Theoretical aspects of the development of the company's marketing strategy. Marketing strategy development

Marketing strategies can be defined as the management of an organization that relies on human potential as the foundation of the organization, orients sales activities to consumer needs, implements flexible regulation and timely changes in the organization that meet the challenge of the environment and allow achieving competitive advantages, which together allow the organization to survive and achieve your goals in the long term.

Marketing strategy - a set of basic decisions aimed at achieving the general goal of the company and based on an assessment of the market situation and its own capabilities, as well as other factors and forces of the marketing environment. The purpose of developing a strategy is to determine the main priority areas and proportions of the development of the company, taking into account the material sources of its provision and market demand. The strategy should be aimed at the optimal use of the company's capabilities and the prevention of erroneous actions that can lead to a decrease in the efficiency of the company.

The essence of any enterprise is the production of goods necessary for the consumer. From the relationship between the market and the product, the central problem of entrepreneurship is derived, on the solution of which the guarantee of the existence of an enterprise in this market depends. The concept of marketing involves the use of information about the market, the formation of "your consumer", the design of a competitive market position of the company.

The marketing strategy defines how the marketing structure should be applied in order to attract and satisfy target markets and achieve the organization's goals. Marketing structure decisions are centered on product planning, sales, promotion, and price.

The main difference between the strategy and the usual long-term plan is that the strategy must create conditions under which the enterprise will avoid problems in the market. Marketing has all the necessary set and practical tools for such an organization of activities.

The marketing strategy affects the fate of the entire enterprise in the long term and is aimed at achieving strategic goals, at the implementation of coordinated actions in the field of demand management.

The marketing strategy is part of the corporate strategy of the enterprise, one of the main tasks of which is to expand the business, develop the technological potential and increase production, create new products and develop new markets.

A corporate strategy is the overall management plan of a diversified company. It consists of actions aimed at asserting positions in various industries, and approaches used to manage a group of business types of a company.

The system of marketing strategies of the enterprise is presented in fig. 1.1.

Rice. 1.1. Enterprise marketing strategy system

The first level of strategy development is the formulation of the mission of the enterprise. The mission is the overall goal of the enterprise.

The mission serves as the starting point and criterion for making the entire range of management decisions at the enterprise, makes it easy to coordinate the activities of the enterprise, set priorities, and organize the work of various departments.

The second level of work within the strategies is the development of a set of functional strategies, which includes decisions on portfolio strategies, development strategies and competitive strategies.

Portfolio strategies are decisions about what the company will enter the market with.

Development strategies are decisions about how the entire portfolio of an enterprise, as well as each unit of the portfolio, will develop.

Competitive strategies are decisions related to how the portfolio of the enterprise as a whole, as well as individual units of the portfolio, will develop in a competitive environment. The last level of strategic decision-making is the instrumental strategies of business units, which ensure the implementation of the business strategy.

The third level of strategy development is that instrumental marketing strategies allow an enterprise to choose how best to use individual components in the marketing mix to increase the effectiveness of marketing efforts in the target market. Accordingly, four groups of marketing strategies can be represented at the instrumental level:

Product strategies ensure that the range and quality of goods match. Pricing strategies allow you to bring information about the value of the product to consumers. Distribution strategies make it possible to organize the availability of goods for consumers. Promotion strategies inform consumers about the beneficial properties of all elements of the marketing mix.

The development and implementation of strategic decisions in this system allows marketers to choose how to work in the market.

Table 1- Definitions of marketing strategy.

However, as can be seen from the above definitions of marketing strategy, there is currently no clear certainty about the interpretation of this term. At the same time, in order to introduce the process of developing a strategy into the practice of domestic enterprises, it is necessary to clearly understand its conceptual apparatus. Based on the above definitions, it is possible to give the author's definition of a marketing strategy. Marketing strategy is the process of planning and implementing various marketing activities that are subject to the achievement of the goals set for the company (firm, organization, business structure).

Currently, there are a number of approaches to grouping and classifying marketing strategies. The most common classification of marketing strategies is shown in Fig. 1.2.

Fig.1.2. Classification of marketing strategies.

There are several types of strategies: growth strategies, competitive strategies, competitive advantage strategies.

The most common strategies are growth strategies, which reflect four different approaches to the growth of the firm and are associated with a change in the state of one or more of the following elements: product, market, industry, position of the enterprise within the industry, technology. Each of these elements can be in one of two states - existing or new. This type of strategy includes the following groups:

1. Concentrated growth strategies - associated with a change in the product and (or) market, when an enterprise is trying to improve its product or start producing a new one without changing the industry, or is looking for opportunities to improve its position in an existing market or move to a new market. This group includes:

A strategy for strengthening market positions, in which the company does everything to win the best position with this product in this market.

The market development strategy is to find new markets for an already manufactured product by developing new segments, penetrating new geographic markets and developing distribution channels.

A product development strategy aims to increase sales by developing improved or new products targeted at the markets in which the firm operates.

2.Strategy of integrated growth - associated with the expansion of the company by adding new structures. There are two main types of integrated growth strategies.

