Effective sources of marketing information

And large and small producers of goods and services need to conduct marketing research to successfully promote their product to the consumer. For this purpose, goals and tasks are defined , and sources of marketing information that will give the best result in this particular case are determined. Sources exist primary (that is, collected precisely for this task for the first time) and secondary (already available and collected for other purposes).

Primary sources of marketing information include:

- Observation, which is characterized by purposefulness and plannedness and is carried out directly in the area of the research object.

- An experiment that is characterized by an impact on the process under study. This method involves the creation of two groups (normal and experimental).

Groups create different conditions, and then a comparative analysis of the results is carried out. This method can give the most accurate data.

- Internal reporting, which provides information about the company's activities, inventory, product movement, sales volumes, revenues, expenses for advertising. This information helps to analyze the profitability of specific groups of goods, distribution channels and so on.

- Sources of marketing information - this is the observation of the external environment. This includes legislative projects, changes in the country's economy, consumer incomes, competitive goods, changes in production technology. All this can help to avoid negative influence on the production process from the outside.

Heads of departments collect external information from different sources - these are printed publications, interviews with distributors, suppliers and customers, heads of other departments of the enterprise. Sources of marketing information in firms where this process is given due importance, are quite significant. Leaders attract sellers who are in the middle of the events and have reliable first-hand information. Distributors, wholesalers and retailers are then encouraged to send important information to the firm. Information is also purchased from third-party suppliers. Many firms have special units that collect information.

There are always problems with marketing research, such as unforeseen or planned changes, which can sometimes be prompted by consumers during the work. Often the customer can not clearly identify his problems, he only knows that the sales volume is decreasing, the market share is also important here to find out what is really happening and what measures need to be taken.

Also, the complex of marketing services is developing, due to the fact that new objects in this sphere are constantly appearing on the market. These are insurance companies, both domestic and foreign, such as travel companies, private clinics, educational institutions, and so on. F, Kotler, for example, offers such a model for this industry:

- company - personnel

- personnel - the consumer

- the company is the consumer.

Effective marketing in the service industry involves working with these three links. That is, the company must take care of personnel, motivate it to serve the customer qualitatively. This includes the formation of wages, training, training, career growth, the provision of preferential services for the use of company products.

This is the first link. The second link is quality control of service delivery. This includes a successful location, the professionalism of the staff, the design of the office and so on.

The third link is the solution of issues with pricing, distribution channels and communications, competitiveness.

Thus, the complex of marketing services is somewhat different from the production marketing. Here the role is also played by the fact that the consumer perceives each individual representative of the company as an independent person. And if, as a result of good work, for example, a hairdresser, the client will recommend it to his acquaintances, this does not mean that this applies to the entire company. That is, internal marketing should be included here, which will lead to better quality of service and attract more potential customers.