Industrial Marketing

Chapter 14 : Planning the Promotion Mix

+The Communication Process

+Marketing Communication Program

+Elements of Marketing Communications Mix

+Role of Literature in Industrial Promotions

Chapter Summary

The marketing communications process for industrial products and services is complex in comparison to consumer products. The communication process has to ensure that the encoded message is properly decoded by the target audience. Only then can the objective of the communication process be achieved. Unlike many consumer products, industrial products require a rational approach and the message has to be clear to induce purchase.

The marketing communication program starts with the framing of communication objectives, followed by defining the target audience at whom the communication is to be directed. The next stage, budget setting, depends on the scope of the target audience and the spending ability of the organization. The development of the message strategy depends on the budget allocated and the target audience.

The message strategy should be aligned with the communication objectives. To ensure that the message reaches the target audience, industrial marketers need to evolve the right media strategy, i.e., whether to go in for print media, electronic media, and so on. The final step in the marketing communications program is evaluation. Proper evaluation can pave the way for correcting any drawbacks in the program and to achieve the set objectives.

Marketing managers have to choose the right mix of communication tools to effectively achieve their communications objectives. The elements of the communication mix are personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations, and publicity. Personal selling is very popular in industrial marketing.

Along with direct marketing, it can initiate a purchase action; the other elements spread awareness and provide information about goods and services. Technical literature and marketing collateral are used extensively to supplement the various elements of the marketing communications mix.

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