Each of the following is an example of a typical communication objective except:

Read the highlights

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

Read the highlights
Marketing communication objectives
Creating preference
Shortening the sales cycle
Read next: Positioning: Creating an image of your product in your target customer’s mind
How can you know if marketing communication objectives are being met?
Which method of segmenting markets is based on the idea that people experience?
Which two elements of product positioning typically stand out in the consumers mind?
Which of the following are methods of segmenting target markets?

Marketing communication (MarCom) is a fundamental and complex part of a company’s marketing efforts. Loosely defined, MarCom can be described as all the messages and media you deploy to communicate with the market.

Marketing communication includes advertising, direct marketing, branding, packaging, your online presence, printed materials, PR activities, sales presentations, sponsorships, trade show appearances and more.

The complexity of the MarCom topic makes it too broad to cover in one article. This article is one in a series of six that covers the field of marketing communication. The full list of the titles in this series includes:

What is marketing communication (MarCom)?—outlines the basic marketing communication concepts and provides the foundation for rest of the series
Positioning—discusses the ins and outs and importance of claiming the most attractive position in your customer’s mind
Your marketing message—provides the framework for planning your marketing message throughout the technology adoption lifecycle (TALC)
Marketing communication for tech startups—describes the process and methods to develop word-of-mouth marketing in the marketplace
Marketing communications: Reaching early adopters of technology products—focuses on how (and why) you should tailor your message for technology enthusiasts and visionaries
Successful market communication across the Chasm and in the Bowling Alley—explains the tactics that will help you cross the Chasm

Marketing communication objectives

Marketing communication has two objectives. One is to create and sustain demand and preference for the product. The other is to shorten the sales cycle.

Creating preference

Creating preference is often a longer-term effort that aims at using communication tools to help position your product or company in the minds of the target customer.

Positioning and building a brand takes time and requires a certain consistency (not just in the communication efforts themselves, but also in regards to the core elements of product, pricing, and distribution) and therefore represents a significant commitment for the company.

Remember, establishing preference by building a brand will impact market share, profitability and even your access to talent—and thus provides long-term value for the company.

Shortening the sales cycle

Shortening the sales cycle means assisting your sales and channel partners in their efforts to identify, engage and deliver a customer. Understanding the customer’s buying process brings critical insight into how one can shorten the sales cycle.

The figure below illustrates the process the buyer goes through when buying a product. Through market research and conversations with salespersons, MarCom staff must identify how they can help speed up the process.

In the case of high-tech products, the sales cycle involves considerable amounts of customer education in the early stages of the process. MarCom must focus on creating, packaging and delivering relevant information to the buyer throughout the buying process in order to meet this education need.

In general, the communication techniques employed to shorten the sales cycle are by nature more tactical than those used in building a brand. Nevertheless, your strategy to achieve the two MarCom objectives must be balanced, or the legitimacy of your plan will be questioned if one objective takes priority over the other. You must have close collaboration with sales and customer-facing channel partners in order to get this balance right.

The following articles contain more on developing tactical plans:

The marketing message
Market communications: Reaching early adopters of technology products
Market communication across the Chasm and in the Bowling Alley
Marketing communication for technology startups: Achieving market leadership by word-of-mouth marketing

How can you know if marketing communication objectives are being met?

How can you know if marketing communication objectives are being met? Take a benchmark measurement, run a campaign, and then measure again.

Which method of segmenting markets is based on the idea that people experience?

Psychographic segmentation is defined as a market segmentation technique where groups are formed according to psychological traits that influence consumption habits drawn from people's lifestyle and preferences. It is mainly conducted on the basis of “how” people think and “what” do they aspire their life to be.

Which two elements of product positioning typically stand out in the consumers mind?

Answer: Two key elements of product position are: (1) the way customers view the product and (2) the product's standing relative to competitors.

Which of the following are methods of segmenting target markets?

There are many ways to segment markets to find the right target audience. Five ways to segment markets include demographic, psychographic, behavioral, geographic, and firmographic segmentation.