Marketing Mix
As we discussed at the beginning of this section, marketing must permeate all aspects of your business. Everything from your pricing structure to your company logo must present a unified message to your customers.
The process that makes this possible is called your Marketing Mix. Essentially, it's a more detailed look at your Branding Strategy from distinct perspectives. If you have studied marketing from other resources, then you may already be familiar with the “four Ps” of marketing. These are:
- Price
- Product
- Place (distribution)
- Promotion
It is a sound strategy that has stood the test of time, but to compete in today's customer focused, highly competitive environment, we need to add a “5th P” to the mix. We’ll call this:
- People (customer service)
Marketing is essentially about communication. It's the many ways your business communicates with the individuals who make up your Target Market.
Your Marketing Mix helps you communicate with your prospects and customers in their language and in a way that is thoroughly consistent with your Marketing Position.
This is important because, as you know, every time you contradict your Marketing Position, your prospects and customers lose confidence in your business. People want predictability. Even if your business is creative in nature (such as commercial graphics or photography), customers still want to know they can rely on your business to get the job done right, on time, and on budget.