The reverse vertical integration strategy is aimed at the growth of the enterprise through the acquisition or strengthening of control over suppliers, or expansion from within.

The strategy of forward-going vertical integration is expressed in the growth of the enterprise through the acquisition or strengthening of control over the structures located between the firm and the end consumer - distribution and sales systems.

3. Diversified growth strategies - are implemented if firms can no longer develop in a given market with a given product within a given industry. These include:

Concentric diversification strategy - based on the search and use of additional opportunities for the production of new products, which are contained in the developed market, the technology used or in other strengths of the functioning of the industrial enterprise, while the existing production remains at the center of the business.

A horizontal diversification strategy involves looking for growth opportunities in an existing market through new products that require a new technology that is different from the one being used.

The strategy of conglomerate diversification is that enterprises expand through the production of new products that are technologically unrelated to those already produced, which are sold in new markets.

Purposeful reduction strategies are implemented when an enterprise needs to regroup forces after a long period of growth or due to the need to increase efficiency, when recessions and fundamental changes in the economy are observed, for example, structural adjustment.

A liquidation strategy is an extreme case of a downsizing strategy and is carried out when the business is unable to conduct further business.

The "harvest" strategy involves abandoning the long-term view of the business in favor of maximizing revenue in the short term and is applied to a dead business.

A downsizing strategy is when an enterprise closes or sells one of its divisions or business in order to effect a long-term change in business boundaries.

The cost reduction strategy is quite close to the cost reduction strategy, since its main idea is to look for opportunities to reduce costs and carry out appropriate measures to reduce costs.

M. Porter believes that there are three main areas for developing a strategy for the behavior of an enterprise in the market (strategy of competitive advantage).

1. Cost minimization strategy. This type of strategy is associated with the fact that the company achieves the lowest costs of production and sale of its products.

2. Strategy of differentiation. In this case, the company does not seek to work on the entire market with one product, but works on its clearly defined segment, and in its intentions it must proceed from the needs of not the market as a whole, but quite specific customers. When using this strategy, marketing should be well developed.

3. Specialization strategy. The goal of this strategy is to better meet the needs of the selected target market segment than competitors. A specialization strategy achieves a high market share in the target segment, but always leads to a small market share as a whole.

An important criterion by which strategies can be classified is market share. Based on this, four types of competitive strategies are distinguished.

1) Leader strategies. The firm-leader of the product market occupies a dominant position, and this is recognized by its competitors. The leading firm has the following set of strategies at its disposal.

Expansion of primary demand. The goal is to discover new consumers of a product, promote new uses for existing products, or increase one-time consumption of a product.

defensive strategy. The goal is to protect your market share by counteracting the most dangerous competitors.

offensive strategy. The goal is to increase profitability by utilizing the experience effect as widely as possible.

The demarketing strategy involves reducing its market share in order to avoid accusations of monopoly or quasi-monopoly.

2) "Challenge" strategies - typical for firms that do not occupy a dominant position.

Frontal attack. It involves the use against a competitor of the same means that he uses, without bothering to look for his weaknesses. To be successful, a frontal attack requires a significant superiority of forces on the attacker (usually 3:1).

A flank attack involves fighting the leader in that strategic direction where he is weak or poorly defended.

3) Strategies of "following the leader". A "follow-the-leader" is a competitor with a small market share that chooses adaptive behavior, aligning its decisions with those of its competitors.

4) Specialist strategies. The specialist is only interested in one or a few segments, and not the market as a whole.

The development of a marketing strategy is a laborious process that requires a significant investment of time, the ability to correctly analyze the current situation and think creatively. This process begins with an analysis of the external and internal environment and ends with an analysis of the effectiveness of the decisions made. Moreover, at the last stage, it is necessary to find out not only how the planned actions were carried out accurately, correctly and on time, but also how well these actions were chosen to achieve the goal.

Strategic marketing plays a significant role in the structure of the firm, as it points the firm to such opportunities that provide the potential for its growth and profitability. Like any strategic direction, strategic marketing has medium and long-term plans. And first of all, he analyzes the predicted needs of potential buyers.

Characterization and analysis of various types of marketing strategies allow us to conclude that they largely complement and repeat each other. The choice of the most acceptable of them is carried out using various methods based on factors that affect the functioning and development of the company.

Thus, strategic marketing implies methods of systematic needs analysis and development of effective product and service concepts that provide a sustainable competitive advantage, and includes market research (consumers, competitors, etc.), market segmentation, demand differentiation and product positioning. The marketing strategy is based on segmentation, differentiation and positioning. It is aimed at finding the company's competitive advantage in the market and developing such a marketing mix that would allow realizing this competitive advantage.

marketing strategy restaurant market

Essence, goals and objectives of the marketing strategy

In the process of its creation and operation, enterprises cannot do without the use of the basic principles of marketing. The term marketing refers to market activity. In a broader sense, it is a comprehensive, versatile and purposeful work in the field of production and the market, acting as a system for coordinating the capabilities of an enterprise and existing demand, ensuring the satisfaction of the needs of both consumers and producers.

