MSS - Course Pack - Marketing and Branding Your Business

MARKETING AND
BRANDING YOUR
BUSINESS
MSS19
MANAGEMENT SKILLS
FOR SUPERVISORS
2017
© This publication is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the prior permission in
writing from the Copyright holder, Continuing Education, University of the Fraser
Valley. Enquiries about reproduction should be sent to the Continuing Education
Department of the University of the Fraser Valley.
UNIVERSITY OF THE FRASER VALLEY © MSS- MARKETING AND BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS PAGE 2 OF 33
LAST MODIFIED: JANUARY 29, 2014 COURSE PACK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................... 3
DAY 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................. 6
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 6
BENEFITS OF STRATEGIC MARKETING ....................................................................................................... 6
5 PARTS OF STRATEGIC MARKETING ................................................................................................... 7
.......................................................................................................................................................... 7
TARGET MARKET................................................................................................................................ 8
TARGET MARKET ACTIVITY ................................................................ ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
TARGET MARKET SEGMENTATIONS .......................................................................................................... 8
MARKETING MIX................................................................................................................................ 9
PRODUCT ...............................................................................................................................................................9
Price .......................................................................................................................................................................9
Place ....................................................................................................................................................................10
Promotion ............................................................................................................................................................10
Process (Service) ..................................................................................................................................................10
People (Service) ...................................................................................................................................................10
Physical evidence (Service) ..................................................................................................................................10
MARKETING IS INTEGRATED ............................................................................................................. 11

RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT #1 ...................................................................................... 12
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................... 13
DAY TWO LEARNING OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................... 14
DEFINITION OF BRANDING ...................................................................................................................... 14
EXAMPLES OF BRANDING........................................................................................................................ 15
BENEFITS OF BRANDING.......................................................................................................................... 15
BRANDING: AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION ....................................................................................... 16
BRANDING: CREDIBILITY .......................................................................................................................... 16
DEVELOPING YOUR BRAND ..................................................................................................................... 16
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS .................................................................................................................... 16
BUILD YOUR BRAND ......................................................................................................................... 17
ACTIVITY: BUILDING YOUR BRAND.......................................................................................................... 17
MANAGING YOUR BRAND ....................................................................................................................... 17
DAY 3 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................... 18
MARKETING PLAN STEPS ......................................................................................................................... 18
MARKET MARKET RESEARCH BENEFITS .................................................................................................. 18
WHEN TO CONDUCT MARKET RESEARCH ............................................................................................... 19
MARKET RESEARCH ................................................................................................................................. 19
Primary ................................................................................................................................................................19
Secondary ............................................................................................................................................................19
PRIMARY RESEARCH METHODS .............................................................................................................. 19
MARKET RESEARCH ................................................................................................................................. 20
MARKETING PLAN ................................................................................................................................... 20
PARTS OF A MARKETING PLAN................................................................................................................ 20
DAY 4 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................... 21
PROMOTION ............................................................................................................................................ 21
ADVERTISING ........................................................................................................................................... 22
INCENTIVES.............................................................................................................................................. 22
PUBLIC RELATIONS .................................................................................................................................. 23
PERSONAL SELLING.................................................................................................................................. 23
PUBLICITY ................................................................................................................................................ 23
NETWORKING .......................................................................................................................................... 24
PROMOTION PLANNING.......................................................................................................................... 24
CREATING MESSAGING ........................................................................................................................... 24
EVALUATING YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY ........................................................................................... 24
DEVELOPING A MARKETING PLAN .................................................................................................... 25
WHY DEVELOP A MARKETING PLAN?...................................................................................................... 25
BEFORE WRITING YOUR MARKETING PLAN ............................................................................................ 25
Market research ..................................................................................................................................................25
MARKETING PLAN ................................................................................................................................... 25

