The 4-P's of Marketing

It seems like wherever you look these days you find someone talking about marketing. Marketing this and marketing that. Web marketing, print marketing, TV marketing, etc. etc.

I just wanted to take an opportunity to clear the air.  Most of the time when you hear someone talking about marketing they are using the term in the advertising sense.  But marketing is not just advertising. It's also much more.

The classic 4 P's of marketing include:
1.    Promotion (advertising)
2.    Price
3.    Product
4.    Place (how the product is distributed/delivered)

A market is a group of people who share a common interest in a product or service.  So marketing is actually the process of discovering your market--that is, the people in your market.  Once you've discovered who the people are--their likes, dislikes, ages, values, goals, location, etc.--then you can begin to match each of the 4 P's to fit that group of people.  This is marketing.

For example, after you identify the group of people to whom you'd like to sell you create a product or service they want.  Then you advertise to them in a way that they connect with.
You set your price at a point that is deemed appropriate per value to them.  And you deliver it to them in the way that makes it easiest for them.

So the next time you hear someone telling you they can provide you with marketing services, make sure they're giving you more than just a nice little print or web ad.  Make sure you're getting the 4 P's!

CA

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