The development of a marketing mix, including the development of a product, its positioning using a variety of sales promotion measures, is closely related to strategic management. Before entering the market with a specific marketing strategy, a company must clearly understand the position of competitors, its capabilities, and also draw a line along which it will fight its competitors.

A marketing strategy is a set of long-term decisions about how to meet the needs of a company's existing and potential customers through the use of its internal resources and external capabilities. The purpose of developing a strategy is to determine the main priority areas and proportions of the development of the company, taking into account the material sources of its provision and market demand. The strategy should be aimed at the optimal use of the company's capabilities and the prevention of erroneous actions that can lead to a decrease in the efficiency of the company. Strategic marketing targets a company at economic opportunities tailored to its resources and providing the potential for growth and profitability. The task of strategic marketing is to clarify the mission of the company, the development of goals, the formation of a development strategy and the provision of a balanced structure of the company's product portfolio.

In my opinion, the development of a marketing strategy is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of ongoing marketing activities. The development and implementation of a marketing strategy in consumer markets requires any company to be flexible, able to understand, adapt and, in some cases, influence the operation of market mechanisms using special marketing methods.

Most of the strategic decisions that any company makes are in the field of marketing. Creation of a new business, mergers and acquisitions, development of a new market niche, dealer policy, narrowing or expanding the product line, selection of suppliers and partners - all these and many other decisions are made as part of the marketing strategy. The success of the business depends on the adequacy of the marketing strategy of the company.

As part of the development of marketing strategies, it is assumed:

Development of the marketing policy of the enterprise as a whole;

Marketing plan development;

Identification of competitive advantages;

Development of a strategy to promote products and services to the market;

Formation of a policy in the field of sales promotion;

Development of a consumer motivation system;

Solutions for attracting and retaining profitable customers.

The marketing strategy of an enterprise, firm or company is developed by specialists taking into account a complex of factors, such as the situation on the market, the influence of the external environment, the company's development priorities, the internal resources of the company, etc. After collecting and analyzing the necessary data on the external and internal environment of the company, several possible scenarios for the strategic development of the business are proposed. Each scenario can include: customer segmentation, SWOT analysis, required key competencies of the company, assessment of the scenario in terms of risk and return. For the most promising scenario, a marketing strategy and a strategic plan for the transition to the chosen strategy are being developed.

Marketing strategy contains:

Long-term plans of the company in consumer markets

Analysis of the structure of the markets under consideration;

Forecast of market development trends;

Pricing principles and competitive advantages;

Selection and justification of the effective positioning of the company in the market.

I believe that the stages of developing a marketing strategy will be the following steps:

1) assessment of the current state of the market;

At this stage, it is necessary to give an accurate or at least expert assessment (in the absence of research) of the market share, analyze quarterly sales volumes and establish what it depends on: the arrival and processing of raw materials, seasonal demand, determine how the market for this type of product will change , and whether it will undergo significant changes, to assess the changes associated with the further development of the service sector. (What will this cause a corresponding increase in demand for and how to use this market expansion), analyze price changes, analyze the supplier market.

2) Market segmentation and definition of consumer interest;

The choice of the target segment determines what needs the company aims to meet, what products or services it will present to customers.

That is, the company actually needs to answer the question: Who are our customers?

For a firm to be most successful in the market, it needs to focus on unoccupied niches in the market, as well as on those needs of consumers that are still not satisfied. So, for example, in 1850, Levi's was created, which produced jeans, which later became an integral part of the American lifestyle. And the company became the leader in this market segment and remains a strong and profitable company that easily adapts to changing opportunities to this day. market.

3) Analysis of the activities of competitors and, in general, determination of the competitiveness of your enterprise;

That is, at this stage it is necessary to determine how your company differs from everyone else, that is, to identify the strengths and weaknesses that have the greatest impact on the success of the organization. They are defined in relation to competitors. Strengths and weaknesses are relative definitions, not absolute ones. It's good to be strong at something, but if your competitors are stronger at it, that will become your weakness.

So, for example, Mercedes was strong in the production of reliable, luxurious, durable cars, however, Honda launched the production of Acura cars, and Toyota - Lexus, which surpassed Mercedes in the American market, the company lost its advantages.

4) Formation of marketing development goals;

Setting clear goals helps develop an effective strategy and allows you to transform the company's mission into concrete actions.

Determine what the company wants to achieve as a result of its development? This may be an increase in sales, profit, satisfaction of public opinion (good attitude of suppliers, buyers, government, shareholders, etc.), image formation.

5) Exploring possible alternatives in terms of strategy;

6) Creation of a certain image of the company in the market;

7) Evaluation of the strategy in terms of its financial viability.

At this stage, the following is done:

Analysis and forecasting of the quality and resource intensity of the company's future products;

Forecasting the competitiveness of the company's existing and future products;

Forecasting the level of prices and sales for existing and future products of the company;

Forecasting the volume of revenue and profit;

Definition of control indicators and intermediate stages of control (terms and control values).