Executive summary - What is my overall plan? ...................................................................................................25
Identify yourself - Who am I and what are my values? .......................................................................................26
Describe the product or service - What need do I meet?....................................................................................26
Identify your target market - Who are my customers? .......................................................................................26
Who is your customer? ....................................................................................................................................26
Know your competitor - Who else can woo my customers? ...............................................................................27
Detail your distribution and delivery channels - How will I deliver my product to my customers? ....................27
Group your marketing activities - How will my message reach potential customers? .......................................28
Outline how to overcome potential marketing challenges - What can I do about them? ..................................28
Indicate your price or pricing strategy - How much should I charge? .................................................................29
Project where you will be in one, three, and five years - What are your long-term goals? ................................29
Provide a date at which to review your marketing plan - When will I review my plan? .....................................29
MARKETING MIX SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 30
PRODUCT ................................................................................................................................................. 30
PRICE........................................................................................................................................................ 30
PLACE ....................................................................................................................................................... 30
PROMOTION ............................................................................................................................................ 30
PROCESS .................................................................................................................................................. 30
PEOPLE..................................................................................................................................................... 30
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE ................................................................................................................................ 30
THE 5 STEPS TO DELIVER A CLEAR BRAND ONLINE AND KEEP CUSTOMERS COMING BACK ................. 31
1. MESSAGE: ......................................................................................................................................... 31
2. EMOTION: ........................................................................................................................................ 31
3. CREDIBILITY ...................................................................................................................................... 31
4. MOTIVATION: ................................................................................................................................... 32
5. LOYALTY ........................................................................................................................................... 33
DAY 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
 Define “marketing”
 Explain the 5 parts of strategic marketing
 Identify who your customers are
 Define and use the “marketing mix”
 Explain how marketing interacts with the rest of your business
INTRODUCTION
When you think of the word “marketing” what comes to mind?
Marketing is…
“Determining the value of your product or service and communication that information to
customers” (Canada Business Network, 2012).
Successful marketing requires strategy.
“Without a strategy you are likely to try to be all things to all people and end up with a product
nobody likes or a service that doesn’t meet anyone’s needs” (Kurtz, 2010).
BENEFITS OF STRATEGIC MARKETING
 Promotes alignment with corporate goals and objectives

 Marketing efforts are proactive
 Easy to evaluate new opportunities
 Gets the whole organization on the same page
 Keep sight of the big picture
 Increased confidence
 Facilitates measurement
Gastin, M. (2011)
5 PARTS OF STRATEGIC MARKETING
Target
Market
Right
Evaluate
"Mix"
Marketing
Branding
Plan
TARGET MARKET
A target market is…
“a group of customers that the business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and ultimately
it’s merchandise toward” (Kurtz. D. (2010).
TARGET MARKET SEGMENTATIONS
Individuals can be separated by distinguishable and noticeable aspects:
 Geographic (location)
 Demographic/socio-economic (gender, age, income, occupation, education, household
size, and stage in the family life cycle)
 Psychographic (similar attitudes, values, and lifestyles)
 Behavioural (occasions, degree of loyalty)
Cohen, A.W. (2005)
MARKETING MIX
The marketing mix is…
“a set of controllable tactical marketing tools that a business blends to produce the response it
wants in the target market.”
Kotler and Armstrong (2010)
Putting the right product in the right place, at the right price, at the right time.
PRODUCT SERVICE
 Product  Product
 Price  Price
 Place  Place
 Promotion  Promotion
 Process
 People
 Physical Evidence
PRODUCT
 Describe the product/service you are selling?
 What needs does it satisfy?
 How is your product/service unique?
 What does the customer want from the product/service?
 Are these the right products or services for your customers today?
PRICE
 What does it cost your business to offer the product or service?
 What is the value of the product or service to the buyer?
 Are there established price points for products or services in this area?
 Is the customer price sensitive? Will a small decrease in price gain you extra market
share?
 How will your price compare with your competitors?
PLACE
 Where do buyers look for your product or service? Is it a physical or virtual location?
 Is the place you’ve chosen a good fit with where your target customer shops?
 Are you going to sell your product directly to the end consumer yourself or will you sell
to wholesalers or retailers who will sell it for you?
 Do you need to use a sales force?
 What do your competitors do, and how can you learn from that and/or differentiate?
PROMOTION
 Where and when can you get across your marketing messages to your target market?
 How will you reach your audience – media, internet, PR, direct marketing mailshot?
 When is the best time to promote?
 How do your competitors do their promotions? And how does that influence your choice
of promotional activity?
PROCESS (SERVICE)
 Describe the customer’s experience from start to finish.
 By what criteria is the process organized?
 How is quality controlled?
PEOPLE (SERVICE)
 Who is involved in offering this product or service?
 What is their role in offering this product or service?
 Are these the right people for our target market?
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE (SERVICE)

