Marketing Strategy Essentials

What marketing decides · the four Ps · the extended mix for services · how buyers decide · basic research

1. The four Ps — what each one decides
2. The extended mix — people, process, physical evidence
3. Making the mix fit together — a corner café
4. Why people buy — needs, motives and influences
5. The stages of the buying decision
6. Business buyers — longer, shared, more careful
7. Asking the right question — the research question
8. Primary and secondary sources — what to use and when
9. Drafting a survey and interview guide for a local shop

PESTEL · Porter’s Five Forces · SWOT · competitor maps · the customer journey

1. PESTEL — the outside environment
2. Porter’s Five Forces — pressure inside an industry
3. From analysis to opportunities and threats
4. SWOT — separating inside from outside
5. Mapping competitors on one page
6. Comparing offers, prices and messages in a local market
7. The customer journey — from first need to loyalty
8. Building a journey map step by step
9. Finding the moments that matter most

Segmentation bases · segment tests · choosing targets · positioning statements · value proposition · brand identity

1. Why we segment — one market, many needs
2. Bases for segmenting — who they are and how they act
3. Testing a segment — measurable, reachable, large enough
4. The STP process — segment, target, position
5. Choosing target segments
6. Writing a positioning statement and checking it
7. What a value proposition promises
8. Brand identity — name, promise, personality, tone
9. A value proposition and identity for a local bakery

Product lifecycle · development roadmap · brand and packaging · pricing objectives · three pricing approaches · pricing tactics

1. The product life cycle — from launch to decline
2. Building a product development roadmap
3. Product, brand and packaging that support the positioning
4. What pricing is for — objectives and price sensitivity
5. Cost-based, competition-based and value-based pricing
6. Analyzing a pricing situation
7. Skimming and penetration — two ways to enter
8. Bundling and discounting
9. Choosing the right pricing tactic for a situation

Distribution channels · direct and indirect routes · the sales funnel · the promotion mix · point of sale · trade promotions

1. Distribution channels — how products reach customers
2. Direct or indirect — cost, reach and control
3. Designing a sales funnel
4. The promotion mix — six tools and what each does
5. Matching promotion tools to a target segment
6. Justifying a promotion mix for a local launch
7. Why the shelf and the shop floor matter
8. Planning in-store and point-of-sale activity
9. Trade promotions with retailers and distributors

Communication objectives · key messages and budgets · customer relationships · revenue streams · why the tools work

1. Communication objectives — what a message must change
2. Key messages, channels and budgets by segment
3. Aligning one coordinated communication plan
4. Acquire, retain, monetize — the customer relationship
5. Revenue-stream models — one-off, repeat and subscription
6. A relationship and revenue model for a language school
7. Buyer needs and differentiation — why positioning works
8. Price sensitivity — why the same price feels different
9. Message and behavior — why the mix works together

Unit contribution · break-even volume · campaign return · budget methods · KPIs · explaining gaps

1. Unit contribution — what each sale leaves behind
2. Break-even volume
3. Campaign return — was the spend worth it?
4. Why budgets are set the way they are
5. Setting a budget with each method
6. Choosing a budget method for a small business
7. KPIs — sales, market share and ROI
8. Comparing results with targets
9. Explaining the gap

The one-page plan · ethical claims · fair pricing · customer privacy · vulnerable groups · common mistakes

1. What a marketing plan must join together
2. The one-page marketing plan template
3. Checking a plan for gaps
4. Why ethics matter in marketing
5. Applying ethical principles to claims, prices and data
6. Targeting with care — vulnerable groups
7. Why marketing mistakes happen
8. A mistake checklist for your plan
9. Fixing a mistake — a real-life example

Offline and digital together · judging a real case · a local product plan · presenting and defending choices

1. How offline and digital channels reinforce each other
2. Connecting channels in one integrated plan
3. Where to deepen digital skills next
4. A frame for judging a case
5. Analyzing a real brand or campaign
6. What worked and why
7. Choosing a local product and gathering public data
8. Filling the marketing plan template
9. Defending your choices in a short presentation