There are situations when the developed strategy has to be adjusted, or even changed. This happens with a sharp change in the market situation, for example, the appearance on the market of much more competitive products than those manufactured by the enterprise, or when the enterprise's own capabilities change, expanding opportunities as a result of the emergence of additional sources of financing.

Thus, the development of a marketing strategy will allow the company to:

Choose an effective pricing and product policy;

A marketing strategy is needed when things are already going well in the company, since the market situation is not constant, the timely actions of competitors can dramatically change the company's position and significance in the market. Therefore, timely action and strong marketing are needed. A marketing strategy is not only what will be needed tomorrow when it becomes even stronger, but it is also what is needed today. A marketing strategy is a necessary step in the preparation and implementation of any business plan. A marketing strategy allows you to answer these vital questions and get the company's management an effective development plan.

The main goals of a marketing strategy are usually: increase in sales; identification and satisfaction of consumer needs; increase in profit; increase in market share; increase in client flow; increase in the number of orders. The goals and objectives of the planned activities can be set in the abstract, without taking into account current circumstances, these are usually the goals that management sets for the performer. As for the task, it is the goal given in specific conditions, namely:

A portrait of the target audience to attract which information and promotional events will be held. When drawing up a portrait, there can be many characteristics, of course, you need to observe the measure, sometimes restraining the excessive zeal of psychologists, sociologists, etc.;

Analysis of the presence of the target audience on the Internet. Here the consumer category of the audience is determined (buyers of cars, clothes, furniture, etc.). After that, we establish the fact of presence and the volume of the audience of presence on the Internet. Open statistics and commercial research can be used to prepare this section;

Description of types and formats of advertisement. The chosen means of presenting information to target audiences should be described here. These can be PR events, search advertising, graphic blocks (banners), advertising on thematic Internet sites, as well as offline advertising;

Estimated effect of information and promotional activities. The most correct assessment is an increase in sales (primary, secondary, etc.), although it is not always possible to track this indicator. It is easier to estimate the number of phone calls, visits to the site, but it is not recommended to focus only on these indicators.

The main problems that must be solved in the process of substantiating and developing a marketing strategy for an enterprise are presented in fig. one.

The task of strategic marketing is to clarify the company's mission, determine goals, develop a development strategy and ensure a balanced structure of the product portfolio. In accordance with this, in the process of substantiating and developing the marketing strategy of an enterprise, three interrelated tasks are solved:

1) development of a set of marketing activities (development of new types of products; creation of alliances, differentiation of market policy; diversification of production; overcoming barriers when entering the market, etc.);

2) adaptation of the enterprise's activities to changes in the external environment (taking into account cultural specifics in contacts with the public, the social situation in the country, the economic situation, etc.);

3) ensuring the adequacy of the enterprise's marketing policy to the changing needs of customers (changing the range of goods and services produced; knowledge of customer needs; detailed market segmentation, etc.).

In my opinion, the development of a marketing strategy will allow the company to:

Significantly expand the customer base and increase sales;

Increase the competitiveness of products/services;

Establish a regular mechanism for modifying existing and developing new products;

Create a tool for mass customer acquisition;

Develop an effective pricing and product policy;

Create a mechanism for monitoring marketing activities;

Improve the quality of customer service.

The importance of the marketing strategy is due to the fact that marketing provides information, strategic and operational communications of the enterprise with the external environment. As a result, the direct functioning of marketing is closely related to other subsystems of enterprise management. The marketing activity of the enterprise makes it possible to better navigate in a particular market environment.

Hello! In this article, we will walk you through the process of developing a marketing strategy.

Today you will learn:

• What are the types of marketing strategies;
• How to develop a marketing strategy for an enterprise.

We have already written a large detailed article about. Below, we will briefly recall the views and move on to the development and examples.

Types of Marketing Strategies

Depending on what competitive advantage the company has, strategies are divided into:

• Differentiation strategy- involves the selection of the company among competitors due to the high quality or special properties of the product;
• cost leadership strategy- allows the company to set the lowest price on the market, due to lower production and sales costs compared to competitors. You can minimize costs if you have any objective advantage: economical equipment, advantageous geographical location, special production technology, and so on;
• cost focus strategy- this strategy is a cost leadership strategy, but addressed to only one segment of consumers;
• A strategy to focus on differentiation- this strategy is a differentiation strategy, but addressed to only one segment of consumers.

Pricing strategies are divided into three types:

• Price leadership - the lowest price on the market;
• The strategy of following a competitor is the average market price;
• The cream skimming strategy is the highest price on the market.

The main types of commodity strategies:

• Innovation strategy - the creation of a completely new product for the company;
• Modification strategy - creating different versions of existing products;
• The withdrawal strategy is to stop the production / sale of the product.

The main types of distribution strategies:

• Exclusive distribution - distribution of the product only through its own channels;
• Selective distribution - distribution of the product through highly specialized channels;
• Intensive distribution - distribution through any channels

The promotion strategy depends on what promotion tools you have chosen for the product or company.

