Week 2 Discussion- Marketing for Competitiveness

Marketing for Competitiveness

Week 2 Learning Resources

The customer’s need (The influencer)

Through these resources, you will examine how to define customers’ needs. Customers’ needs are rooted in seeking solutions a product or service may provide. We identify those needs in marketing by asking the questions that solicit feedback to enhance our processes and practices. Through these resources, you will explore how customers’ needs are met using solid marketing practices.

· Balis, J. (2021, March 10).  10 truths about marketing after the pandemic .  Harvard Business Review Digital Articles , 1–11. http://hbr.org

· Breschi, A. (2021).  16 types of customer needs (and how to solve for them)Links to an external site. .  HubSpot . https://blog.hubspot.com/service/customer-needs

· Haas, S., McClain, J., McInerney, P., & Timelin, B. (2020, October 16).  Reimagining consumer-goods innovation for the next normal  Links to an external site. . McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/reimagining-consumer-goods-innovation-for-the-next-normal

· Kiely, T. J. (2017, August 2).  How social media can drive product innovation  Links to an external site. . Falcon.IO. https://www.falcon.io/insights-hub/topics/customer-engagement/social-media-can-drive-product-innovation-social-listening/

The Industry and Competition/Social Media Being the Influencer

Social media influence refers to the impact of other people’s thinking and behavior in an online community. The more influence a person has, the more appeal that individual has to companies or other individuals who want to promote an idea or sell a product. Social media possesses incredible influential power, and since the advent of the Internet, it has evolved from a simple way for people to keep in touch into a massive global network connecting organizations, communities, and people.

· Christensen, C. M., Ojomo, E., & Dillon, K. (2019, January 1).  Cracking frontier markets .  Harvard Business Review, 97 (1), 90–101.

· Digital Garage. (2019, January 14).  How retargeting works  Links to an external site.  [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8_yzdZbOlA

Effective Marketing Strategies

Marketing strategy provides a roadmap to a business’s overall game plan for reaching its prospective consumers and turning them into customers. There are several components to a successful marketing strategy. Through these resources, you will examine some of those key components, like the company's value proposition, key brand messaging, data on target customer demographics, and other high-level elements in these resources.

· Crestodina, A. (2020).  Data-driven empathy: 7 charts that show how to make smart marketing decisionsLinks to an external site. .  Orbit Media Studios . https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/data-driven-marketing-decisions

· Karpenkova, A. (2020, April 3).  Digital marketing strategies brands often overlookLinks to an external site. .  DigitalMarketer . https://www.digitalmarketer.com/blog/overlooked-digital-marketing-strategies Time Estimate: 8 minutes

· Schillewaert, N. (2020, July 7).  Brand religions: The 3 beliefs of the influencer religionLinks to an external site. .  InSites Consulting . https://insites-consulting.com/blog/brand-religions-the-3-beliefs-of-the-influencer-religion/

Social Media Marketing

We have all been exposed to some sort of social media and its influence on our decision making, but what about when we apply marketing? Social media marketing, sometimes called e-marketing or digital marketing, uses social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service. Using these resources, you will explore how social media marketing builds on the overall marketing strategy.

· Charlesworth, A. (2017).  What is social media marketing?Links to an external site.  In  Social media marketing: Marketing panacea or the emperor’s new digital clothes? (pp. 39–70). Business Expert Press.

· Charlesworth, A. (2017).  Social media marketing: What works, what doesn’t…and whyLinks to an external site. . In  Social media marketing: Marketing panacea or the emperor’s new digital clothes? (pp. 115–143). Business Expert Press.

· Davis, X. (n.d.).  7 steps for an effective social media marketing plan  Links to an external site. . Duct Tape Marketing. https://ducttapemarketing.com/social-media-marketing-plan/

· Digital Garage. (2019, January 14).  Social media campaigns for mobile  Links to an external site.  [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TQUgS3TNG4