A marketing department interacts with people on all sides of a business, from top-level management to end-users. The marketing staff is responsible for managing the company's promotional activities, taking into account the needs of staff, customers, and the demands of the market. With effective marketing, a company can boost its sales, profits and growth.
Manage Customer Relationships
One of the most important functions of a marketing department is to keep current customers happy. Because it is easier and less expensive for a company to keep an existing customer than it is to find new customers, marketing professionals must focus on relationship management. This may include giving customers regular interaction with your company, letting them know about new products, and providing value after the first sale.
Support Strategic Plan
An effective marketing department develops their promotional efforts to support the goals that the company lays out in its strategic plan. Often, those goals include increased sales, targeting new audience groups, or launching new products or services. The company lays out a marketing plan that it develops after it identifies strategic business goals.
Develop Promotions
A marketing department's main responsibility is to promote the products, services, mission and brand identity of a company. They must identify marketing goals and develop promotional activities that will help the business move in that direction. Marketing efforts are a way to increase awareness, create brand recognition and build a strong customer base. Promotional materials often include a website, sales collateral, email campaigns, printed marketing pieces and a social media campaign. Marketing departments may also run seasonal or special event promotions.
Boost Sales
Often, a marketing department is responsible for supporting the efforts of the sales department. They meet with the sales staff and develop materials that will assist in selling the company's products and services. By consulting with salespeople, the marketing department is able to develop more effective materials and promotions. In response to feedback, they may update brochures and spec sheets, target different audience groups, or design new campaigns that support the sales staff's duties.
Stay Informed
Because trends in marketing can appear quickly, a marketing department is responsible for staying on top of them. Staff members in the marketing department must read trade publications, watch new technologies that appear for communication purposes, and follow developments in the industries they serve. Even if the company does not use each trend in their marketing strategy, competitors may; the marketing department must react accordingly to ensure that their company's position is secure.
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