purchases our and competitively produced goods.
• A thorough analysis of products already released and those being prepared for release is carried out, work is underway to create a new product group and possible improvements to the goods produced by the company are explored: new packaging and assortment are being developed. Those goods that are not in demand among consumers should be discontinued
• A trade turnover project is created and the product sales market is analyzed. Here you can connect your own retail locations 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 and sales, which will ultimately affect the profitability of the enterprise
• A new pricing strategy is being developed using a new pricing system for manufactured product groups
• Enterprise marketers make up strategic marketing plan, which includes planning, control over the implementation of strategic marketing by each of the entire chain of the enterprise, analysis of profitability, and the effectiveness of the marketing steps put in place.

Strategic marketing using the example of Progress OJSC

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 actually operating and is presented as a subjective example for 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 and the choice of tactical and strategic actions.

To carry out strategic planning, it is necessary to consider the entire enterprise as a whole, with a focus on the long term, which will determine all areas of its activities.

After the management realized that it was impossible to manage the enterprise as before, as it was in Soviet times, it began to think about reorienting its core activities according to the principles of marketing, which includes a set of practical techniques 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 already in practice begins to be closely involved in marketing, that is, to analyze, plan, implement and control the activities of the entire enterprise to better satisfy consumer needs, this is the main task.

Conducting an analysis is necessary to identify and determine the assessment of the sales market and the external environment, and the analysis data is used to establish new opportunities for 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 its core activities.

There are 4 main directions of marketing strategy :

• A guideline is a qualitative assessment of the criterion for choosing an enterprise’s activities
• Task – contains the quantity of products produced
• An important feature of any strategic marketing is the establishment of rules for 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 superiority of its products over competitors. All these actions constitute a product-market strategy, or business strategy.
• Strategy organizational concept. This provides for the establishment of special provisions for the greatest benefit of the enterprise in the internal environment, the organization of the greatest productivity

How are marketing strategies different at the Progress OJSC enterprise?

• 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 methodology, the role of which is to focus on a specific area, developing its potential capabilities. This is where the work is done to eliminate other opportunities if they are incompatible with the core strategy. Once the intended goals are achieved, strategic actions can be stopped.
• When determining strategic actions, it is not possible to immediately determine their results, which may appear while leaving the action plan. And to establish direction, the components of alternative projects use incomplete, generalized information. During the search, certain alternative solutions may be discovered with more accurate information, but this may lead to questionable conclusions based on the initially established strategy. And without feedback it is impossible to use the established strategy.
• When drawing up an action plan, 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. A guideline is understood as a specific goal that an enterprise strives for, and a strategy is the means by which it can be achieved. Typically, benchmarks are intended for higher level basic 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 they can be 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 is determined in the external environment. 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 and work colleagues, and at the same time pass it on to other consumers.

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

• Through advertising
• Sales promotion
• Mass media
• Personal trading events

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

In the media of propaganda, 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 presented, important favorable information about it is communicated by distributing it in printed publications.

In a personal sales event, a product is presented verbally during a conversation with one or more potential buyers, the purpose of which is to sell it.

Each company has its own strategic marketing methods, but which methods should be used?

A marketer must have a good understanding of the effectiveness of strategic marketing; his actions can represent a chain of interrelated methods:

• Orientation of the enterprise towards manufactured products. For example, you have produced, in your opinion, excellent quality products, but this is only half the battle. The introduction of new products can be considered complete only when the consumer truly appreciates it and considers it necessary to meet their needs. But they purchase the product that they know well, understand it, and know its advantages, scope of application, use and from which one can get satisfaction. It is important to understand that when releasing a new product unknown to the consumer, which contains the latest technological solutions, there may be a risk of lack of sales. When releasing a new product group that does not yet have analogues, a special marketing approach must be implemented, where the consumer will be given a description, purpose, method of use, and told how difficult it is to live without it.
• When releasing a completely new product group, the data from 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 these products.

Let's look at the examples of several famous businesses that have used strategic marketing methods for their prosperity and well-being.