Stages of developing a marketing strategy

The process of developing a marketing strategy for an enterprise consists of three large sections - analytical, practical and control over implementation.

Analytical stage

The development of any strategy is a consistent implementation of the following actions:

1. General Market Analysis. Here it is necessary to determine the boundaries of the market, market capacity, market potential. This will allow you to correctly set strategic planning goals.
2. Determining the level and highlighting the main market players. This stage is easy to implement using two tools: the “5 forces of competition by M. Porter” model and the “Positioning Map”.

The model “5 forces of competition by M. Porter” consists of 5 blocks describing the key market players: competitors (number, company names, market shares, competitive advantages, and so on); consumers (number, presence of associations, volume of purchases, and so on); companies producing substitute goods (quantity, market shares, cost of switching consumers to them); suppliers (their number, the possibility of replacement, purchase volumes, and so on); new players (barriers to entry and exit, factors limiting and stimulating their emergence).

Based on the description, each block is given an assessment of the level of danger. The future strategy should be aimed at minimizing this danger.

A positioning map is an excellent tool for finding your niche in the market and determining the company's place among competitors. It is a coordinate system, the number of axes of which depends on the number of parameters by which we compare ourselves and our competitors.

Each axis consists of ten divisions in the positive area and ten divisions in the conditionally negative area (in the case of a position map, it will not be negative).

Example. We sell dandruff shampoo. The parameters by which we evaluate our position in the market will be as follows: price (X-axis, positive area), density (X-axis, conditionally negative area), packaging convenience (Y-axis, positive area), efficiency (Y-axis, conditionally negative area ). We evaluate our shampoo for each parameter on a scale from 1 - the lowest indicator, to 10 - the highest indicator and make appropriate marks on the axes, we do the same with competitors' products.

When all the points are affixed, they must be connected with a line. As a result, we will get a map of our product and competitors' products. It will clearly show in what parameters we are succeeding, and in what we are lagging behind. This will allow us to decide on a competitive advantage strategy and a positioning strategy.

1. Consumer Analysis, allocation of the target audience and target segments.
2. Analysis of the internal state of the company, its strengths and weaknesses. For these purposes, we conduct a SWOT analysis, during which we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, opportunities and threats.
3. Analysis of the organization's product portfolio. At this stage, we need to determine the place of each product in the organization's product portfolio: share in the profit structure, growth rates, sales volume, prospects.
4. Setting the organization's marketing goals. It is the goal that determines the future marketing strategy of enterprises. Let's analyze the two goals and the strategies that are used to achieve them.

At the same time, it is necessary to set more than one goal, as in the example, but also to work out the tasks that need to be completed to achieve it, but for these tasks, subtasks, and so on.

This process is called goal tree building. For example, the goal: increase in sales; tasks: expanding the range, attracting new consumers, developing a product distribution system; subtasks: development of new product variations; search for new distribution channels, development of a promotion program, and so on.

As you can see, tasks and subtasks already contain a certain focus of marketing strategies.

This concludes the analytical section of developing a marketing strategy, we begin to develop a marketing plan.

Practical stage - development of a marketing plan for the enterprise

So we come to the development of the heart of the marketing strategy - the marketing plan. At this stage, all efforts are focused on determining measures to improve the company's position in the long term.

As part of the marketing plan of the enterprise, it is necessary to work out the following elements:

• "Tools" of competition. We choose those parameters of a product or company that distinguish us from competitors. We develop a development plan for each parameter. Determine the strategy of competition;
• Action plan in each target segment. For the most promising segments, measures can be taken to expand the range, increase the number of outlets, and in less promising segments, on the contrary, reduce their influence. We determine the development strategy for each target segment;
• Elements of the marketing mix. We summarize and determine the actions for each element of the marketing mix, draw up a calendar plan, assign responsibility and determine the budget. We choose a strategy for each element of the marketing mix, taking into account the chosen strategies for competition and segment development.

Control and analysis of marketing strategy

The marketing strategy of an enterprise must be flexible in order to respond to changes in the external environment, the actions of competitors and consumer behavior. Therefore, after you have begun to implement a marketing strategy, it is necessary to carry out activities to monitor its implementation.

Marketing audit - systematic analysis of the external and internal environment of the enterprise for compliance with the company's position of the adopted marketing strategy, followed by the adoption of corrective actions.

At the same time, analytical work takes place in the same way as in the development of a marketing strategy for an enterprise. Our goal is to identify changes and adjust the marketing strategy.

An example of an enterprise marketing strategy

We will omit the analytical stage of building an enterprise marketing strategy so that you can visually see how the strategy is formed according to the goals of the organization.

For example, we bake cabbage pies and want to sell them. And as you know, sales without marketing are impossible today, so we are starting to develop a marketing strategy. A little about the product: homemade pies, only natural ingredients, prepared according to a traditional recipe. We have no cost advantage.

Target segment: small cafes.

Our goal: ensuring sales volume at the level of 50 thousand rubles per month.

Tasks: finding and attracting customers; search and selection of distribution channels.

