Strategic marketing, including export market development
Marketing strategies guide organizations to fill market needs and reach their marketing objectives. Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results. Commonly, marketing strategies are developed as multi-year plans, with a tactical plan detailing specific actions to be accomplished in the current year. Time horizons covered by the marketing plan vary by company, by industry, and by nation, however, time horizons are becoming shorter as the speed of change in the environment increases. Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive.
Marketing strategy involves careful scanning of the internal and external environments. Internal environmental factors include the marketing mix, plus performance analysis and strategic constraints. External environmental factors include customer analysis, competitor analysis, target market analysis, as well as evaluation of any elements of the technological, economic, cultural or political/legal environment likely to impact success. A key component of marketing strategy is often to keep marketing in line with a company's overarching strategic plan. Once a thorough environmental scan is complete, a marketing plan can be constructed to identify business alternatives, establish realistic aims, determine the optimal marketing mix to attain these aims, and detail implementation. A final step in developing a marketing strategy is to create a plan to monitor progress and a set of risk management approaches to address possible contingencies if problems arise in the implementation of the plan. CMC has in depth experience in this area, including helping firms entering the international arena for the first time, and enabling formerly non-profit organisations in their commercialisation strategies. |