The well-known stationery sticky notes, which are pasted in a visible place with the necessary text, took a long time to reach the consumer, and only when the consumer realized how convenient and practical they were, then he began to use them and purchase them more often. What is this example for? Only after purchasing a product can a consumer truly evaluate its necessity in everyday life and become satisfied with the product.

One fairly well-known enterprise also used strategic marketing, and, having spent huge amounts of money, began to produce a special fiber that has the properties of steel and greater flexibility. As the management of the enterprise thought, all purchasers should be satisfied with the release of this product to the market. And only after the creation of a new product, I began to look for customers, ways to implement it, and develop areas of application. It sincerely believed that large 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 the product in certain technical areas and determining the scope of its application did the company’s business begin to improve.

It is important not only to develop a new 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 have decided to use this method of strategic marketing, in the existing 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 your risk if you have a firm belief that your business will definitely increase sales.

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

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

You might be interested.

Like any serious business, running your own business requires a certain sequence of actions and logic in decision making. At the same time, management must clearly understand what goals it sets for itself, in what time frame it intends to implement this or that plan, and, guided by this, pursue a certain policy of action designed for the long term and perspective. In business, such planning is called marketing strategy.

Marketing strategy of an enterprise - essence and classification

The marketing strategy of an enterprise is a set of decisions and activities aimed at achieving the strategic goals of the enterprise.

Strategies are classified according to many criteria: according to the state of the market, according to the position of the enterprise in the market, in relation to the enterprise's competitors, sales and product strategies, and so on.

Marketing strategy of an enterprise depending on the state of the market and product

There are two market states: existing and new (which consumers do not yet know about or one that is just being formed). Goods (services) are divided in the same way. The marketing strategy of an enterprise is built depending on what market and what product the enterprise is promoting; there are four main types of such strategies.

Market penetration

Used by enterprises operating in a well-developed market with old goods. As a rule, a follower strategy is used: on the one hand, no active aggressive actions, on the other hand, certain measures are taken to create competitive ability.

Market development

It is used when a company with an existing product wants to find new ways to sell it. This could be a search for new markets geographically, attracting a different target audience, presenting a familiar product in a new quality (with other options for its use), and so on.

Product development

The riskiest strategy: developing a new or unknown product in an old market. The most risky strategy, but also one that promises the greatest profit if successful (due to the uniqueness of the product).

Diversification

This type of strategy is carried out by businesses promoting a new product in new markets. Includes a wide variety of action options.

Marketing strategies in relation to competitors

Actions towards competitors are divided into two large groups:

• defensive strategies;
• offensive strategies.

The formation of an enterprise’s marketing strategy depends on the goals of the enterprise and on the position it occupies: a developing, young enterprise or a market leader with a stable position.

Defensive marketing strategies for an enterprise

Enterprises implementing this type of strategy pursue the goal of maintaining their business and income level at existing levels, without taking any actions to put pressure on competitors. The system of marketing strategies of an enterprise is divided into several types.

Positional defense

One of the weakest defensive strategies is that a company takes its product to such a level that competitors have no chance. This may be quality, low production costs (which allows you to set a minimum price), brand prestige, and the like.

Flank defense

The company strengthens its position in the market based on the expected attack of competitors. One of the most successful strategies because it allows you to easily switch to offensive actions.

Precautionary defense

At first glance, it looks similar to flank defense, but is more of a psychological nature: defense is carried out through information.

Counterattack for market leaders

A counterattack includes an economic blockade and similar active actions against competitors. Typically, this strategy is practiced by large companies - market leaders.

Mobile protection

The strategy is to expand production, thus securing additional footholds for the company.

Reducing Weaknesses

It consists of eliminating the weakest sectors of the enterprise and abandoning the production of unprofitable goods.

Offensive Marketing Strategies

New enterprises, just developing their business, use offensive strategies in order to conquer the market, a separate market segment, or take the place of a competing enterprise.

There are several types of offensive strategies.

Frontal attack

The company sets lower prices than competitors, conducts larger-scale advertising campaigns, produces several times more goods, and so on.

