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Your Brand Ambassadors
A great way to organize your marketing strategy is to use the 7 Ps of Marketing. By grouping activities together in each of the marketing mix elements, you’ll be able to prioritize and assign tasks more readily.
Our previous articles covered the 4 traditional elements of the marketing mix – Product, Price, Place and Promotion. In this article we’ll introduce one of the more recent elements – People.
We’ll dive deeper into the Process and Physical Evidence elements in future articles.
The traditional 4 Ps were developed to put some order to the parts of a strategic marketing plan that focused on physical things. These could include, the design of a product, the market for the product, the price of the product, the method of distribution and so on.
However, as the thinking around marketing strategy evolved, it became apparent that an element focused on the people responsible for implementing the strategy was necessary.
The people element emphasizes the importance of employees and staff members in delivering value to customers.
From frontline sales representatives to customer service personnel, these individuals are the face of your brand. Well-trained and knowledgeable employees can create positive interactions, leaving a lasting impression on customers. Most companies do a decent job of training their sales and customer service staff, but don’t forget to include other employees who may have direct client interactions, such as your prepress personnel or delivery drivers. They can bring life to your marketing strategy.
Customer-centricity should be a cornerstone of your company culture. Understanding your customers’ needs and responding to their feedback and inquiries promptly demonstrates that their satisfaction is your top priority.
Employee-centricity is also important. Encouraging open communication within your organization fosters innovation and improvement. Employees who feel valued and engaged are more likely to go above and beyond to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
In short, activities or objectives within the people element of your marketing mix should have these results:
- Clear, well communicated marketing strategy
- Trained, knowledgeable sales and customer service representatives (product knowledge, interpersonal skills)
- Welcoming, positive work environment and culture
Through a well-developed plan around people, your marketing strategy will have a greater chance of success.
Need help with company culture and people development? Contact us! Our experts are here to help.
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Ken Freek and Drew McLaren are experts at Connecting for Results, a management consulting firm serving print companies across North America. Ken combines his experience in marketing, operations, automation, change management, and supply chain and logistics to provide a solutions-oriented approach to business challenges. A former company owner and marketing expert, Drew’s experience running a family print business gives him a leg up with decision makers. Both Ken and Drew excel in identifying new marketing and sales growth opportunities. To work with them, contact us!