The marketing planning process involves forging a plan for a firm's marketing activities.

A
marketing plan can also pertain to a specific product, as well as to an organization's
overall marketing strategy. Generally speaking, an organization's marketing planning process
is derived from its overall business strategy. Thus, when top management are devising the
firm's strategic direction or mission, the intended marketing activities are incorporated into this
plan. There are several levels of marketing objectives within an organization. The senior
management of a firm would formulate a general business strategy for a firm. However, this
general business strategy would be interpreted and implemented in different contexts
throughout the firm.

Marketing strategy[edit]
The field of marketing strategy considers the total marketing environment and its impacts on a
company or product or service. The emphasis is on "an in depth understanding of the market
environment, particularly the competitors and customers."[16]
A given firm may offer numerous products or services to a marketplace, spanning numerous
and sometimes wholly unrelated industries. Accordingly, a plan is required in order to
effectively manage such products. Evidently, a company needs to weigh up and ascertain how
to utilize its finite resources. For example, a start-up car manufacturing firm would face little
success should it attempt to rival Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Chevrolet, or any other large global car
maker. Moreover, a product may be reaching the end of its life-cycle. Thus, the issue of divest,
or a ceasing of production, may be made. Each scenario requires a unique marketing strategy.
Listed below are some prominent marketing strategy models.
A marketing strategy differs from a marketing tactic in that a strategy looks at the longer term
view of the products, goods, or services being marketed. A tactic refers to a shorter term view.
Therefore, the mailing of a postcard or sales letter would be a tactic, but changing marketing
channels of distribution, changing the pricing, or promotional elements used would be
considered a strategic change.
A marketing strategy considers the resources a firm has, or is required to allocate in effort to
achieve an objective. Marketing Strategies include the process and planning in which a firm
may be expected to achieve their company goals, in which usually involves an effort to
increase revenues or assets, through a series of milestones or benchmarks of business and
promotional activities.

Positioning[edit]
The marketing activity and process of identifying a market problem or opportunity, and
developing a solution based on market research, segmentation and supporting data.
Positioning may refer the position a business has chosen to carry out their marketing and

business objectives. Positioning relates to strategy, in the specific or tactical development

phases of carrying out an objective to achieve a business' or organization's goals, such as
increasing sales volume, brand recognition, or reach in advertising.

Buying behavior[edit]
A marketing firm must ascertain the nature of customers' buying behavior if it is to market its
product properly. In order to entice and persuade a consumer to buy a product, marketers try to
determine the behavioral process of how a given product is purchased. Buyer behavior in the
digital age is assessed through analytics and predictive modelling. The analysis of buyer
behavior through online platforms includes Google Analytics and vendor side software such
as Experian. The psychology of marketing is determined through the analysis of customer
perception pertaining to brands. Marketing theory holds that brand attributes is primarily a
matter of customer perception rather than product or service features.
Buying behavior is usually split into two prime strands, whether selling to the consumer, known
as business-to-consumer (B2C), or to another business, known as business-to-business (B2B).

B2C buying behavior[edit]

This mode of behavior concerns consumers and their purchase of a given product. For
example, if one imagines a pair of sneakers, the desire for a pair of sneakers would be
followed by an information search on available types/brands. This may include perusing media
outlets, but most commonly consists of information gathered from family and friends. If the
information search is insufficient, the consumer may search for alternative means to satisfy the
need/want. In this case, this may mean buying leather shoes, sandals, etc. The purchase
decision is then made, in which the consumer actually buys the product. Following this stage, a
post-purchase evaluation is often conducted, comprising and an appraisal of the value/utility
brought by the purchase of the sneakers. If the value/utility is high, then a repeat purchase
may be made. This could then develop into consumer loyalty to the firm producing the
sneakers. Firms track and measure customer satisfaction, repurchase behaviors, and profits to
understand the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. [17]

B2B buying behavior[edit]

Relates to organizational/industrial buying behavior.[18] Business buy either wholesale from
other businesses or directly from the manufacturer in contracts or agreements. B2B marketing
involves one business marketing a product or service to another business. B2C and B2B
behavior are not precise terms, as similarities and differences exist, with some key differences
listed below:
In a straight re-buy, the fourth, fifth and sixth stages are omitted. In a modified re-buy scenario,
the fifth and sixth stages are precluded. In a new buy, all stages are conducted.