 What physical cues are available to the customer?
 Packaging
 Paperwork (invoices, tickets, dispatch notes)
 Brochures
 Signage
 Business cards
 What does the physical environment or virtual environment communicate to the
customer?
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MARKETING IS INTEGRATED
Marketing is not a stand-alone activity…
 Research and development needs to focus on developing products/services that meet the
needs of clients.
 Production has to keep up with the demand and live up to quality promises.
 HR has to hire and train people to sell your product and create a strong image for the
business.
 Finance assists in pricing your product.
 Legal assesses the implications of marketing techniques.
 Environmental team reviews the packaging/process of your product/service to ensure
that, while still being attractive, it has a low impact on the environment.
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RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
ASSIGNMENT #1
33
REFERENCES
 Canada Business Network (2012) retrieved from

http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/guide/1467/Cohen A.W. (2005) The Marketing Plan.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
 Gastin, M. (2011) Retrieved from http://mikegastin.com/content/seven-benefits-strategic-

marketing-plan
 Kotler and Armstrong (2010). Principles of Marketing. NJ: Prentice Hall.
 Kurtz, D. (2010). Contemporary Marketing Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage

Learning.
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DAY TWO LEARNING OBJECTIVES
 Define “branding”
 Explain the importance of branding
 Build, manage, and review a brand
DEFINITION OF BRANDING
“a unique and identifiable symbol, association, name, or trademark which serves to differentiate
competing products or services” (Yan, 2007).
“the process of helping customers formulate associations about a company. If advertising is

“getting your name out there,” Branding is attaching something to your name” (Furgurson,
2011).
“The intangible sum of a product’s attributes: its name, packaging, and price, its history, its
reputation, and the way it’s advertised” (Ogilvy, 2008).
Branding is how your markets see you, knows you, and ranks
you from your competitors.
A brand is not…
 A Logo
 An Identity
 A Product
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EXAMPLES OF BRANDING
Use THREE words to describe the following:
McDonald’s
Coast Capital Savings
Lay’s
BENEFITS OF BRANDING
 Creates an emotional, credible connection

 Builds trust and reliability
 Decreases costs of promotion
 Aligns the internal culture with the external reputation
 Consistency between verbal and visual identity
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BRANDING
BRANDING
 TD is considered one of the most approachable financial institutions

 TD is successfully selling peace of mind to their customers
 Ranked #2
DEVELOPING YOUR BRAND
“Your brand should communicate something important about your product or service – its core
concept or reason for being. It should be short, memorable, pronounceable, and distinguishable
from competition” (Entenmann, 2007).
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS
Build
Review Manage
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BUILD YOUR BRAND
1. Planning
 Identify current strengths, organization values, and customer requirements
 Determine what is possible
 Prioritize your findings
 Set your branding
 Integrate into the marketing plan
2. Communicate internally
 Branding research results (the why)
 Branding criteria (the what)
 Illustrative examples of the brand in use (the how)
 Share and execute the marketing plan (the when)
3. Tell your customer
 All forms of promotion, experience, in-person
ACTIVITY: BUILDING YOUR BRAND
1. As a group, build a brand using the following information:

 Organization: your class
 Products: completed homework assignments, projects, and exams
 Services: attend and participate in classes
 Customer: instructor
2. Use the planning steps to guide your decisions.
3. Present your results back to the Instructor.
MANAGING YOUR BRAND
 Continually reinforce the message

