Every marketing program, whether it’s for a multi-million pound turnover company or a sole trader follows the same marketing cycle.

It’s the same whether your just starting-up or have been established for a number of years. Trade locally or internationally? It’s all the same in marketing.

The first part of the marketing process is at the top of the diagram, and going clockwise it’s a constant cycle to get customers and keep customers whilst building a strong business.

1. Getting to know your prospective customers and your marketing environment.
2. Tailoring you product, its pricing, packaging and distribution channels to satisfy your customers needs, the market environment, and doing it profitably.
3. Create marketing messages that grab attention, generate interest, and move your prospects to make a purchase.
4. After the sale is made it’s all about customer service. Keep your customers satisfied and they’ll recommend you to others and use your service or product repeatedly.
5. Talk to your customers about their needs, combine this information with your own research about your market and your competitive environment to fine tune your products, pricing, packaging,  messages, sales and service.

…and so it continues.

Each part of the marketing process is as important as the other – you just can’t jump in at whatever step you choose. For example; there’s little point jumping into advertising if your product doesn’t meet the needs of customers, is overpriced, or it’s difficult to find.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as;

The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.

So marketing is a business wide function, it isn’t something that operates independently of your other business activities. Marketing strives to unite all parts of your business into an effective, efficient and profitable organisation.

No time for marketing?

Marketing is about gaining and keeping customers, because without customers you’re without a business. This makes marketing the single most important activity within any business. Still no time for marketing?