Study Marketing Theory and Practice
- Get a grip on Marketing basics
- Learn to improve sales results
- Make yourself valuable to employers, improve your own business success, lay a foundation for more advanced studies.
This course is designed as a program to understand the marketing world; then developing skills in marketing.
MARKETING INVOLVES...
- ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS
- PERSUADING THEM TO BUY
- SELLING
- KEEPING CUSTOMERS SATISFIED (so they come back!)
Throughout this course emphasis is placed on profitability and efficiency!
IF YOU HAVE GOT SOMETHING TO SELL -THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU
Lesson Structure
There are 10 lessons in this course:
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Marketing and the Business
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What is marketing, and its significance
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Considering alternative approaches to business & marketing
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Alternative enterprises (eg. goods or services based sole proprietor or partnership etc).
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Scope of Marketing Understanding basic economics (eg. supply & demand)
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The difference between the potential market
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Available market
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Target market
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Penetrated market for a product/service of your choice
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Different advertising approaches
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Controlling Growth,
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Improving Results in Business, etc
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Target Marketing
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Understanding the market place
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Stages that sellers move through in their approach to a market
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What is targeting
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Advantages of target marketing as compared to mass marketing and product-differentiated marketing
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The Marketing Mix and Managing the Marketing Effort
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Product, price, place, and promotion
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Affects and interactions between marketing and other operations of a business.
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Product Presentation and Packaging
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Importance of product knowledge
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Core, tangible and augmented products
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Differences in packaging & presentation for different products.
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Promotion Communication skills
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Merchandising
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Shop Floor Layout
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Displaying Products
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Signs
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Understanding Selling and Increasing Sales
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Sales Methods
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Publicity Marketing,
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Structuring an Advertisement or Promotion
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Advertising budgets, etc
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Product Pricing and Distribution Pricing
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Profitability Ratios
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Increasing Turnover, etc
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Customer Service Methods of assessing customer satisfaction
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Significance of Customer Service
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Different types of customers in the market place and how best to approach each
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Difference between selling, publicising, marketing and advertising, etc
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Market Research
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The research process
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What to research
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Surveys
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Developing and conducting a market research program
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Where to find useful statistics,
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Organisations
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Structures and Roles Business law
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Financial Management
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Business Structures
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Business terminology, etc.
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
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Discuss the role of marketing in different enterprises.
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Describe the scope of marketing in different enterprises.
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Define the target market for a product or service.
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Determine and manage an appropriate mix of marketing activities for a small enterprise or marketing campaign.
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Evaluate the presentation (including packaging) of a product or service.
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Determine an effective approach to promoting a product or service.
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Compare options for distribution and determine an appropriate price for a product or service.
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Evaluate customer service.
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Conduct relevant market research.
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Consider the impact of internal and external organisations (including legal authorities) upon the marketing activities of an enterprise.
TIPS FOR SETTING A PRICE
Information obtained from customer forums have been that customers are prepared to pay, on average, more than what the retailer is charging! Thus it is important when pricing anything, to price according to costs and the demand for that particular product.
Setting prices is one of the most important factors in running a business. Pricing has to take in account both the wholesale and retail factors as a successful product will need to be analysed from start to finish.
A general methodology for setting prices:
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Establish your market objectives
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Formulate your marketing strategy
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Develop pricing policies and potential risks
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Choosing pricing strategies, and set price tactics.
When establishing market objectives, it is always helpful to look at a similar product and use it as a guideline to gather information, ideas and material.
Three types of price strategies can be described as:
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Cost oriented pricing – by product price
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Demand oriented – by the perceptions of the demand intensity
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Completion oriented – how the competitors are charging.
Tactics of pricing can be deadly to a business very quickly. Look at the examples of how the airline industry has changed due to “price wars”. In recent years a number of airlines have become bankrupt as they did not take in account how competition could change the price and profit structure.
Initiating price changes in the form of cuts as well as increases not only create changes in the profit margin but also in the customer’s perception of a business. This reaction by the customers can be analysed by using the price elasticity of demand which is equal to the percent of change in quantity demanded divided by the percent in the change of price.
Distribution and market channel decisions are critical because these affect every other marketing decision, especially price. So every producer seeks to find and link with the right distribution channel such as merchants, agents, facilitators, and marketing firms. These “friends” will help make or break your product and profit. It is using their superior efficiency, making your product more accessible to your target market – getting your product out there in the quickest and cheapest route.
WHY THIS COURSE?
Every good business must have someone who understands all of the things covered by this course.
You don't necessarily need to be a marketing expert or top salesperson to work in business; but it helps. If you want to work in sales or marketing though, this course is the absolute minimum.
START HERE
Unless you have studied marketing previously, this is probably the first marketing course you should do.
It may well be taken as part of a certificate or diploma, with other marketing or business courses following on after you complete this course. It also stands alone as a complete vocational training or personal development course by itself.
MARKETERS ARE NEEDED
Really good marketing staff are rare. To be good at marketing, it takes a certain personality combined with a positive attitude, an awareness of the product and market place you are working with, and finally a broad understanding of marketing practice and theory.
Understanding marketing theory and practice comes from study; and everything else develops afterwards, if you commit and apply yourself to building experience.
AFTER YOUR STUDY
Graduates will have increased knowledge, a greater understanding and a growing awareness of marketing. in a way that can be applied to any product or service whatsoever.
- Some graduates will use this to start or speed up a career as a marketing officer or salesperson. Effective marketers or sales people can command very attractive rates of pay.
- Other graduates will use this course to make significant changes to the way they operate their own business.
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