A Guide to Marketing and Business Development with Technology
Marketing is the process a company uses to present a product or service to its customers. It involves all the mediums available to communicate product or service information to the consumer. Means of communication include the Internet, mobile devices, radio, television and print advertisements. Other means include promotions and product give-a-ways. Besides establishing a relationship with a potential customer, marketing also focuses on the means to keep the customer in a relationship with the product, service or company. A marketing plan develops the strategy and tactics to help accomplish these ends. Marketing research involves defining the target customer by demographics and buying habits.
What is Branding?
Branding is the means a company uses to establish itself as a leader in the marketplace. A successful branding of a company’s product sets it apart from its competitors. An example of this is Kleenex, a brand name for a facial tissue. When most people need a facial tissue, they use the word “Kleenex” instead. Three types of branding exist, the family name brand, which identifies a company that may have many brands; the individual brand name associated with a specific product and combination brand names that involve the company and the product name.
What are Copyrights, Patents and Trademarks?
Authors, artists, musicians, photographers and other creative individuals own the copyrights to their created works. This allows them to charge a fee to those who want to enjoy their creative works. The U.S. Government maintains a copyright, patent and trademark department that allows people to register their copyrighted projects so that others cannot use their works illegally. Patents are obtained on inventions that are new or improve on an existing technology or product. The government allows three types of patents: plant species, utility and design patents. Trademarks are symbols, words, logos or graphics that identify a company’s products, goods or services from other products. A company will register a product’s trademark, such as the name “Kleenex,” to protect their intellectual property.
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. Copyright Office
- Fact Sheet on Copyrights, Patents and Trademarks
What is Consumer Behavior?
Consumer behavior defines where, why, when and how consumers make a purchase decision. The point of understanding consumer behavior is to arrive at the reasons behind why people buy or don’t buy things. The process mixes together elements of economics, psychology, sociology and social anthropology to help marketing professionals better understand their consumers. Marketing professionals conduct surveys and research into consumer behavior. This helps them to identify the basic demographics of their consumer that includes information about their sex, income, background and other statistical information.
- What Drives Consumer Behavior?
- What is Consumer Buying Behavior?
- The Psychology of Consumer Behavior
Marketing with Technology
Advances in technology have changed the face of marketing across the board. Just a few short years ago, all a company had to do was put some advertising in the newspaper, magazines, radio or television to get their message across. With the expansion of the Internet and the “mobile” Internet accessible through smartphones, cell phones, tablets and other such mobile devices, marketing has changed.
Using the Internet, marketers use keywords associated with their product so it comes up in search engine results. Another means involves including links to product pages from articles or websites, clickable text or graphic ads placed in strategic locations on websites, free e-books that contain links, downloadable applications that link to specific products and “Quick Response” or QR codes that a person simply scans with their QR reader-equipped mobile device. QR codes are the latest technological development and appear typically as a 1-by-1 inch or larger black and white graphic that looks like a maze. These codes can link to products, websites and more.
- Characteristics of Internet Marketing
- Advertising and Marketing on the Internet
- What is Digital Marketing?
- Seven Things You Should Know About QR Codes
- QR Codes and Academic Libraries
Marketing and Technology Research and References
- Digital Marketing: Digital marketing is a pivotal technology changing the face of business.
- Conducting Online Business: Develop a sound business strategy to market your online export business.
- Marketing and Technology: Information on technology’s impact on marketing and why firms should use technology.
- The Association of Strategic Marketing: An online marketing association that provides access to marketing information and technologies.
- Search Engine Marketing Professionals: Understanding search engine marketing and fundamentals.
- Social Marketing: Understanding social media marketing – using social media to do more with less.
- Marketing Tool Kit: Steps and resources to help you define your business strategy and create a marketing plan.
- The National Bureau of Economic Research: A government sponsored site that provides articles, resources and references about business and marketing.
- Fact Finder: A source for demographic data for U.S. Consumers from the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Marketing & Sales Resources: Information on preparing a business plan for marketing and sales.
Content Created and Provided By Charlotte Gray