 Solicit regular feedback from customers
 Regularly measure the use/effectiveness of the brand
 Y & R Brand Asset Valuator Survey: Uniqueness, Relevance, Attractiveness &
Credibility
 Brand Equity = Effective Market Share (%) * Relative Price * Durability/Loyalty
Index
 Protect your brand
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 Explain the purpose and importance of a marketing plan

 Conduct market research
 Identify the parts of a marketing plan
 Prepare a marketing plan for a specific product or service
MARKETING PLAN STEPS
Market Marketing
Evaluation
Research Plan
MAR
KET
MARKET RESEARCH BENEFITS
Benefits of market research include:
 Better understand the characteristics and preferences of your

customers
 Identify opportunities to increase sales and grow your business
 Recognize and plan for problems in your industry and in the
economy at large
 Monitor the level of competition in your market
 Mitigate risk in your business decisions
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WHEN TO CONDUCT MARKET RESEARCH
Examples of when market research should be conducted:
 New advertising campaigns

 Opening a new location or changing business locations
 Increasing production levels
 After the review of a marketing plan
MARKET RESEARCH
PRIMARY
 To gather first-hand data Triangulation
 Generally qualitative
 Answer specific questions
Example: conduct a customer survey to discover the median age range

of your customers
SECONDARY
 To gather second-hand data
 Generally quantitative
 Applies information to specific questions
Example: access published census reports or company reports to

locate age range of customer
PRIMARY RESEARCH METHODS
 Surveys
 Direct questioning
 Interview
 Focus Groups
 Market Research
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MARKET RESEARCH
Tips for developing questions:
 Keep it short and simple

 Focus on the main point
 Use “easy” language
 Move from general to more specific questions
 Avoid leading questions
 Use an applicable and “absolute” response scale
 Pre-test your questions to identify potential problems
MARKETING PLAN
The purpose of a marketing plan is to:
 Assess the needs of your customers and develop a product or service to

meet those needs
 Communicate the attributes of the product or service to the customer
 Establish distribution channels to get the products/services to the
customer
PARTS OF A MARKETING PLAN
Describe Name the

4/7 P’s competitors
Identify Identify
the target potential
market threats
Describe List goals–

the 3 & 5 yr
business
Executive Determine
Marketing review date
summary
Plan and criteria
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 Compare and contrast different forms of promotion.

 Evaluate a marketing plan.
PROMOTION
Promotion is:
“a form of persuasive communication to inform consumers about a product or service and

influence them to buy that product or service.” (PACE, 2012).
Advertising Incentives
Networking Types of Public

Promotion Relations
Publicity Personal
Selling
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ADVERTISING
Advertising Examples:
 Flyers and brochures

 Direct mail
 The internet
 Advertisements in newspapers and magazines
 Advertisements on television or radio
 Billboards
 Signs on your business’s exterior or vehicle
PROS CONS
Print: Print:
 Inexpensive to produce  Inexpensive to produce
 Easy to switch out  Easy to switch out
 Different rates and sizes  Different rates and sizes
Magazine: Magazine:
 Access to a specific customer base  Ads can be expensive
 More bang for your buck  Tricky to schedule
 Help brand your business
Television: Television:
 High impact  Expensive
 Ability to connect emotion  Slow medium to release
 Carefully chosen time slot
Radio: Radio:
 Affordable  Listeners may be geographically
 Select a station with similar scattered
location/demographics  “cluttered” back-to-back ads
 Immediate medium  Impact is limited due to lack of detail
and visual
INCENTIVES
Incentives are invitations for the customer’s repeat business.
Examples:
 Coupons and vouchers
 Frequency rewards
 Competitions
 Free samples
 Gifts
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PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public relations involve creating, promoting and maintaining goodwill and a favourable image
among the public towards a business.
Examples:
 Sponsorship
 Charity events
 Goodwill initiatives
 Lending resources
PERSONAL SELLING
Personal selling occurs when you or sales staff contacts the client directly.
Examples:
 Telemarketing
 Product/service follow-up
 Customer profile/history
 Email blast
PUBLICITY
Publicity is free story-based advertising in newspapers, magazines, the radio or television.
Examples:
 April Fool’s Day prank

 Donation campaigns
 Employee story
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NETWORKING
Networking refers to having informal contact with people of similar personal or business
interests for mutual assistance or support.
Examples:
 Attending business lunches/happy hours

 Trade shows or other functions
 Informal emails
 Social media
PROMOTION PLANNING
When planning a promotion, consider the following:
 Purpose/objective
 Type of promotion
 Materials and resources
 Key messaging (AIDA)
 Schedule
 Follow-up
CREATING MESSAGING
Use AIDA to help you create your promotion:
 Get Attention by using humour, colour, etc.