Marketing roles[edit]
Marketing roles, titles, and responsibilities differ, often significantly, between B2B and B2C
companies.

B2B Marketing roles[edit]

B2B Marketing Roles

Marketing roles are often defined by the size of the company and the number of products. At
the smallest company size, a generalmarketer must do everything from shape the product to
generate awareness. As the company grows larger, roles start to become more specialized.
For example, the product management role can split so that the product manager would focus
on designing the product experience and functionality, while a product marketer would package
and price the product. The mind map to the right details further roles and responsibilities
including: corporate marketing, solution marketing, field marketing, and technical marketing.

Use of technologies[edit]
Marketing management can also rely on various technologies within the scope of its marketing
efforts. Computer-based information systems can be employed, aiding in better processing and
storage of data. Marketing researchers can use such systems to devise better methods of
converting data into information, and for the creation of enhanced data gathering methods.
Information technology can aid in enhancing an MKIS' software and hardware components,
and improve a company's marketing decision-making process.
In recent years, the notebook personal computer has gained significant market share among
laptops, largely due to its more user-friendly size and portability. Information technology
typically progresses at a fast rate, leading to marketing managers being cognizant of the latest
technological developments. Moreover, the launch of smartphones into the cellphone market is
commonly derived from a demand among consumers for more technologically advanced
products. Today smart phones are at the center of new mobile marketing trends, delivering the
right message to the right person at the right time. A firm can lose out to competitors should it
ignore technological innovations in its industry.
Technological advancements can lessen barriers between countries and regions. Using the
World Wide Web, firms can quickly dispatch information from one country to another without

much restriction. Prior to the mass usage of the Internet, such transfers of information would
have taken longer to send, especially if done via snail mail, telex, etc.
Recently, there has been a large emphasis on data analytics. Data can be mined from various
sources such as online forms, mobile phone applications and more recently, social media.
Internet marketing is another branch of online marketing, where SEO (Search Engine
Optimisation) is regarded as an effective method of increasing your website's presence in
organic searches for creating potential customers.

Services marketing[edit]
Services marketing relates to the marketing of services, as opposed to tangible products. A
service (as opposed to a good) is typically defined by the paraphrase of 5 I's :
Inseparability - The customer cannot be separated from the service and therefore, the use of
it is inseparable from its purchase (i.e., a service is used and consumed simultaneously)
Intangibility - It does not possess material form, and thus cannot be touched. Yet, many
services are directly connected to products. Services (compared with goods) can also be
viewed as a spectrum. Not all products are either pure goods or pure services. An example
would be a restaurant, where a waiter's service is intangible, but the food is tangible.

Service Products - Those pure services or major service components, directly offered
to customers, such as a gig

Product Services - Those service elements associated with a physical objects such as
on-line shopping or instrument tunning

Inconsistency (Variability) Every delivery of the service will be different. Furthermore, the
use of a service is inherently subjective, meaning that several persons experiencing a service
would each experience it uniquely.
Inventory (Perishability) the service cannot last
Involvement customer can tailor the service while using it (e.g. hairdresser)
For example, a train ride can be deemed a service. If one buys a train ticket, the use of the
train is typically experienced concurrently with the purchase of the ticket. Although the train is a
physical object, one is not paying for the permanent ownership of the tangible components of
the train.

Right-time marketing[edit]

Right-time marketing is an approach to marketing which selects an appropriate time and

place for the delivery of a marketing message.[19][20]
As the number of vendors and delivery channels has increased, customers demand a right
time and place for accepting messages and only pay attention to messages when and how it is
convenient for them.[19][20] These tools generally fall into "reactive" or push offers (e.g., someone
searches "pizza" and receives an offer from a local restaurant) and new "predictive" models
where a Intelligent Personal Assistant understands past preferences and delivers related
products or services.

Guerrilla marketing[edit]
Guerrilla marketing is an advertising strategy in which low-cost unconventional means (graffiti
or street art, sticker bombing, flash mobs) are used, often in a localized fashion or large
network of individual cells, to convey or promote a product or an idea.