Subtasks: development of a promotion program for each distribution channel and consumer segment.

Competition strategy: our competitive advantage – our product. In positioning, we focus on its naturalness and traditionality, that is, the quality of the product. In addition, it is not a mass product, so we choose a strategy of focusing on differentiation and develop our product further (for example, adding different spices).

Action plan in each target segment: we are expanding our presence in the segment of small cafes, expanding the assortment with various additives and sizes of pies. You can choose a modification strategy and also offer cabbage pies according to a traditional recipe.

Elements of the marketing mix: we need to attract new consumers, for this we form a promotion program using online promotion tools aimed at the target segment; distribution strategy - exclusive, we will distribute pies using a page on a social network.

In terms of pricing strategy, we have a choice between a mid-market strategy and a cream skimming strategy. Everything will depend on the uniqueness of your product in a particular geographic market. For example, in America, traditional Russian cabbage pies will be a unique product and you will be able to set a high price.

In a highly competitive environment, one of the primary skills is the correct allocation of the limited resources of the company. The development of a marketing strategy helps to evaluate and correctly plan the use of the enterprise's potential. Achieving the set goals and getting the maximum income for a long time are important moments in the functioning of each company. clearly form the path and carry out the structuring of the enterprise at all levels to obtain the desired result.

Key Features

When developing a marketing strategy for a project, many factors are taken into account. The internal analysis of the company allows to judge its potential. External market research determines the possible areas of activity of the enterprise. Strategy development is a complex multi-level approach to doing business. The leader sets himself the goal not only to reach a certain point, but also to gain a foothold in the position. Continued development and consolidation of the company's achievements are priorities in long-term business planning.

The process of developing a marketing strategy takes a long time. It is required to conduct a deep analysis and systematize the information obtained. As a rule, to draw up a high-quality strategic plan, they use the services of consulting companies. They prepare detailed reports on the activities and the situation on the market, make proposals for solving existing problems. Every business has its own unique marketing strategy. It is created taking into account the characteristics of the company and the volatility of the market.

Applying the right marketing strategy to your business plan will accurately chart the course of your business. Identification and correction of weaknesses at the initial stage will reduce possible risks in the implementation of the project. Developing methods that will be activated at certain stages will help to achieve income generation over an extended period. When creating a strategy, flexibility, the ability to understand the market and adapt to its conditions are important.

Development stages

The process of creating a marketing strategy can be divided into five stages. Each of them has its own function and helps to achieve a holistic picture of actions. The stages of developing a marketing strategy allow you to conduct a comprehensive study of activities and identify further development paths.

1. Enterprise Analysis

Conducting a marketing audit and determining the goals that the company sets for itself. At this stage, it is necessary to draw up a development plan. When setting goals, it is important to take into account the basic principles that they must comply with. These include:

• concreteness - the exact formulation of real goals;
• achievability - an adequate assessment of the capabilities and strengths of the company;
• consistency among themselves - the exclusion of inconsistency of goals;
• measurability - setting the exact period for implementation; the possibility of monitoring and evaluating the result;
• comparability with the period allotted for their implementation.

When setting goals, the overall direction of the company and the qualifications of employees are taken into account. You can set not only material goals, but also non-material ones. So, for example, the formation of a certain image of the company in the consumer market, after a certain period, is a very realistic goal.

1. Market analysis

Conducting a comprehensive study of the market segment in which it is planned to sell products. Evaluation of the potential of the proposed product. Deep analysis of sales indicators: monthly and quarterly. Identification of the relationship between supply and demand. At the second stage, you need to find the main support for the formation of consumer interest. Analyze and understand what affects the turnover. Seasonal demand, supply of raw materials, sales methods - all this significantly affects the company's profit.

It is important to assess the development prospects and possible changes in the sales market and suppliers. Anticipate possible price fluctuations. Identify weaknesses in the system of production and sale of products. The combination of all these factors will provide an understanding of the market of interest.

1. Enterprise policy analysis

First of all, it is necessary to work out a line of interaction with partners and consumers. If there is a well-established model of behavior, conduct a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of the methods used. Change the scheme in case of non-compliance with the new requirements. The main thing is to find the right methods that will ensure maximum profit when dealing with consumers and minimum costs when working with suppliers.

The study of the actions of competitors will modernize the company's policy, taking into account their positive or negative experience. Analysis of the performance of other enterprises will help to form your own path more effectively. If at the moment there are no competitors, then you should calculate the possible actions when they appear in the future. All the results of the conducted research should be summarized. The use of the data obtained will allow you to create a competent company policy.

1. External factor analysis

Everything can be attributed here: from fashion trends in the business sphere to the global economy. When creating a long-term action plan, it is necessary to take into account all possible influences. The economic situation of the country directly affects the development of business. And it, in turn, is influenced by the global economy. Even the smallest company by the standards of the state is in close relationship with global changes in the international political and economic arenas. It is important not only to “see” your business, but also to associate it with world changes.