 Hold Interest with a question or statement that makes you think about the product.
 Arouse Desire that makes you want the product.
 Obtain Action that tells you what you need to do to get the product.
EVALUATING YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

1. Review your sales (or free income).
2. Ask your customers.
3. Did your advertising promotional activity produce direct and related responses?
4. Did your plan result in a positive return on investment (ROI)?
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DEVELOPING A MARKETING PLAN
WHY DEVELOP A MARKETING PLAN?
Your marketing plan is an essential part of your overall business plan. When you start a business
or introduce new products or concepts, the plan will help you:
 Assess the needs of your customers and develop a product or service to meet those needs
 Communicate the attributes of the product or service to the customer
 Establish distribution channels to get the products/services to the customer
Developing your marketing plan will, first and foremost, help you think of all aspects of
marketing; aspects which you could otherwise overlook. To produce a sound business plan you
will need to outline things such as the nature of your customers, and how and why they will buy
your product or hire your services. Secondly, your banker or lender will want to see the
marketing section of your business plan before considering lending you money.
Styles, markets, and goals change and so should your plan. Your marketing plan should be
readily accessible to consult, revise, and update. You should update your plan regularly,
adjusting it according to business activities and predictions of new trends.
BEFORE WRITING YOUR MARKETING PLAN

MARKET RESEARCH
Before you develop your marketing plan, you must first research the potential market for your
product or service. Use the numbers, facts and findings of market research to back up statements
in your marketing plan.
MARKETING PLAN
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - WHAT IS MY OVERALL PLAN?
The executive summary is an overview of the key points contained in your marketing plan and
although it is written last, it should be positioned at the front of the plan. This summary is usually
the first section that a potential investor or lender will read. You need to give proper attention to
this important part of your marketing plan. The executive summary should:
 Include highlights from each of the other sections to explain the basics of your marketing
plan
 Be interesting enough to motivate the reader to continue reading the rest of your
marketing plan
 Be short and concise
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IDENTIFY YOURSELF - WHO AM I AND WHAT ARE MY VALUES?
If you haven't already done so in your overall business plan, you'll want to clearly describe who
you are, what your business is about and its goals, and what has inspired you to start, buy or
grow a business. For example:
 Include the company name, address, phone number, and names of owners/partners
 Indicate the business' vision, mission statement and beliefs (this should align with your
target market)
 Indicate the core values and goals of the business and its owner(s)
DESCRIBE THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE - WHAT NEED DO I MEET?

Detail how your product or service is unique or how it is better than models that already exist. If
the product or service is not unique, maybe the location is ideal or a large market allows room
for competition. Provide numbers, facts or the steps you took to come to these conclusions.
IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET MARKET - WHO ARE MY CUSTOMERS?

Through research, identify the age group, gender, lifestyle and other demographic characteristics
of the people who have shown interest in your product or service. Also from your research,
provide statistics, analysis, numbers and supporting facts that show the reader that there is a
demand for your product or service.
W HO IS YOUR CUSTOMER ?
Before you begin selling something, you need to know who you are selling to. If you haven't
determined who your target market is, you are likely to try to be all things to all people and end
up with a product nobody likes or a service that doesn't meet anyone's needs.
When developing a general profile of your customers, you might want to define them by their
demographic characteristics, such as:
 Age, usually given in a range (20-35 years)
 Gender
 Marital status
 Location of household
 Family size and description
 Income, especially disposable income (money available to spend)
 Education level, usually to last level completed
 Occupation
 Interests, purchasing profile (what are consumers known to want?)
 Cultural, ethnic, racial background
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Once you have defined your target customers, you must learn about their needs and preferences.
 What challenges do they have that could be solved with your product or service?
 What are their needs and expectations regarding this product or service?
 What types of things do they desire?
 What do they spend their money on?
 Where do they shop?
 How do they make spending decisions?
To develop a profile of your customers and understand their needs, you will have to do some
market research.
KNOW YOUR COMPETITOR - WHO ELSE CAN WOO MY CUSTOMERS?

