Marketing As a Profession
Marketing is an art and science that has been practiced for centuries. Although marketing in its modern form emerged relatively late, marketing itself dates back to ancient Greece and the beginnings of recorded history. Marketing is the act of consciously driving sales of products and services to the target market; potentially incorporating wide range of choice of a target demographic; identification of certain characteristics or themes to represent a particular product or service; as well as methods of packaging and promotion. Marketing is an essential element of business that determines the success of any business venture. Without marketing, a business owner stands to lose all the hard work put into making his business a success.
There are 4Ps of marketing: Presentation, Research, Performance and Persuasion. Marketing professionals use these areas of their trade to present the products and services of the company to the targeted audience. Proper presentation of the offerings reduces the risk of non-buyers venturing close to your shop or office. Research is the fundamental step towards marketing products and services successfully. Research enables you to know what your target market needs are so that you can meet these needs effectively. Performance in marketing is measured on whether the efforts made met the expectations of the market or not.
Marketing also includes advertising or promoting products and services through various mediums. However, the most important form of marketing is the product development process. Product development involves thorough market research and a thorough analysis of the competition. It includes sketching out the features, benefits and features of the competing product as well as analyzing the market and reaching out to the target audience.