Selecting a market and establishing a position, key market issues and the 4 Ps of marketing for new venture

Subject: Entrepreneurship

Overview

The term "market selection" refers to the process of choosing the market that a company endeavor want to serve, also referred to as a target market. It is a crucial business idea, particularly when a venture is just getting off the ground. Concerns regarding the company's position in relation to its rivals. In a way, it is the area or sector of the market that the business organization is claiming as its own. A company gains a distinctive position in the eyes of its clients by continuously highlighting two to three characteristics of its product that sum up its essence and set it apart from those of its competitors. When compared to a campaign that emphasizes the benefits of the product, a marketing strategy or positioning that emphasizes a product's attributes, such as its technical advantages, is frequently far less successful. Start-ups and new businesses must create their own brands from scratch. One of the basics is giving the company a distinctive personality that appeals to the targeted target market. So how does a fresh company build its brand? On a philosophical level, a company ought to matter in the lives of its clients. It ought to add value. The success of a firm depends on the marketing process, which emphasizes client value, contentment, and product and service quality. One of the regularly employed tactics is the marketing mix.

Selecting a Market and Establishing a Position

Selecting a Market

The term "market selection" refers to the process of choosing the market that a company endeavor want to serve, also referred to as the target market. It is a crucial business idea, particularly when a venture is just getting off the ground. The target market includes not only the demographic to which the goods or services are to be sold but also the mindset, needs, and purchasing patterns of these consumers. Finding a target market takes some investigation and consideration, but it is essential if an entrepreneur wants the business to succeed. Size, predicted growth, competitive position, cost to reach, and compatibility are the five factors that show whether a feasible target market has been chosen.

  • Size: How large is this market's potential?
  • Expected growth: If a market is showing signs of expansion, it may be profitable even if it is tiny.
  • Competitive Position: A market is considered favorable if there is less competition.
  • The cost to Reach: Is this market reachable given the strategies used in terms of cost to reach?
  • Compatibility: How closely does the market resemble the stated objectives?

Target marketing often uses one of three methods. The first strategy is the Single Target Market approach, whereby the business chooses a certain market segment and makes every effort to "own" it. The Multiple Target Market Approach is the second method of target marketing, in which the company screens and chooses two or more segments to examine, necessitating a different marketing mix for each segment. The third strategy is known as the Combined Target Market method; it is created when two or more submarkets are combined into a single, larger target market that is controlled using only one strategy.

Establishing a Position

The next phase for the business is to build a "position" that sets it apart from its rivals after choosing a target market. Concerns regarding the company's position in relation to its rivals. In a way, it is the area or sector of the market that the business organization is claiming as its own. A company gains a distinct position in the eyes of its customers by continuously highlighting two to three characteristics of its product that sum up its essence and set it apart from those of its rivals.

Typically, businesses create a tagline to support the position they have staked out in their industry or a phrase/slogan that is frequently used in literature, stationery, promotions, commercials, and even invoicing and therefore becomes identified with the business.

Key Marketing Issues for New Ventures:

  • Selling benefits rather than features: When starting a new business, many entrepreneurs make the error of focusing on the features of their company's services or goods rather than the advantages. When compared to a campaign that emphasizes the benefits of the product, a marketing strategy or positioning that emphasizes a product's attributes, such as its technical advantages, is frequently far less successful.
  • Establishing a brand: A brand is a collection of characteristics, either good or bad, that people associate with a business. With the aid of a brand management program or by safeguarding the value and perception of an organization's brand among consumers, several businesses keep an eye on the reliability of their brands. A positioning strategy is different from a brand in that it is all about the specifics, whereas a brand is all about the promises and qualities that people identify with a company. Start-ups and new businesses must create their own brands from scratch. One of the basics is giving the company a distinctive personality that appeals to the targeted target market. So how does a fresh company build its brand? On a philosophical level, a company ought to matter in the lives of its clients. It ought to add value. On a more practical level, brands are developed via a variety of strategies, such as sponsorships, advertising, public relations, strong performance, and aiding charitable organizations. In essence, a good brand can develop into a very valuable asset for a company.

The 4Ps of Marketing for New Venture

Marketing is a commercial function that aids in identifying consumer demands. Additionally, it locates target markets and develops goods and services to cater to them. Additionally, it entails advertising goods and services in the marketplace. No matter how big or small, everyone wanting to begin a new business should be well-versed in marketing. Focusing on consumer value, customer satisfaction, and the quality of the goods and services, marketing is a crucial process for a company's success. One of the regularly employed tactics is the marketing mix. To produce the best outcome, it combines the integral variables with one another. The four components of the marketing mix are known as the 4 Ps of Marketing:

Product

  • A product is a good or service that a business owner offers to or supplies to his target market for the purpose of sale. Quality, packaging, design, after-sales service, features, and customer service should all be taken into account while creating a product.
  • When a new business endeavor is created, the entrepreneur needs to be well aware of the product that will be sold. The four Ps of marketing appear simple, but they could be challenging. The idea that you can sell any item as long as you believe it would appeal to your target market or consumer is incorrect. But before deciding what to sell, market research and analysis are absolutely necessary.
  • Owners of businesses should carefully consider the products and services they will offer. They must ensure that they meet the wants and needs of their clients and define the qualities of their service. They should be informed of the most necessary services, warranties, and supports.

