According to Kotler & Keller (2009), marketing is the process of organizing and mobilizing resources to facilitate awareness to customers about a certain product or service. The process of marketing involves carrying out marketing researches with an aim of establishing the precise and accurate needs of the target customers in order to satisfy them.
Further, Perreault et al (2009) considers the process of marketing as a process which involves utilization of techniques and tactics that are used in selling with an aim of establishing closer relationship between a business and its clients.
In this regard, marketing is used in identifying, retaining a customers through satisfying them, as businesses seek to increase their profitability through higher performance. On this basis, successful marketing is the one that is led by market conditions in order to meet the needs and requirements of the customers largely.
As noted by Perreault et al (2009), the philosophy and values of good marketing strategy are embraced in the concept of ‘target customer needs’ and ‘market-led strategies’. Since consumers are considered as rational, their purchasing behavior is largely controlled by their rational decisions.
In fact, Kotler & Keller (2009) reveals how consumers have choices but lack specific decisions, which ought to be influenced my marketers’ strategies in their marketing process. In this respect therefore, successful marketing is the one that is directed and led by the prevailing conditions in the market, rather than the marketers own assumptions about their customers.
By understanding the needs and preferences of their target market, marketers will be able to organize their marketing strategies to fulfill the expectations of their customers. As a result, competitive advantage will be achieved by such marketers.
For triumphant marketing, there should be a well established link between marketers and the customers. According to Kotler & Keller (2009), the current business environment dominated by massive increase in information technology necessitates coherent interaction between companies and their customers.
On this basis, marketing information systems have been found be of great significance in facilitating market research, which necessary to maintain cordial link between companies and their customers. With respect to Perreault et al (2009), a well established marketing should utilize effective information system to ensure the updating marketers about the market situation through marketing research.
It can thus be argued that, marketing information systems facilitate successful marketing process, resulting into a well sustained relationship between marketers and their customers.
Since companies have their potential customers at different regions, they are necessitated to segment their markets. More specifically, market segmentation involves the division of markets into smaller subsections with regard to the numerous customers a company may be having.
More so, the process of marketing requires identification of a particular group of customers in order to enhance easy mobilization of resources to meet their specific needs more accurately through a process called positioning. According to Kotler & Keller (2009), positioning involves the process of accurate dedication of certain commodities or services to a specific group of individuals.
In order to know the specific requirements of any target group for effective positioning, a marketer should have an extensive market research in such group(s). Generally, all the diverse customer needs ought to be well established for effective positioning in a marketing context, which would be facilitated by cordial and close interaction between marketers and their clients.
Though marketing may be perceived literally as resenting customers with products or services, it is rather a complex process which requires strategic aligning of customer needs with the marketers’ strategies.
References
Kotler, P. & Keller, K. (2009). Marketing Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Perreault, W. et al. (2009). Basic Marketing: A Marketing Strategy Planning Approach (17th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.