Flank attack

The strategy is to attack the weak points of competitors: seizing territories, untapped market segments, providing consumers with services that competitors cannot provide, and so on.

Consumer environment

The strategy involves attacking on all fronts and offering consumers similar goods and services, but of better quality.

Workaround maneuver

Strategy implies active development where the enterprise has such an opportunity, even if at the moment such tactics do not correspond to the interests of the enterprise. Once success is achieved, the activity can be transferred to a convenient site.

Guerrilla warfare

The strategy is a series of small attacks on different fronts: prices, advertising, legal promotions. On the one hand, tactics are good because they are unpredictable, on the other hand, they are quite resource-intensive.

Product marketing strategy of the enterprise

The product strategy of an enterprise consists in choosing actions to implement turnover plans. This includes everything from creating an assortment to providing product support services.

By and large, product strategy can be called part of the overall strategy of the enterprise. When forming a product strategy, you need to take into account that the process of winning over consumers begins from the very start, so you need to think carefully about everything before deciding to release a particular product.

There are two main types of product strategies:

• differentiation;
• diversification.

Product differentiation

The strategy is to change the properties of the product. In this case, in fact, the product may remain unchanged, but the consumer must think that the product is different, in which case sales are ensured even at a higher price than competitors.

Differentiation (change) of a product affects not only the packaging and properties of the product itself, but also sales methods, design of retail outlets, staff training, additional services (maintenance, delivery, promotions, and so on).

Product diversification

The strategy is to release a new product that is in no way related to the main production of the enterprise. Sooner or later, every large enterprise faces the task of releasing a new product. In order for the strategy to be implemented successfully, it is necessary to conduct thorough market research: demand for the product from a potential consumer, pricing policy, intentions of competitors in this area, the possibility of using the latest technologies, etc.

Marketing sales strategy of the enterprise

Organization of product sales is one of the most important components in the strategy of any enterprise. Choosing the optimal sales strategy involves issues of distribution channels, sales methods and related promotions.

It should be borne in mind that sales can be simple (the manufacturer interacts directly with the consumer) and complex (the manufacturer interacts with the consumer through a system of intermediaries).

Sales can also be divided into direct (the same as simple), indirect (the same as complex) and combined (a combination of direct and indirect is used). An enterprise must weigh the pros and cons of using a particular type of distribution. For example, an enterprise’s marketing strategy may involve creating its own chain of stores, but such a move is only advisable if profits cover expenses by twenty-five percent or more, otherwise it is better to invest in production development.

The composition of distribution networks is:

• traditional;
• vertical;
• horizontal;
• multichannel (combine two or more systems).

Traditional distribution networks

Such a network unites manufacturers, intermediaries and marketers, each of whom pursues only their own goals and benefits. This is how most distribution networks are built.

Vertical distribution networks

They are a network where all participants strive for a common result and pursue one goal. This usually happens if the production and distribution point belong to the same enterprise, or in the case when the manufacturer and the sales organization regulate their cooperation with some documents.

Horizontal distribution networks

They represent an association of several manufacturers to conquer one market.

It should be noted that choosing an enterprise strategy is a very important step, consisting of many factors, and the chosen strategy must correspond not only to the goals and objectives of the enterprise, but also to the external situation.

marketing strategy market restaurant

Essence, goals and objectives of marketing strategy

In the process of their creation and operation, enterprises cannot do without using the basic principles of marketing. The term marketing refers to market activities. In a broader sense, this is a comprehensive, versatile and targeted work in the field of production and market, acting as a system for coordinating the capabilities of the enterprise and existing demand, ensuring the satisfaction of the needs of both consumers and the manufacturer.

The development of a marketing mix, including product development, its positioning with the use of various measures to stimulate sales, is strictly related to strategic management. Before entering the market with a specific marketing strategy, a company must clearly understand the position of competitors, its capabilities, and also draw a line along which it will fight its competitors.

