Customer-Oriented Marketing Strategy
According to the website Reference for Business, from the 1950s to the 1970s the product-oriented approach to marketing was popular. Its purpose was to develop marketing activities strictly to advertise a product, generate sales and build a market. Whether customers really needed the product was not the focus. From the 1980s, customer-oriented marketing became an "in" strategy as companies recognized that consumers have the power to turn sales around.
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Measurement
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Part of the customer-oriented marketing strategy is measuring customer value. For example, software products must be liked by consumers and must be usable. Each customer in a group environment is tested on attributes of a product on this basis. A test group helps the company understand how the software product benefits each customer in terms of his individual needs and expectations. Once the desired attributes of a product are measured, a company is able to tailor the software product to meet the required benefits and customer satisfaction.
Comparison
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Marketing approaches generally fall into two categories: customer-oriented and competitor-oriented. Competitor-oriented marketing focuses on manipulating product through imitation, matching prices and offering similar promotions. Some companies think customer-oriented marketing strategy is more effective because a satisfied customer leads to consumer loyalty to specific brands, which benefits both consumers and businesses.
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Objectives
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Basic human needs are one aspect of customer-oriented marketing. Each customer's basic needs are identified, focusing on food and tools for everyday living. For example, a thirsty person may want a beverage. A tired person desires a vacation. A company may need office space with prestige. With clear objectives of a customer's basic needs, you are able to tie customer-oriented marketing and appeal to the traditional objectives of product price and packaging to develop a product with both customer appeal and the right price.
Feedback
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Customer feedback of your product determines if your products are satisfactory for customers. You can obtain feedback through comment cards, focus groups, customer surveys and even by speaking to your own customer service representatives. Feedback should request customers' specific opinions, views and thoughts. Based on the results of your feedback, modify your product for long-term customers.
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References
- Oddity Software: Developing a Consumer Marketing Strategy
- Reference for Business: Marketing Strategy
- Free Papers: Customer Demand-Oriented Marketing Strategy Analysis of MC
- UseIt.com: The Use and Misuse of Focus Groups; Jakob Nielsen; 1997
- Managerial Marketing: Marketing Management: A Vital Topic
- Free Management Library: Basic Methods to Get Feedback from Customers; Carter McNamara
Resources
- Photo Credit John Rowley/Photodisc/Getty Images
