5 Ps of Marketing

There are five main elements of marketing that are controlled to influence customers, increase business value, and come forward amongst competitors. They are called the 5 Ps of marketing or the marketing mix.

These five points — which are product, price, promotion, placement, and people — are used by companies to understand their market and its needs better. Thinking on how these elements can be changed and improved, results in successful marketing strategies that target companies’ markets and initiate healthy customer interactions.

The 5 P’s of marketing is significant for brands in any industry, especially because they have an impact on very important aspects of marketing.

Read on to learn more about each of these P’s.

Product

The first element of the marketing mix is the whole of all products and services you offer to customers. While making decisions regarding products you should consider functionality, appearance, branding, packaging, warranty, and quality.

Your service and products should reply to your customers’ wants and needs. Reflect back on the key features of your products and align them with what your customers are seeking.

It is important that you make it clear how people will benefit from what you offer. Make sure that everyone is aware of the advantages of using your products. Highlight all the tangible and intangible plus-sides of buying your goods or services.

Just like with everything else in marketing, it is crucial you differentiate from competitors with your products as well. Understand and also show how your solving method of your customers’ problems is different and better than others in your industry.

For example, let’s say you own a technology store. In such a case, your product description includes a diverse range of technological products such as phones, tablets, and computers suitable for different needs.

Price

Price covers the pricing strategies and their influence on customers. There is a wide range of decisions you need to make regarding your pricing other than just selling prices.

You need to consider everything while making pricing decisions. Focus on discounts, payment arrangements, credit terms, and price-matching services.

While determining your pricing strategy, always keep in mind the current position of your marketplace. What are customers willing to pay? How much do your competitors charge?

Also, remember that your product prices reflect your business. If you are known as a company with budget products, your pricing should be made accordingly. Or if you claim to offer high-quality services, your pricing should reflect that.

In the case of the tech store, your pricing strategy might be a premium pricing strategy that includes technical service. You can also give a 10% discount on tablet and computer shopping for students.

Promotion

Promotion is the methods you use and activities you do in order to draw more attention to your business and become more widely known in your market. It includes many aspects of marketing such as sponsorships, advertising, direct marketing (for example email marketing), public relations, and social media.

To plan out thoughtful and effective promotion ideas, you need to understand your target market. Understand the value of a customer and decide if the money you will spend on promotions is worth acquiring that customer. Don’t forget: promotion costs can become pretty substantial.

To make your decision process easier you can try doing a return on investment(ROI) analysis and ask yourself these questions:

• Who is our target audience?
• What media do they consume?
• What is the cost of that media?
• How many sales do we need in order to cover the investment we are making?
• How are we going to gather information that shows data and reflects on how the promotion has worked?

Luckily we have the answer for the last question: HockeyStack.

Your tech store’s promotion strategy may be social media accounts such as Instagram, Twitter, and TV and Youtube advertisements.

Place

Most of the time people are not specifically shopping for your product, so place is a very important element of the marketing mix. It is where and when your products and services are sold and distributed to customers.

Place covers your distribution channels, ways you use to target your business to customers, and also how accessible and easy-to-find you are.

We are most likely to buy things that are very easily available to us. So, you should be there at the right time, in the right place, and at the right quantity.

This may mean so many different things for different companies. Depending on what you sell, you might choose an ecommerce site, a retail store, or a third-party distributor.

For the technology store example, your place strategy would be a store in an easy-access location and a website that provides online shopping.

People

People refer to those who work for and represent the business. How a customer gets treated by you has a big impact on their decision to buy from you.

You need to think on how you want your customers to perceive your employees. The best way to do this is, of course, to focus on what customers want and need. A great customer service is based on customer expectations.

You need to know what your customers want to see from your staff and adjust your customer services to give the best experience to customers. You might want to consider giving staff training to create a focused and well-working team of employees.

In the tech store example, your people strategy would be friendly salespeople with a good command of product features.

Conclusion

The 5 P’s of marketing, which is also known as the marketing mix, consists of product, price, promotion, place, and people. We have covered each of these elements in this article and given you tips that can help you strengthen your marketing strategy.

FAQ

Which P is the most important?

All of them. We can’t really say that one is more important than any of the others. However, which one you will need to focus on depends on your business. You need to analyze your current marketing strategies and see in which P you need more improvements.

Is the 5 P’s necessary to develop a good marketing plan?

Yes! They are the five core elements of marketing. They are your everything if you really want to become successful in your market.