A marketing strategy is a set of long-term decisions regarding ways to satisfy the needs of a company's existing and potential customers through the use of its internal resources and external capabilities. The purpose of developing a strategy is to determine the main priority directions and proportions of the company’s development, taking into account the material sources of its provision and market demand. The strategy should be aimed at making optimal use of the company's capabilities and preventing erroneous actions that could lead to a decrease in the company's performance. Strategic marketing targets a company at economic opportunities that are tailored to its resources and provide potential for growth and profitability. The task of strategic marketing is to clarify the company's mission, develop goals, formulate a development strategy and ensure a balanced structure of the company's product portfolio.

In my opinion, developing a marketing strategy is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of ongoing marketing activities. Developing and implementing a marketing strategy in consumer markets requires any company to be flexible, able to understand, adapt and, in some cases, influence the actions of market mechanisms using special marketing methods.

Most of the strategic decisions that any company makes lie in the area of ​​marketing. Creating a new business, mergers and acquisitions, developing a new market niche, dealer policy, narrowing or expanding the product line, choosing suppliers and partners - all these and many other decisions are made as part of a marketing strategy. The success of the business depends on the adequacy of the company's marketing strategy.

As part of the development of marketing strategies, it is assumed:

Development of a marketing policy for the enterprise as a whole;

Development of a marketing plan;

Identification of competitive advantages;

Development of a strategy for promoting products and services to the market;

Formation of policy in the field of sales promotion;

Development of a consumer motivation system;

Solutions to attract and retain profitable customers.

The marketing strategy of an enterprise, firm or company is developed by specialists taking into account a set of factors, such as the current market situation, the influence of the external environment, the company’s development priorities, the company’s internal resources, etc. After collecting and analyzing the necessary data about the external and internal environment of the company, several possible scenarios for strategic business development are proposed. Each scenario may include: consumer segmentation, SWOT analysis, required key competencies of the company, assessment of the scenario in terms of risk and income. For the most promising scenario, a marketing strategy and a strategic plan for transition to the chosen strategy are developed.

Marketing strategy contains:

The company's long-term plans in consumer markets

Analysis of the structure of the markets under consideration;

Forecast of market development trends;

Pricing principles and competitive advantages;

Selection and justification of effective positioning of the company in the market.

I believe that the stages of developing a marketing strategy will be the following steps:

1) assessment of the current state of the market;

At this stage, it is necessary to give an accurate or at least expert assessment (in the absence of research) of the market share, analyze quarterly sales volumes and establish what it depends on: the arrival and processing of raw materials, seasonal demand, determine how the market for this type of product will change , and whether it will undergo significant changes, assess the changes associated with the further development of the service sector. (What will this cause a corresponding increase in demand and how to use this expansion of the market), conduct an analysis of price changes, analyze the market of suppliers.

2) Market segmentation and determination of consumer interest;

The choice of the target segment determines what needs the company aims to satisfy and what products or services it will present to customers.

That is, the company actually needs to answer the question: Who are our consumers?

For a company to be most successful in the market, it needs to focus on unoccupied market niches, as well as on those consumer needs that are still not satisfied. For example, in 1850, the Levi's company was created, which produced jeans, which later became an integral attribute of the American way of life. And the company became a leader in this market segment and to this day remains a strong and profitable company that easily adapts to changing opportunities market.

3) Analysis of the activities of competitors and, in general, determination of the competitiveness of your enterprise;

That is, at this stage it is necessary to determine how your company differs from all others, that is, to identify the strengths and weaknesses that have the greatest impact on the success of the organization. They are determined in relation to competitors. Strengths and weaknesses are relative definitions, not absolute ones. It's good to be strong at something, but if your competitors are stronger at it, it will become your weakness.

For example, the Mercedes company was strong in the production of reliable, luxurious, durable cars, however, the Honda company launched the production of the Acura car, and Toyota - Lexus, which were superior to Mercedes in the American market, the company lost its advantages.

4) Formation of marketing development goals;

Defining clear goals helps develop an effective strategy and allows you to transform the company's mission into concrete actions.

Determine what the company wants to achieve as a result of its development? This could be an increase in sales, making a profit, satisfying public opinion (good attitude from suppliers, buyers, government, shareholders, etc.), building an image.

