In today’s business landscape, successful marketing is vital to the success of any business. It requires tailored strategies based on a thorough understanding of market dynamics. The company’s investment in marketing heavily influences its success and to achieve this, businesses should understand the concept of the 7 C’s of marketing.
To achieve success in marketing, it is vital to focus on the seven key factors known as the “7 Cs of marketing.” These elements include-
- Customer
- Consistency
- Creativity
- Culture
- Communication
- Change
- Channel.
By keeping these factors in mind, you can develop a reliable and structured approach to marketing that will help you reach your goals.
Continue reading this comprehensive guide to gain an understanding of the 7cs of marketing.
Compiled List of the 7 Cs of Marketing
It is crucial to remember the components related to marketing, which each company must adhere to before undertaking varying marketing strategies. I have compiled these components into a list of the 7 Cs of marketing.
Customer
All companies market their products or services to customers. Customers are the primary consumers and are responsible for the inherent success of a company. Its importance led me to denote it as the first C in the 7 Cs of marketing.
You must understand your customers’ likes and interests to cater to their needs. A company must remember that its products must be accessible to its customers.
It is vital to rely on customer satisfaction to continuously develop products that gain the customers’ attention and to redevelop those products that are unpopular or irrelevant to their daily lives.
Example: A company that promotes tea would not find success in a place where people are more likely to be coffee drinkers. So before this company decides to open an outlet, they must find out what the go-to beverage is for people living in that particular location and cater to their interests instead.
Competition
Several companies are developing and marketing similar products. But the popularity of each product differs based on the marketing strategy adopted by each company.
Companies must research their competitors’ current marketing styles and understand how their techniques differ. Learning how their marketing strategies work for their shared demographic is essential to create a more substantial impact.
Example: Coke and Pepsi have redefined modern advertising because of the long-standing competition between the brands. Each advertisement aims to prove the better soft drink brand and has led to debates among people who recognize themselves as either a Pepsi drinker or a Coke drinker.
See Also: Why Should You Be Careful About Monitoring Competitors?
Communication
A brand with limited or mixed communication with its audience will be found unreliable by its customers. The customers need to feel heard and valued. So it is the company’s goal to prevent confusion about what they stand for and to choose a non-instructional pathway to market its resources.
Effective open communication is not just an excellent marketing strategy but helps develop trust between an organization and its consumers. The absence of this C in the 7 Cs of marketing can be detrimental to a company’s longevity.
Example: Several companies have pages where customers can address issues about the products they bought. Customers are more likely to support a company that understands their grievances and instantly creates reliable solutions than those companies that take a longer time to rectify a problem.
Change
Marketing is unique in the way that it is constantly changing and developing over the years. A company has to be adaptable to this constant change to be relatable to its customers. Just because a marketing strategy appealed to your parents in the 90s doesn’t mean that it will have similar consequences for your parents or even you two decades later.
The changes in technology have been evident, with everything being accessible on smartphones, leading to a broader digital marketing framework. As a result, current market trends must be continuously reviewed to adhere to current needs and consumption.
Example: Advertisements had an influential offline presence decades ago when companies were likelier to promote their companies through posters and billboards.
Now, most companies pay other online websites and social media platforms to advertise their brand because of the consumer’s sudden shift to digital media over the last decade.
Credibility
You are more likely to gain trust in a company that you find credible. With the onset of globalization, the surge of private organizations has been immense. Competitions can arise from the similarity in goods that are marketed. A customer can easily comprehend which company to depend on from a simple Google search or word of mouth.
A company has to increase its credibility by establishing its presence in both the online and offline worlds. A company must obtain credibility to sustain itself in the competitive marketing world by using influential people to promote the effectiveness of its products.
The reputed toothpaste brand, Sensodyne, advertises that they are recommended by dentists, which has increased their brand’s popularity.
Example: While researching to buy a beauty product, a person is likelier to scrutinize digital marketing components created by bloggers who have promoted a similar beauty product. The product that is more widely reviewed and appreciated is the one the consumer is most likely to select.
Channel
With the accessibility of the internet, even a small company can reach more significant markets to advertise its content. Companies must take advantage of readily available resources like social networking, which has been vital to digital marketing in the last few years.
Several companies grew their brands during the pandemic because of digital marketing components involving advertising on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Example: Several small clothing companies can access a more extensive market through their advertisements on social media platforms. Hence, these brands become visible to a more significant population of consumers.
See Also: Best Social Media Management Tools in 2024
Creativity
Humans are generally curious creatures of nature and are attracted to things that are out of the ordinary. Companies must remember this while generating marketing strategies and working toward creative advertising.
Novel ideas help in capturing attention and developing interest for customers. Although I provided this as the last C of the 7 Cs in marketing, companies must strive to use creativity to make an everlasting impression on the minds of their customers.
Example: The food delivery application, Zomato, came out with an innovative digital marketing framework a few years ago, where they sent funny notifications to customers to remind them that it’s time to eat. This increased customers’ interest in using the application and looking for food delivery options, thereby increasing the company’s popularity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a framework in marketing?
A marketing framework is a set of visual plans to be followed to create a strategic marketing plan for a company. It ensures to include everything that is heeded to in a systematic pattern.
What are the 7 Ps in marketing?
The 7 Ps include product, price, packaging, promotion, place, positioning, and people.
Are there more Cs in marketing that is also relevant?
Some other relevant Cs in marketing, apart from the ones explained above, are consistency, cost, convenience, and climate. While these are self-explanatory, they also play an important in a company's marketing plan.
Conclusion
The 7 Cs of marketing can be easily comprehended and relied on by both new and established organizations. The differences arise in the effectiveness of the strategies adopted by the companies in the long run. Marketing seems daunting due to the competition and the saturation of products and services. But its reliability is the main reason several reputed organizations have remained afloat even after years of their introduction to the market.
