The success of marketing efforts depends on a range of factors, as we must consider how customers can be reached and the fact that they make their purchasing decisions according to different criteria. The marketing efforts could be based on the traditional marketing mix which includes

Product – and how it satisfies the needs of its intended market

Place – and how each market requires the product to be available in a way that it does not affect current purchasing patterns

Promotion – and the ways used to ensure that customers are aware of the product and that demand increases

Price – and the way the value of the product in terms of specific benefits is aligned with a price that potential customers are prepared to pay for it

People – and the stakeholders of the product, including customers who are the most important ones

Physical appearance – and the way each product can be easily recognised by its shape and look, as well as the characteristics distinguishing the product from competitors’ alternative products

Process – and the steps that must be followed for the product to satisfy the relevant demand

The elements of the marketing mix (also known as the 7Ps) can be classified according to their focus. More specifically, we can have two main categories of marketing mix components, based on whether these can be subjected to a shift change or whether they take more time to adapt to new needs and new products being introduced. Therefore, we have

Strategic marketing mix elements – which cannot be changed overnight and include

Product

Place

People

Tactical marketing mix elements – which can adapt to change in a more straightforward and prompt manner and include

Promotion

Price

Process

Physical appearance

The way products are promoted depends on the nature of each product, the capacity of the organisation and the specific markets. However, the most common ways for promoting products include

Advertising – focusing on informing customers about a product’s existence but also about the features and characteristics that may suit specific needs

Public Relations – focusing on establishing brand names and perceived quality for organisations and their products

Selling – focusing on persuading the customers to buy the specific products

Sales promotions – focusing on convincing customers about the product’s value and transforming customer interest into a perceived need

As mentioned earlier, the role of technology has affected organisations in the sense that they have to integrate technological solutions to their marketing strategies and operations. We must consider how organisations can use technology to boost the success of their marketing efforts. Some of the key issues that must be addressed include