Course Overview

Every business needs to convert potential clients to confirmed ones, who stay with the business for the long-term. Marketing does not only refer to determining and fulfilling customer demand but also creating such a demand for a specific product and/or service.

Advertising is the most obvious marketing activity, but so is customer research, which matches products and/or services to customer needs in a better manner. Product design is also a marketing activity that matches an organisation’s products and/or services to known customer needs.

A marketing strategy is a plan of how an organisation will market its products and services to its potential customers. Organisations may have more than one strategy at any given point in time and may use various marketing platforms such as networking, digital media, traditional print advertising, etc.

One of the key factors for any organisation to successfully tap into the customer market is to create or produce a product or service that addresses a specific need for customers. Thus, finding and fulfilling customer need and then delivering suitable products and/or services are part of the marketing process.

One aspect of a marketing plan could affect all others, and thus, coordinating marketing activities of a plan is critical to eliminate interference and maximise the benefits or profits. A marketing strategy considers all areas of selling activities and helps each one support the next, making sure each is aware of what the other is doing.

Creating an integrated marketing strategy thus helps in better individual decisions regarding specific marketing tactics. With the competitive market space today, having a robust and clear strategic marketing plan is very critical and could directly influence the success or failure of a business.

Strategic marketing planning involves three distinct phases—planning, implementation and control. A good strategic marketing plan helps streamline product development, determine optimal prices, establish effective distribution, assist with marketing communication, have organisational impact, etc. Thus, overall, a marketing strategy is one that promotes a business to its target audience after understanding or creating customer need, thereby helping in organisational branding.

This Zoe training course will empower you with an overall understanding and additional knowledge about planning strategic marketing. The knowledge gained through this course will enable you to undertake and successfully fulfil higher roles and responsibilities related to strategic marketing.

Further, the perspective and foresight that this training course will provide you will help you plan for many changes in the business, customer demand, etc. well in advance so that your organisation is prepared for change.

The overall learning, confidence and capability gained through this course will help you plan product and/or service offerings for your organisation earlier than others to gain a competitive advantage in the market.

Course Objectives

The main objective of this Marketing Strategy and Planning Training Course is to empower professionals with—

• complete knowledge and information of strategic marketing planning
• the required skills, confidence and experience to undertake additional roles and responsibilities related to strategic marketing planning, thus contributing to the growth of the organisation
• the required knowledge and information to partake or independently devise effective strategic marketing plans for the organisation’s product and/or service offering
• the necessary awareness and knowledge of the importance of having a structured marketing plan and undertaking steps to meet all requirements of a set plan
• the confidence and knowledge to gather customer information and accurately interpret the same to understand customer need and make product and/or service offering changes accordingly, thus catering to a specific customer need
• the required skillset and ability to build good and long-lasting customer relationships
• the adequate skill, capability, confidence, and experience to plan campaigns and other marketing activities to reach out to customers and meet their specific demands, thus giving the organisation a competitive advantage

Training Methodology

Training at Zoe Talent Solutions are planned and designed to suit training audiences of any background or experience. Therefore, before each training session, the content is thoroughly reviewed to ensure that the training is closely related and is relevant to the current responsibility the audience have at work.

Training is imparted by a highly experienced professional from the relevant domain. Trainees are also involved in the training through group activities and competitions as well as role-plays and case study discussions. Further, trainees are encouraged to share their related experiences at work to foster further discussion on the training topic.

This course, like all other Zoe Talent Solutions courses, follows the unique, innovative and very successful Do–Review–Learn–Apply Model.

Organisational Benefits

Organisations whose professionals undertake this Marketing Strategy and Planning Training Course will benefit in the following ways:

• Experienced employees with complete knowledge about strategic marketing planning
• Robust, clear and well-thought marketing strategies because of experienced individuals devising these strategies
• Well-matched marketing objectives and product development plans to customer demand and need
• Good budget and finance management
• Organisational growth and development and increased business as a result of focused and streamlined product development in accordance with customer needs
• Higher customer satisfaction because of better understanding of customer requirements
• Better organisational branding
• Optimal customer outreach programs and plans
• Successful and long-lasting customer relationships through loyalty programs and campaigns
• Detailed market and customer analysis to make amendments to existing products and/or services or creating new products and/or services

Personal Benefits

Professionals attending this Marketing Strategy and Planning Training Course will benefit in the following ways:

• Complete knowledge and information of strategic marketing planning
• Increased understanding, knowledge and confidence to undertake higher roles and responsibilities related to devising strategic marketing plans for one’s organisation
• Enhanced skillset, perspective and experience to undertake detailed market analysis and share findings with one’s organisation in order to make important decisions regarding product and/or service offerings, demonstrating potential and credibility and facilitating additional opportunities for growth and progression
• Increased knowledge and experience to partake in building awareness around one’s organisation and its product/service offerings, thereby contributing to positive branding and customer outreach
• Greater understanding and exposure to conduct detailed analyses of the market to be able to identify customer demand or create customer demand to optimise sales for a specific product and/or service
• Increased confidence and knowledge to work with advanced marketing tools to define and meet strategic marketing objectives for one’s organisation, thus contributing to organisational success and development
• Increased confidence to plan campaigns and other related programs to set up long-lasting customer relationships with one’s organisation
• Enhanced skillset and capability to function or partake in marketing activities and plans across any organisation or industry, thus increasing avenues for growth and progression beyond one’s organisation

Who Should Attend?

• Senior members and top management of an organisation who need to thoroughly understand the importance of strategic marketing planning
• Investors who need to understand and interpret the marketing plans and strategies of an organisation for future before making investments in a particular firm
• Marketing managers who play a major role in identifying opportunities and threats and framing marketing strategies for the organisation
• Other marketing professionals involved in successful execution of the steps and plans set out in the strategic marketing plan
• Members of branding agencies responsible for building brand value and reputation
• Any other professional who would like to know more about strategic marketing planning

Course Outline

The Marketing Strategy and Planning Training Course will cover the following topics important to understand strategic marketing planning:

Module 1 – Functions of Marketing

• Distribution channels
• Financing an enterprise
• Market research
• Setting prices
• Product and service management
• Promotional channels
• Matching products to customers

Module 2 – Importance of a Marketing Strategy

• Streamlining product development
• Determining optimal prices
• Establishing effective distribution
• Assisting with marketing communication
• Having organisational impact

Module 3 – Advantages of a Marketing Strategy

• Business promotion to a target audience
• Good customer understanding
• Good business branding

Module 4 – Disadvantages of a Marketing Strategy

• Costs of marketing
• Time and effort not yielding returns
• Limited marketing approach in a dynamic customer market

Module 5 – Activities in Marketing Strategies

• Determining customer need through analysis
• Modifying existing products/creating new products
• Determining the best way to reach potential customers
• Creating marketing campaigns
• Building customer relationships through follow-up sales campaigns and loyalty programs

 Module 6 – Steps in Strategic Marketing Planning

• Situation analysis
• Defining the ideal customer
• Establishing marketing goals
• Selecting marketing tools
• Deciding and handling budgets and funds

Module 7 – Phases of the Strategic Marketing Process

• Planning
• Implementation
• Control

Module 8 – Factors Necessary for a Successful Implementation Phase

• Facts
• Features
• Needs
• Elements
• Pitfalls

Module 9 – Strategies to Create Customer Awareness/Want

• Demonstrate scarcity
• Develop a bond between customer and product
• Interact through social media