Most businesses must compete with others. Even if you are now the only player, before long you
will most likely have competition. The trick is to know with whom you are competing and their
competencies. Figure out what you do better and make sure your customers know about it. You'll
want to compare your own strengths, weaknesses; opportunities and threats (SWOT) with those
of your competition.
DETAIL YOUR DISTRIBUTION AND DELIVERY CHANNELS - HOW WILL I

DELIVER MY PRODUCT TO MY CUSTOMERS ?
Traditionally, customers shop at stores to find the products they want. Similarly, we often
assume that we need to go out to a specific location for services such as a massage or a haircut.
However, there is nothing that dictates this is how you should serve your customer. What is
important is that you detail who the middle players are and how much they will cost. For
example, you could decide to:
 Sell through a retailer, wholesaler, professional sales agent

 Sell through kiosks in schools, offices, public places, events
 Go to the customer's home or place of business
 Take orders from a catalogue or through the Web
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GROUP YOUR MARKETING ACTIVITIES - HOW WILL MY MESSAGE
REACH POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS?
Create a table or chart and provide your estimate as to how much of your total marketing budget
you plan to spend on each media type. In another table or chart, detail how much of your time
you plan to spend on each. You could break down each group by specific media. Some
suggestions are:
 Advertising (TV, radio, print publications, online publications, websites, billboards,

business cards)
 Publicity (signs, stationary, branding, testimonials, referrals)
 Listings (business directories, telephone directories, online listings, association listings)
 Sponsoring (research, community events, local charities, sports)
 Networking (get feedback from existing and potential customers and other industry
players; reach out to the public through online social networks; provide advice on blogs
and by speaking at public events; meet industry players at business events)
 Promotions (mail outs, samples, freebies, discount coupons, sales, displays)
 Internal marketing (employee rebates, sales incentives, referral incentives)
 Public relations and media relations
OUTLINE HOW TO OVERCOME POTENTIAL MARKETING CHALLENGES -

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THEM?
Like any aspect of running a business, preparation helps you face a challenge. No matter how
meticulously you've planned your marketing strategy, something unexpected can come your
way. What you can do is brainstorm some possible surprises that could happen and write down
what you could do about them. When the time comes, you'll be happy you were prepared.
The following are some marketing challenges for which you could plan:
 Regulations for new packaging/labeling/claims

 Shift in trends and buyer preferences
 Environmental issues related to your business
 Negative business image or perceptions
 Changes to the economy and disposable income (yours and that of your target market)
 New competition
 Marketing regulations and standards
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INDICATE YOUR PRICE OR PRICING STRATEGY - HOW MUCH SHOULD I
CHARGE?
Determining the right price is yet another aspect of marketing. If your price is too high, you may
alienate customers, and if it's too low, you may give the impression that your product or service
is cheap and below standard. Some businesses purposely charge a very high price so that their
customers feel that they are getting a better product or service. Some sell at a slightly higher than
average price in order to be able to offer exceptional customer service.
PROJECT WHERE YOU WILL BE IN ONE, THREE, AND FIVE YEARS -

WHAT ARE YOUR LONG -TERM GOALS?
If you start out small and want to remain small, be clear about this in your plan. If your long term
goal is to expand over the years, gain an international market or sell franchising rights, be clear
about this as well. Detail the steps you plan to take to grow your business and how you will
adjust your marketing activities to reach these goals.
PROVIDE A DATE AT WHICH TO REVIEW YOUR MARKETING PLAN -

