Prior understanding of a marketer

According to my understanding, the marketer is a person whose fundamental role is to establish a linkage between the product and the customer. This person is essentially responsible for marketing the product to the customer via advertisements and discounts. I also believed that the marketer is solely responsible for designing the marketing mix which involved the product, price, place, promotion and packing. Furthermore, according to my knowledge, the marketer conducted research via simple processes such as interviews and questionnaires. I did not know that the marketer is required to perform extensive marketing research and to keep an eye upon the market trends, in order to capture the vivid market information which highly influences the requirements of the products and upsurges the level and quality of the rivalry in the market.

Furthermore, I also believed that the marketer plays a fundamental role in driving the sales and revenues of the products. They generate revenues via efficient marketing tactics that can boost the product sales. For instance, triumphant marketers try to identify the omissions in the market, as an opportunity for the enhancement of the product sales.  However, I believed that the marketer does not have a say in formulating the corporate strategy that has a significant impact on the organizational performance. I believed that the marketer’s core focus was to entice the consumers towards the product and increase the competition in the market.

Furthermore, given the huge influence of social media in our lives, I believed that social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are excellent sources of advertisement for a marketer. Furthermore, I believed that it would be much easy for marketers to communicate with the consumers via the Facebook and Instagram groups. Hence, my prior knowledge of a marketer revolved around his role to market consumers via sales tactics and social media platforms.

Role of course content in understanding marketer’s role

The course content and assessment activities have highly contributed in further increasing my understanding of a marketer. The course content showed that the primary role of a marketer is to formulate robust marketing strategies that can increase the brand awareness and brand loyalty amongst the customers, thereby enabling the company to develop ever-lasting relationships with the consumers. In order to devise a powerful marketing strategy, the marketer has to primarily analyze the marketing mix, its rivalries, marketing positioning and its budget for the execution of the plan.

The course modules also emphasized on the role of market research in devising product decisions. Brands can only achieve its goals if the marketers are solely invested in the consumers. Hence market research is one of the most integral responsibilities of a marketer. The marketer should conduct research about the customers, competitors, suppliers, industries, business locations etc. The marketer conducts customer research via CRM databases, Point of sales systems and website statistics etc.

To prevent the organization from being misled by the competition, marketers conduct desk research, field research and research via commercial agencies. Furthermore, marketers use another strategic management tool in order to assess the internal and external environmental factors. These tools involve SWOT and the PESTLE analysis which are integral tools to identify factors that impact the company’s competitive position in the market. It is essential for the marketers to properly target the appropriate stage of the conversion funnel in order to extract relevant information about the competitor

The course also emphasizes the role of marketer in accurately segmenting, targeting and positioning the product. Marketers tend to adapt to this STP model in order to create strong marketing communication plans that can deliver personalized value to the target consumers. Furthermore, marketers may also strengthen their promotional mix in order to stimulate demand and leverage the integrated marketing communications strategy. This involves increasing the brand equity via channels such as public relations, sales promotions, personal selling, traditional advertisement and social media marketing etc. While developing the product, the marketer also ensures to satisfy the needs and demands of the target consumers. Marketers aim to develop a brand that delivers value and enables the customer to enjoy a dynamic experience.

Description of 3 key marketing learnings from the course

The 3 fundamental learnings from this course revolves around

1. Marketing strategy –Marketing strategy is a building block of marketing which helps organization to effectively utilize its resources towards escalating the product sales. It also enables the business to differentiate it’s product’s characteristics from the other competitors, thereby enabling the firm to attain a sustainable competitive advantage. The powerful strategy assists in developing the superlative goods and services which enables the organization to earn the best potential profit. Through an efficient marketing strategy, an organization can create its own brand image, and can add value to the product which generates the hype and stimulates the demand of the product in the market.

2. Marketing research – This area of marketing plays an integral role in devising the marketing strategy that has a considerable influence on the brand equity and image. It enables the company to identify the customer’s needs and demands and, also spots the market gaps which can be utilized later to leverage demand. Through primary and secondary market research, the marketer can capture the sales record, get quicker access to customers complaints, and can make subsequent changes which will save the brand image of the company. Furthermore, SWOT analysis and PESTLE also enable the marketer to monitor the external and internal environmental influences which assists the firm in staying competitive within the industry.

3. Marketing communications – This component of marketing plays an integral role in creating strong and everlasting bonds with the customers, significant stake holders and prospects in the company. Through this area of marketing, the business will flourish in reaching their target audiences through different means of communication. Furthermore, marketers work to align the promotional efforts with the marketing mix efforts in order to effectively target the customers. The marketer aims to devise a strategy that captures the personality traits of the targeted audience while establishing and executing the marketing communications campaign.

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