Place

  • This has to do with how the product is distributed, where it is located, and how it is delivered to the target market. The setting could include the company's physical location, potential Internet usage, a storefront, distributors, and logistics.
  • Business owners should grasp the positioning strategy well in order to make informed decisions. They must find a way to make it work for them, even if that involves sifting through the marketing haze intended to obscure customers' goals and motives.
  • An entrepreneur should be aware that positioning is all about creating a lovely image of how they want their buyers to see their goods. They must come up with a catchphrase that is clever, short, and simple to recall. Additionally, it should satiate the audience without inciting them to scrutinize the company's operations.

Price

  • Price is the sum of money that customers must pay to purchase goods or services. When it comes to price, there are a number of things to take into account. These include things like discounting, price setting, credit collecting, and cash and credit transactions.
  • The investor or entrepreneur should thoroughly identify the four Ps of marketing before investing in a new business. Otherwise, outstanding outcomes are difficult to obtain. Additionally, it must remember to price fairly. Entrepreneurs might conduct a survey or send out questionnaires to get feedback on their pricing. They shouldn't, however, make their price too high or too low.
  • A price that is too low runs the risk of turning off potential clients who are leery of deals. It can be challenging to draw in customers on a tight budget if the price is too high. As a result, the rates should be based on the variety of services provided as well as the degree of training and experience. An entrepreneur should not disregard taxes and expenses as other crucial factors.

Promotion

  • Promoting entails telling customers about the advantages and merits of the products. In order to convince people to patronize the firm, it uses a variety of techniques, including advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and personal selling.
  • Owners who want to cut costs might think about self-promotion. Additionally, when it comes to marketing the company, he or she needs to inspire the target audience. Consider yourself the customer in order to understand their perspective. The use of PR, publicity, and advertising will keep the good or service in the spotlight and out in front of the competitors. These characteristics are all crucial components of promotion.
  • When it comes to launching a business, the four Ps of marketing that were just described are quite beneficial. For a company effort to be successful, the relevant knowledge and abilities must be present. Understanding the four Ps of marketing can help us steer clear of common errors and succeed in our business endeavors.

Reference:

Agrawal, Govinda Ram (2014). Entrepreneurship and small business management in Nepal . KTM: M.K Publishers and Distributors.

Bhasin, H. (2016, 7 7). http://www.marketing91.com/. Retrieved from marketing91.com: http://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-4-ps-marketing/

Kaiser, U. (2009). http://www.business.uzh.ch/. Retrieved from business.uzh.ch: http://www.business.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:00000000-0b5d-98e0-ffff-ffffc80668d3/Kap11primerentrepreneur09.pdf

Gaines, M. (2009). http://smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved from smallbusiness.chron.com: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/select-target-market-3352.html

Hopps, J. (2008). https://blog.demandmetric.com. Retrieved from demandmetric.com: https://blog.demandmetric.com/2008/08/06/target-market-selection-segmentation-and-positioning

Susan, K. (2011). http://www.graphics.com. Retrieved from graphics.com: http://www.graphics.com/article-old/marketing-using-4ps-product-price-place-and-promotion

Things to remember

Selecting a Market

Following are the five criteria that indicate whether a viable target market has been selected : 

  • Size: How large is this market's potential?
  • Expected growth: If a market is showing signs of expansion, it may be profitable even if it is tiny.
  • Competitive Position: A market is considered favorable if there is less competition.
  • The cost to Reach: Is this market reachable given the strategies used in terms of cost to reach?
  • Compatibility: How closely does the market resemble the stated objectives?

Key Marketing Issues for New Ventures:

  • Selling advantages over features
  • Developing a brand

The four elements that make up the marketing mix, or "4 Ps of Marketing," are

  • Product
  • Place
  • Price
  • Promotion.

Three Conditions That Define a Market

  • Customers purchase comparable goods.
  • Customers expect items to offer them value in comparable ways and have similar sales cycles. This means that your salespeople can switch from selling to one customer to another customer while maintaining high levels of effectiveness and little to no loss in productivity.
  • In the market, there is also word-of-mouth marketing.

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