WHEN WILL I REVIEW MY PLAN?
This step is a reminder to establish the frequency at which to review your marketing plan. You
may wish to update it on a need basis and at least once per year.
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MARKETING MIX SUMMARY
PRODUCT
Product means the goods-and-services combination the company offers to the target market.
Kotler and Armstrong (2010).
PRICE
Price is the amount the consumer must exchange to receive the offering.
Solomon et al (2009).
PLACE
Place includes company activities that make the product available to target consumers.
Kotler and Armstrong (2010).
PROMOTION
Promotion includes all of the activities marketers undertake to inform consumers about their
products and to encourage potential customers to buy these products.
Solomon et al (2009).
PROCESS
Process is) . . . The actual procedures, mechanisms, and flow of activities by which the service is
delivered – this service delivery and operating systems.
Zeithaml et al (2008).
PEOPLE
(People are) . . . All human actors who play a part in service delivery and thus influence the
buyers' perceptions; namely, the firm's personnel, the customer, and other customers in the
service environment.
Zeithaml et al (2008).
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
(Physicalevidence is) . . . The environment in which the service is delivered, and where the firm
and customer interact, and any tangible components that facilitate performance or
communication of the service.
Zeithaml et al (2008)
33
THE 5 STEPS TO DELIVER A CLEAR
BRAND ONLINE AND KEEP
CUSTOMERS COMING BACK
1. MESSAGE: Is it clear and concise? Your own customers should be able to easily
talk about you in 1 sentence to others so that your message is easily spread and
remembered. This is not the same as your elevator statement. It should communicate the
main benefit that you offer. Think about something you just bought or are thinking of
buying. If you had to tell a friend about why you are buying it what would you say? It
might be something like – “I love their customer service” or “They have the best design”
or “I always feel so happy when I show off my newest purchase from them” or “I know
when I go there I will always get the same service” or “I know I always get the best deal
there”. These statements are not talking about a list of features. They are the standout
thing that the customer takes away from their experience. What is your standout
statement? If you are just getting started you can always help this message spread by
writing it on your website in the form of a tag line, use variations throughout your copy,
and in your testimonials.
2. EMOTION: Have you inspired your customer to feel something? What are the one
or two emotions you want someone to feel when they use your product or service? Fun,
fearlessness, prestige, speed, ease…don’t try and be all things to all people. What works
already with your personality and systems you are using? Then do a clean sweep of your
site, copy and emails to make sure they communicate this with the right look and
words. You can always ask your friends what they feel when they see your site and get
your emails. And if they all come back with similar answers you have nailed it.
3. CREDIBILITY: Always work to improve and strengthen it. It takes the most time
to build it, but it can also be the fastest thing to disappear if you have made a faulty claim
or not managed your client’s expectations. A word that can be overused but is SO
IMPORTANT to use is “transparency”. If anything you are saying or doing with your
online business feels strange to you then perhaps it is because you are going against your
33
values and what you stand for. If you are transparent then your customer comes in
looking for what else they can get or learn. If you are covering up a few things, spinning
your message, or trying to be something you are not your customer will come in looking
for ways to not buy what you offer. Think about a few times this has happened to you
when shopping around online. Being consistent and being yourself are the best
ingredients to build your credibility.
4. MOTIVATION: Ah yes, the “M” word. Create an atmosphere of action for