1. Drawing up a marketing plan

At the fifth stage, the data obtained earlier is processed. The cumulative analysis of factors and indicators allows us to form a clear development strategy for the company. Proper distribution of the limited resources of the enterprise makes it possible to achieve the goals at the lowest cost. A set of measures is being developed to be implemented. A plan is created with fixed deadlines and goals. "Hot spots" are envisaged, according to which the implementation of the tasks set will be monitored. On their basis, the movement of the company is analyzed. If necessary, carry out a correction.

Methods

When developing a specific marketing strategy, the main performance indicators of the company are taken into account. Based on the conducted research, a decision is made on the further development of the enterprise. There comes a crucial moment for a choice that can radically change the company's position in the market. Decisions are made to change the scope of activity, close or open additional production, improve or replace the main product (goods).

Radical measures aimed at achieving the set goals are characteristic features of strategy development. To choose the right direction of development, certain tools are used. When developing a marketing strategy, two methods are used: formal and informal. In the first case, formulas and tables are used for calculations. The second is characterized by an intuitive approach. The application of the formal method involves the use of marketing matrices. Most often chosen:

• M. Porter's model, which establishes a relationship between market share and company profitability (much attention is paid to competitors; focused on slowly growing markets);
• I. Ansoff's matrix, which reflects the actual and planned level of development of the company (focused on a growing market).

How to evaluate the effectiveness of a marketing strategy?

One of the signs of a successfully implemented scheme is the company's position in the market. If, after the start of the implementation of the marketing strategy, the company has significantly improved its performance, then it works. In the absence of any changes, the applied strategy should be reviewed. The criterion for the effectiveness of a marketing strategy is also the achievement of goals. If there is a systematic execution of tasks, then the right strategy is chosen. In the process of applying a marketing strategy, it is necessary to monitor indicators (income, expenses, sales and demand, etc.) for timely correction of work. The constantly changing market economy and consumer demand oblige companies to be sensitive to the slightest fluctuations and to apply appropriate measures. This helps to maintain the won positions in the market for a long time.

To create a marketing strategy, a large-scale study of the company is carried out, which reflects the real level of the enterprise. The influence of external and internal factors is studied. The reasons that have a major effect on the purchasing behavior of target consumers of goods are clarified. The use of the obtained data to create a marketing strategy allows you to achieve high results in the implementation of the company's activities.

The development of a marketing strategy is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of ongoing marketing activities. The marketing strategy of the company is developed taking into account a complex of factors, such as the situation on the market, the influence of the external environment, the company's development priorities, the company's internal resources, etc.

The development of a marketing strategy allows the company to significantly expand its customer base and increase sales; increase the competitiveness of products/services; establish a regular mechanism for modifying existing and developing new products; create a tool for mass customer acquisition; develop an effective pricing and product policy; create a mechanism for monitoring marketing activities; improve the quality of customer service.

The development and implementation of a marketing strategy requires flexibility from any company, the ability to understand, adapt and, in some cases, influence the operation of market mechanisms using special marketing methods.

In order to survive and successfully develop in a competitive environment, a company must follow all changes in the market: consumer requirements, price ratios, competition, as well as the creation of new products, the introduction of new elements into the distribution network. After collecting and analyzing the necessary data on the external and internal environment of the company, several possible scenarios for the strategic development of the business are developed.

The formation and analysis of the product portfolio, as well as the definition of marketing strategies, should take place taking into account strategic perspectives. Therefore, as a rule, the process of developing a marketing strategy involves going through certain 10 stages.

The development of a marketing strategy contains the following steps:

Figure 1.2 - The process of developing a marketing strategy

Stage 1. Conducting a situational analysis.

The process of developing a marketing plan, shown in Figure 1.2, begins with a situational analysis - a detailed analysis of the market situation. Existing market forces, the company's competitive position, political, legal and socio-economic factors are analyzed. First of all, it is necessary to obtain as much information about the market as possible in order to better understand the needs of consumers, the policies of competitors, the systems of channels for promoting the product, the positioning of the company, the margins and the level of profit of market participants. An in-depth analysis is necessary to identify the main factors that may affect the development of the company. As a result of the analysis, favorable opportunities for the company's growth are identified.

Stage 2. SWOT analysis.

The next step is to conduct a SWOT analysis. SWOT analysis includes analysis, assessment of external opportunities and threats, as well as the internal environment of the company - its strengths and weaknesses. Analysis of the external environment is an assessment of the state and development prospects of the most important, from the point of view of the organization, subjects and environmental factors. Environmental analysis serves as a tool by which strategists control factors external to the organization in order to anticipate potential threats and new opportunities. The main purpose of the analysis is to find out the negative and positive impacts of the environment on the future activities of the company. In the process of assessing environmental factors, the focus shifts from understanding the environment to understanding what a given state of the environment might mean for the organization.

Analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of an organization serves to identify internal strengths that can be used to help it take advantage of emerging external opportunities, and internal weaknesses that can complicate future problems associated with external threats.

The organizational strategy should fully take into account the strengths, weaknesses of the organization and its competitive capabilities.

