What We Are Talking About...

The Marketing Mix, often referred to as the 7Ps, is a set of controllable marketing tools that a company uses to create a desired response in a target market. The seven elements are Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, and Physical Evidence. Determining the optimal mix is essential for successfully marketing products and services.

Here’s how you can determine your Marketing Mix:

Product:

• Identify needs & wants: What needs or wants does your product or service fulfill for the customer?
• Features & Benefits: List the key features of your product or service and their associated benefits.
• Quality: Determine the quality level of your product, whether it’s a luxury, premium, or budget offering.
• Branding: Consider aspects like brand name, logo, and design.
• Lifecycle: Understand where your product is in its lifecycle (introduction, growth, maturity, decline) and strategize accordingly.

Price:

• Cost-based pricing: Calculate the cost of producing your product or service and add a margin.
• Value-based pricing: Determine price based on the perceived value to the customer.
• Competitor-based pricing: Align your price with that of competitors.
• Discounts & offers: Decide on any special promotions, discounts, or payment terms.

Place (Distribution):

• Channels: Determine if you’ll sell directly to consumers, through retailers, online, or other distribution channels.
• Coverage: Decide whether to have intensive distribution (everywhere), selective distribution (specific places), or exclusive distribution (limited outlets).
• Inventory management: Consider storage, warehousing, and stock management.

Promotion:

• Advertising: Decide on media channels – TV, radio, online, print, etc.
• Public Relations: Plan for press releases, events, and other PR activities.
• Sales Promotion: Think of short-term tactics like discounts, coupons, or buy-one-get-one offers.
• Direct Marketing: Consider email marketing, telemarketing, or direct mail.
• Online/Digital Marketing: Plan for SEO, SEM, social media marketing, content marketing, etc.

People:

• Training: Ensure that everyone involved in creating, delivering, or servicing your product is adequately trained.
• Attitude & behavior: Cultivate a customer-centric attitude and behavior among staff.
• Roles & responsibilities: Define clear roles and responsibilities to prevent overlap and ensure efficiency.

Process:

• Efficiency: Streamline the processes involved in delivering your product or service to maximize efficiency and minimize errors.
• Standardization vs. Personalization: Decide whether you’ll offer a standardized product or service or customize it based on individual customer needs.
• After-sales: Develop processes for handling after-sales inquiries, returns, complaints, etc.

Physical Evidence:

• Environment: If you have a physical location (like a store or office), ensure it reflects your brand and is customer-friendly.
• Packaging: Design packaging that stands out and communicates the product’s benefits.
• Online presence: Ensure your website, social media profiles, and other digital touchpoints are consistent with your brand and offer a good user experience.

To determine your optimal marketing mix:

• Understand your target audience: Know their preferences, behaviors, and needs.
• Analyze competitors: See what mix they’re using and identify gaps or opportunities.
• Iterate & refine: The market, technologies, and customer preferences change over time. Regularly review and adjust your marketing mix accordingly.
• Test & measure: Before fully committing, test variations of your mix and measure the outcomes. Adjust based on what delivers the best results.

Remember, the right mix for one product or target market might be different from another. Tailor your marketing mix based on your business goals, resources, and market dynamics.