yourself first. Set yourself up from the start the right way and this won’t be a
problem. Once the foundation is working you can concentrate on your message and
make sure that everything you do is delivering a consistent one. And when you are
delivering a consistent message your customer will be motivated to buy. How do you stay
motivated?
1. Do something that you love to do. Then when the going gets tough you are still
happy to keep doing what you are doing.
2. Get systems that are easy for you to use. This means the right website that can be
updated easily by you or someone else, the right lead building tools to get traffic
to your site, the right email or phone systems, the right outsourced staff, etc. for
you. If you are not a techy person then ask others, like this, what they use. If you
like to learn the ins-and-outs of something and be really hands on then ask others
like this what they use. Just because someone you look up to operates a certain
way, it may not mean it is right for you. Find successful people who have
personalities and strengths similar to you and ask what they use for their systems.
And remember the more automated you can make it the better!
3. Hang out with the right people. This can be as easy as visiting certain blogs to get
inspiration, going to networking groups online or offline (check out Meetup), or
attending seminars. Most of the time your family and friends won’t completely
understand you and will give you advice like “It’s OK. Things will be better.”
rather than “You need to try my assistant in India who can do that for you for
$3/hour and this new free plugin for your wordpress blog.” When you need a little
pick me up Google the word of the area you need help in and add either “help” or
“community” to it. Look for a community, forum or blog online you can hang out
in for a while. You will come away feeling refreshed and perhaps even with some
great new ideas from people who are out there suffering the same problems as you
and turning them into successes.
33
5. LOYALTY: Keep the customer wanting more. Often times the easiest way of doing
this is by staying in touch with great offers and freebies and reminding them about the
success stories of others who have used your products or services. A fantastic email tool
to use that is automated is AWeber. All you have to do is spend a day thinking about
what you can offer your clients over the next month (like ebooks, MP3s or discounts).
Then create them, load them to a hidden page on your website, and write the emails
telling your clients how to get them. You can set the emails to go out at a future
date. Another great way is by making sure you offer special things on your blog or other
social media accounts from time to time. Birthday cards work well too. What do you get
from companies now that make you think ‘WOW, what a nice surprise”? Think about
provide a nice surprise for your clients at least quarterly.
33

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MARKETING AND

MARKETING IS INTEGRATED ............................................................................................................. 11

MARKETING PLAN ................................................................................................................................... 25

When you think of the word “marketing” what comes to mind?

Successful marketing requires strategy.

BENEFITS OF STRATEGIC MARKETING

 Promotes alignment with corporate goals and objectives

A target market is…

TARGET MARKET SEGMENTATIONS

Individuals can be separated by distinguishable and noticeable aspects:

The marketing mix is…

Kotler and Armstrong (2010)

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE (SERVICE)

Marketing is not a stand-alone activity…

 Canada Business Network (2012) retrieved from

 Gastin, M. (2011) Retrieved from http://mikegastin.com/content/seven-benefits-strategic-

 Kotler and Armstrong (2010). Principles of Marketing. NJ: Prentice Hall.

 Kurtz, D. (2010). Contemporary Marketing Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage

“the process of helping customers formulate associations about a company. If advertising is

Use THREE words to describe the following:

Coast Capital Savings

 Creates an emotional, credible connection

 TD is considered one of the most approachable financial institutions

DEVELOPING YOUR BRAND

BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS

ACTIVITY: BUILDING YOUR BRAND

1. As a group, build a brand using the following information:

MANAGING YOUR BRAND

 Continually reinforce the message

 Explain the purpose and importance of a marketing plan

MARKETING PLAN STEPS

Benefits of market research include:

 Better understand the characteristics and preferences of your

Examples of when market research should be conducted:

 New advertising campaigns

Example: conduct a customer survey to discover the median age range

Example: access published census reports or company reports to

PRIMARY RESEARCH METHODS

 Keep it short and simple

The purpose of a marketing plan is to:

 Assess the needs of your customers and develop a product or service to

PARTS OF A MARKETING PLAN

Describe Name the

Describe List goals–

 Compare and contrast different forms of promotion.

“a form of persuasive communication to inform consumers about a product or service and

Networking Types of Public

 Flyers and brochures

Publicity is free story-based advertising in newspapers, magazines, the radio or television.

 April Fool’s Day prank

 Attending business lunches/happy hours

 Get Attention by using humour, colour, etc.

EVALUATING YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

BEFORE WRITING YOUR MARKETING PLAN

DESCRIBE THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE - WHAT NEED DO I MEET?

IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET MARKET - WHO ARE MY CUSTOMERS?

KNOW YOUR COMPETITOR - WHO ELSE CAN WOO MY CUSTOMERS?

DETAIL YOUR DISTRIBUTION AND DELIVERY CHANNELS - HOW WILL I