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Marketing started with the production concept, evolved as the selling concept, graduated into the marketing concept and post graduated into the social marketing concept. Each phase of evolution brought along with it various marketing concepts and strategies befitting the dynamic needs of environment and market situations prevailing. The organization, which adapted to changes, survived strategies over the years and which failed to do so succumb to the competition. The marketers have evolved various strategies over the years essential for the survival and success of their organization.
The following are the major trends, shifts & challenges that the marketer and business people will need to take into consideration for formulating the Social Marketing strategy.
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Operational Symbiosis of marketing with other functions to provide customer satisfaction: At the operational level after a series of clashes with production and other functions, marketing is gradually getting integrated with other major function that are responsible of creating value for the customers. In the current situation, R&D, Design, and production should work in collaboration with marketing to assess. Customer needs and deliver products/services to satisfy the same.
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Translation of complaints into profits: This era of cut-throat competition effective handling of complaints can be the life blood of any business. Complaints can be the educators of business. Most dissatisfied customers do not complain. Complaints are not made because people think it is not worth the time & effort. They do not know how or where to complain or they believe the company would be indifferent to them so a company needs to welcome complaints as a second chance to keep a customer. Keeping this in mind most of companies are now searching for effective customer satisfaction performance program where they area take opinion of customers, finding out what were the causes of the dissatisfaction, if any and what it would take to put things right.
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Virtual Marketing: Everything can be sold on the Net. With visionaries soon villages connected to computer networks. No marketer can afford to ignore this medium. Most of the people who surf the net for fun are not computer literate.
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Emphasis on Personal Selling: Now personal selling is an organic part of the business fueling not only customer relationships but stimulating the marketing functions with feedback from the market. Network marketing firms such as Amway, Tupperware etc. are using organized personal selling efforts in very innovative manner.
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Retailing: It is new marketing Mantra. The modern trade calls it the last & the most vital leg of the value chain. The modern trade has now six types of retail formats like supermarkets, department stores, discount stores, and convenience store, hypermarket & health /pharma chains.
- Soul selling: Even with all the material comforts, people have a sense of loneliness and certain hollowness inside; this is where soul selling comes to play. There are powerful preachers who come on the Radio, TV and Internet and appeal to your soul, of course in return for a donation. Religion as big business and is expected to grow further in future. If you can't be a preacher, sponsor a preacher to sell your products.
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