Published: 2023-05-29
Views: 316
Author: Johnny
Published in: Sales & Marketing

Marketing communication is the process of crafting and delivering impactful messages to engage customers, prospects, and other target audiences.

It encompasses various activities such as advertising, digital media, public relations (PR), government communications, branding, packaging, sponsorships, sales promotions, and more.

Process of Marketing Communication

The Marketing Communication Process involves several key concepts that shed light on how it operates:

1. Sender

The process begins with the sender, who serves as the source of the message. The sender can be an organization, an individual, or a company.

2. Encode

The sender encodes the message by transforming their thoughts and ideas into a format that the target audience can comprehend. For example, a marketing manager may decide to promote a new product through an advertising campaign.

3. Message

The message conveys the intended content and varies based on the sender's objective. In the aforementioned example, the message would revolve around the new product's significance. Marketers should strive to create clear, concise, and easily understandable messages.

4. Medium

The medium refers to the channel through which the message is transmitted. Various channels can be utilized, such as television, radio, internet, print media (e.g., newspapers, magazines), and more. The choice of medium depends on the target audience, message content, and available budget.

5. Receive

The target audience receives the message through the selected medium.

6. Decode

The target audience decodes the message by comprehending and interpreting its meaning. It's important to note that the audience may not always interpret the message as intended by the sender.

Therefore, marketers must ensure clarity and conduct tests to validate the message's effectiveness before its public release.

Strategies of Marketing Communication

It encompasses the elements that constitute the marketing communication mix. This mix can be customized to suit different situations and target audiences.

Some common guiding concepts and principles utilized include:

Strategy #1: Consistency

All elements should reinforce each other and align with the same message. This can be achieved by employing consistent visuals, tonality, and messaging across all communication channels.

Strategy #2: Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

The USP represents the distinct feature or advantage that sets a company apart from its competitors. It is the reason why customers often choose a particular company. The USP should be well-defined and consistently communicated through all significant marketing communications.

Strategy #3: Demographics

The target audience should be clearly defined in terms of demographics, such as age, gender, income, etc. This information helps create marketing communications that resonate with the target audience.

Further audience segmentation can be achieved using psychographics, which describe people based on their attitudes, values, and lifestyles.

Strategy #4: Choosing Appropriate Mediums

The selection of mediums should be tailored to suit the target audience and message. For example, if a company aims to reach stay-at-home moms, it might utilize targeted online ads or sponsored posts on mom bloggers' websites or social media platforms.

Strategy #5: Call to Action

Marketing communications typically include a call to action, which instructs the target audience on the desired next step or action to take.

Objectives of Marketing Communication

The objectives of marketing communication encompass several key aspects:

Objective #1: Behavior Modification

The primary objective is to influence and modify the thoughts and behaviors of individuals. This involves encouraging customers to choose a particular brand or product over competitors and fostering brand loyalty.

Objective #2: Information Dissemination

Marketing communication aims to inform the target market about the organization's products and services. This objective is crucial in providing customers with essential information and features of the offerings to facilitate informed decision-making.

Objective #3: Persuasion

Another important objective is to persuade customers to purchase the organization's goods and services, thereby increasing sales. Persuasive communication techniques are employed to create desire, influence customer preferences, and drive purchasing decisions.

Objective #4: Reminder

Marketing communication aims to remind customers about the availability of the organization's products and services. This objective becomes significant during the maturity phase of the product life cycle, where the goal is to maintain the product's position in customers' minds and reinforce their awareness.

Importance of Marketing Communication

The role of marketing communication in communicating value to customers and the target market can be understood through the following points:

1. Increasing Awareness

Marketing communication plays a critical role in increasing awareness, especially for new products or entering new markets. By conducting research, validating product usefulness, and attracting media attention, promotion aims to create widespread awareness and establish a popular image for the product.

2. Enhancing Knowledge and Preference

Promotion goes beyond creating awareness and aims to communicate the value and benefits of the brand to customers.

3. Increasing Sales and Building Brand

Ultimately, the success of a promotional strategy is measured by increased sales. Informing, persuading, and reminding customers, effective promotion leads to higher sales and the establishment of brand loyalty.

By employing effective marketing communication strategies and following these guiding concepts, companies can effectively increase sales and meet expected targets.