SMI Projects Ltd - Strategic Marketing Innovations

We have marketed companies and organisations across the world and have the accolade of developing new business to the value of over £1.5Bn to date.

Professional Marketing is a skill that is not well understood by many but very well understood by us.

Marketing is finding who customers are and what customers want. Once companies and organisations understand this they have to fulfil these needs and make their products and services more appealing than those provided by competitors.

Companies need to ask themselves what makes you different and how important is this to your customers.

At the same time a pricing structure has to be set that customers find attractive and that provides a sensible profit level.

Now comes promoting to the wider marketplace – more of that later!

Knowledge about customers is priceless so keep customers close and ask them for their comments, ideas and opinions of how to improve your offerings. Ensure that your offer is available when customers want to do business.    Over 80% of the UK population use the internet – Europe and USA also have high internet usage. A web site allows worldwide access to customer’s 24/7-people of all age’s order online using secure payment methods. Companies can increase sales by offering these methods. With staff it is essential that true customer focus is evident and this is supported at all times- no customer means no business!   Would you buy from your company?

In terms of types of customers it is necessary to define customers through segmentation. This is not a black art but a process where we build a picture of our customer by type, how often they order and the value of orders.  Who am I talking to? Put yourself in their shoes!

Promotion follows where we target our promotions to the customers identified in segmentation. We use here the 7P, s to ensure business success. – More you Tell -More you Sell

Set up a robust process for recording marketing effectiveness. This guides us to replicate successful practices and to avoid making mistakes twice.  Marketing Effort is wasted if we do not find out if it has worked!

THE SEVEN P’s: Marketing is Central to Business Success

The 7 p’s explains the broad scope of the marketing Mix

• Product – There must be a product that people or service need or want to buy. There may be opportunity to develop new products and services that research has told us that people want to buy now or in the future.
• Price – Products/Services are only worth what customers are prepared to pay for. Cheapest price is not always best but offering value can be the way to success. Pricing must also provide profit. This is the only part of marketing that generates revenue – everything else represents cost.
• Place – The product /service must be available in the right place, at the right time and in the right quantity whilst keeping storage, inventory and distribution costs to an acceptable level.
• Promotion – promotion is the way organisations communicate with its customers (and stakeholders). It includes activities such as branding, advertising, PR, sales management, special offers and exhibitions. It must tell a consistent message, it must gain attention and be appealing. It must give customers a reason to choose a product rather than someone else’s product.
• People – Anyone who comes into contact with customers will make an impression – for the good or as a detriment for a company. The reputation of a brand rests with its people. They must be appropriately trained, well motivated and must have the right attitude.
• Process – The process of providing service and the behaviour of those delivering it is crucial to customer satisfaction. Issues such as waiting times, the information given to customers and the helpfulness of staff are all vital in keeping customers happy.
• Physical Evidence – A service cannot be experienced before it is delivered. This means that choosing a service/ product can be a risky business because the product is intangible. This uncertainty can be reduced by helping potential customers to “see” what they may buy. Case studies and testimonials provide evidence that an organisation keeps its promises. Facilities such as clean and tidy receptions help to provide evidence of professionalism.