5) Research possible alternatives in terms of strategy;

6) Creating a certain image of the company on the market;

7) Assessing the strategy in terms of its financial viability.

At this stage:

Analysis and forecasting of the quality and resource intensity of the company’s future products;

Forecasting the competitiveness of the company's existing and future products;

Forecasting price and sales levels for the company's existing and future products;

Forecasting revenue and profit volumes;

Determination of benchmarks and intermediate stages of control (terms and control values).

There are situations when the developed strategy has to be adjusted or changed altogether. This occurs when there is a sharp change in the market situation, for example, the appearance on the market of significantly more competitive products than those produced by the enterprise, or when the enterprise’s own capabilities change, or opportunities expand as a result of the emergence of additional sources of financing.

Thus, the development of a marketing strategy will allow the company to:

Choose an effective pricing and product policy;

A marketing strategy is needed when the company is already doing well, since the market situation is not constant; timely actions of competitors can dramatically change the company’s position and importance in the market. Therefore, timely action and strong marketing are necessary. A marketing strategy is not only something that will be needed tomorrow when it becomes even stronger, but it is also something that is needed today. Marketing strategy is a necessary stage in the preparation and implementation of any business plan. A marketing strategy allows you to answer these vital questions and provide company management with an effective development plan.

The main goals of a marketing strategy are usually: increasing sales volume; identification and satisfaction of consumer needs; increase in profits; increasing market share; increase in client flow; increase in the number of orders. The goals and objectives of planned activities can be set abstractly, without taking into account current circumstances; these are usually the goals that management sets for the performer. As for the task, it is the goal given in specific conditions, namely:

Portrait of the target audience to attract which information and advertising events will be carried out. There can be many characteristics when drawing up a portrait; of course, moderation must be observed, sometimes restraining the excessive zeal of psychologists, sociologists, etc.;

Analysis of the presence of the target audience on the Internet. Here the consumer category of the audience is determined (buyers of cars, clothing, furniture, etc.). After this, we establish the fact of presence and the size of the audience of presence on the Internet. Open statistics and commercial research may be used to prepare this section;

Description of types and formats of advertising. The selected methods of presenting information to target audiences should be described here. This can be PR events, search advertising, graphic blocks (banners), advertising on thematic Internet sites, as well as offline advertising;

The expected effect of information and promotional activities. The most correct assessment is an increase in sales (primary, secondary, etc.), although it is not always possible to track this indicator. It is easier to estimate the number of phone calls and website visits, but it is not recommended to focus only on these indicators.

The main problems that must be solved in the process of justifying and developing a marketing strategy for an enterprise are presented in Fig. 1.

The task of strategic marketing is to clarify the company's mission, define goals, develop a development strategy and ensure a balanced structure of the product portfolio. In accordance with this, in the process of justifying and developing an enterprise’s marketing strategy, three interrelated tasks are solved:

1) development of a set of marketing activities (development of new types of products; creation of alliances, differentiation of market policies; diversification of production; overcoming barriers to entry into the market, etc.);

2) adaptation of the enterprise’s activities to changes in the external environment (taking into account cultural specifics in contacts with the public, the social situation in the country, economic conditions, etc.);

3) ensuring the adequacy of the enterprise’s marketing policy to the changing needs of customers (changes in the range of goods and services produced; knowledge of customer needs; detailed market segmentation, etc.).

In my opinion, developing a marketing strategy will allow the company to:

Significantly expand the customer base and increase sales volume;

Increase the competitiveness of products/services;

Establish a regular mechanism for modifying existing and developing new products;

Create a tool for mass customer attraction;

Develop an effective pricing and product policy;

Create a mechanism for monitoring marketing activities;

Improve the quality of customer service.

The importance of marketing strategy is due to the fact that marketing provides information, strategic and operational connections between the enterprise and the external environment. As a result, the direct functioning of marketing is closely related to other subsystems of enterprise activity management. Marketing activities of an enterprise make it possible to better navigate a specific market environment.