The analysis of the external and weaknesses of the organization, as well as the analysis of the external environment, ends with the compilation of lists of strengths and weaknesses and their ranking in terms of their impact on the ability of the organization to implement the strategy. After compiling the list, links are established between them. It is necessary to assess how correctly the strengths are identified, whether they are correlated with favorable factors and threats. The comprehension of possible situations is carried out according to the SWOT-analysis matrix.

The SWOT analysis matrix is ​​built on two vectors: the state of the external environment (horizontal axis) and the state of the internal environment (vertical axis) 12, p. 16.

Four fields (quadrants) are formed at the intersection of the axes:

• 1. Field SO - "strength - opportunities." Those strengths of the potential of the organization that ensure it the use of the opportunities presented are recorded.
• 2. Field ST - "strength - threats". Those weaknesses of the potential of the organization are fixed, which do not give a chance to use the opportunities provided. Capacity development strategies may be considered.
• 3. Field WT - “weakness - threats”. This is the worst combination for the organization, the more important it is to pay attention to it. Reducing threats is possible only by developing strategies for developing one's potential.
• 4. Field WO - “weakness - opportunities”. The management of the organization should determine whether it is appropriate to take advantage of opportunities in the presence of such weaknesses in the state of the organization or whether it is appropriate to seek a capacity development strategy.

Such an analysis allows the organization to predict the emergence of threats and opportunities in a timely manner, identify areas in which the company should direct resources and assess the risks associated with these opportunities, develop a strategy that will allow the organization to achieve its goals and turn potential threats into profitable opportunities.

Stage 3. Development of a strategic plan.

Based on the results of the SWOT analysis and the analysis of the situation as a whole, a strategic plan is developed. The main purpose of the strategic plan is to determine the strategic direction of development, formulate a set of operational objectives, and also lay the foundation for the formation of marketing tactics. This is a very important step in the process of developing a plan, as it requires a thorough study of the market attractiveness and competitive advantages of the business based on a situational analysis.

By studying the factors that affect market attractiveness and competitive advantages, the company determines the optimal product portfolio. Each commodity market has its own place in the overall portfolio. Based on the position of the commodity market in the total portfolio, the company can determine a long-term plan for changing the share in each of the commodity markets.

Stage 4. Development of a marketing mix strategy.

The next step in the planning process is identifying the marketing tools with which the plan can be implemented. The overall marketing strategy - whether to defend or increase market share, narrow focus, or exit the market gradually or quickly - is defined by the strategic plan, but for each operational challenge or problem, the company needs more detailed marketing tactics. Each marketing tool corresponds to a specific operational problem facing the company in the context of the market situation. Thus, the quality of each of the specific marketing tactical plans directly depends on how competently the situation analysis is carried out, and what operational problems were identified as a result of this analysis 41.

Stage 5 Drawing up a marketing budget.

Successful implementation of marketing strategies requires the development of marketing programs or detailed action plans. Action plans allow you to create a basic budget. Based on the marketing budget, resources are allocated for the implementation of the strategic plan and marketing strategy.

When planning costs, two approaches are used: “bottom-up” and “top-down”. In the top-down approach, the product manager establishes an overall budget, determining the amount of marketing spending required to achieve the intended sales targets. The amount is then distributed among the various elements of the marketing mix. When using the bottom-up method, first determine which elements of the marketing mix are necessary to implement the product strategy, and then evaluate the marketing estimate as the sum of the costs of product development, advertising, sales promotion, distribution 12, p. 128.

Stage 6 Forecast of the implementation of the plan.

If the company has enough resources, it is necessary to build a schedule for the implementation of plans. At this stage, you need to determine exactly when certain results (related to the same indicators - market share, revenue, profit) should be achieved so that at any time you can assess how successfully the strategy is being implemented. Operational metrics include external market assessments - customer awareness, customer satisfaction, product availability, product and service perceptions in terms of quality, market share - as well as internal assessment criteria such as revenue, margins, marketing effectiveness.

The degree of reliability of these estimates directly depends on how accurately the operational problems and tasks, strategic plans and marketing strategy are defined, as well as on how adequate the marketing budget is to the developed marketing tactics of the company.

Stage 7. Evaluation of results.

This stage involves constant monitoring of market changes and the level of profitability of the company and comparing the results with plans. If the implementation of the marketing plan does not lead to the desired operational results as enshrined in the strategic plan, the marketing plan and all information and assumptions on which it is based should be reviewed.

If the plan and actual results do not match, the company needs to take certain actions. First, you can analyze existing pricing policies, discounts to customers and resellers, unit costs, and the marketing budget itself to see if there are other opportunities to improve operating results. Secondly, you can revise the entire marketing plan. Conduct a situational and operational problem analysis to determine if there are alternative marketing tactics that are better suited to achieve your goals. The marketing strategy should be related to the current market situation, operational issues, available resources, as well as an assessment of the market and the performance of the company itself.

The use of modern analysis methods in strategic marketing planning allows you to effectively manage the product portfolio of an enterprise, develop appropriate marketing strategies for product lines to achieve the goals of the organization as a whole.

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