What is the marketing concept
The marketing concept arose as the last of a series of business philosophies during the 20th century. Unlike the “Selling philosophy,” or the “production philosophy” which focuses business and drive from a product perspective, the marketing concept looks through a consumer-driven lens.
What may seem obvious now was a complete wonder and new way of thinking at the turn of the century i.e. that businesses could reach and exceed their goals through identifying and satisfying the consumer’s stated and unstated needs and wants. The marketing concept places the consumer at the center of the organization, and all activity stems from the understanding of who we are selling too
This is when ideas like “marketing strategy” and “market research” became fundamental tools in what we know today as marketing. The difference between the marketing concept and a marketing concept is that one is a philosophy and the latter is a derivative of that philosophy.
In light of the acceleration in technology development, marketers are facing the challenge of keeping up with trends. New apps and digital tools are changing the lifestyles of people constantly. From how we received information to where we get it, this all plays into new emerging marketing concepts. Below we go over 4 need to know marketing concepts that you should adopt in order to be at the top of your game.
1. Influencer Marketing - Brand Ambassadors
We’ve all heard of influencer marketing. Using figureheads, celebrities and prestigious people to market a product. This is a tried and true way with roots deeply embedded in psychology. Unlike chimps who emulate, humans imitate. We model behaviours and actions after those we look up to. There are multiple reasons why this happens, but the most obvious is that we want what those prestigious models we look up to have. In our mind, if we can copy what they do, what they wear, and what they buy, perhaps we can get the results that they have achieved as well. Ultimately, people are influenced by the actions of the models they look up to.
There is an extent to how much we imitate. The product and model pair has to make sense. For example, Christiano Ronaldo, a world-renowned soccer player would garner great results if he was representing a brand that sold soccer wear. Perhaps even deodorant, or cologne. It would be harder for him to be a brand ambassador for a fridge company.
So how do we use this bit of information for more small-scale businesses? Maybe you won’t be able to get the biggest celebrity to market your product, but models can be anybody. They can be employees or even loyal customers. Their reach may not be as great as a well-known name, but it still creates the trust for their friends and family to become potential customers. Offer incentives, or build a rewards program to get them to showcase your product. Loyal followers will speak for your brand, encouraging others to follow and make purchases. Create hashtags and incentives for your ambassadors to post about your brand on social media
Want to take it to the next level? Instagram is great for influencer marketing. Expand your reach and spend less by inviting Instagram users with big follower pools to be a brand ambassador. You can scope potential customers by looking at whether or not their follower pool falls into your niche.
2. Mobile First strategy
This is something we stress often. People
spend more time on their mobile devices online than they do PCs. So you
should already be making sure that your website and customer interactions are
optimized for mobile. This isn’t just about making sure the size fits the
screen. I’m also talking about the aesthetics of a mobile design.
- Are there
boxes on your site?
- Are they spaced appropriately for mobile?
- What about the website
copy?
A screen is small, so the text should be more limited, straight to the
point and relying on visuals.
You also
need to make sure the spacing of the website copy is frequent. People skim
information before going back and reading it properly. It’s hard to skim where
there are no breaks in the paragraphs.
Think about the content you’re supplying; does it match the lifestyle of the consumers of today. We are in a fast world where convenience and minimalism dominate almost everything. If there isn’t an easy way to reach your consumers in every capacity through mobile than that’s where you should take your focus
3. Interactive Content
As annoying
as seeing another Buzzfeed Quiz being shared on your social media is, there’s a
reason why it works.
Interactive content is content that engages you in aspects other than reading.
It’s popular, for a good reason.
Quizzes, videos, and games get audiences
actively involved instead of just passively consuming blogs. People are self absorbed. So if you can get them to do a quiz that tells them something about themselves they don't already know, you're killing it!
They can also be a great tool to gain insight and statistics. Whether that’s using the content itself to extrapolate data, or having a pop-up poll before the interactive content.
Interactive content gets consumers invested, and if it’s fun it helps to retain your audience by influencing them to come back for more.
4. Live content
Living vicariously through someone else is much more fun if that person is living a life different from yours. With the introduction of Facebook live-streaming and Instagram live-streaming, live-streaming is no longer just an act for gamers. Similar to interactive content, it engages the audience, allowing them access to a lifestyle they may not otherwise be privy to. And this is perfect if you’re trying to promote your brand!
Some different ways you can be live without live-streaming your life is using automatic chatbots that are more personalized to get a real response. If you can’t tell whether or not the person responding is a bot or a person than you’ve got it right. You can also offer webinars for information sharing and information gleaming. Why being live works is it creates a sense of transparency and accountability which creates trust between your business and customers.
Tie live-streaming with influential marketing and you’re on a roll.