A marketing plan consists of five strategies: a description of the benefits and features of the offering; the pricing; access (sometimes referred to as distribution); communications; and, positioning (also referred to as value proposition). A common theme for an effective implementable marketing plan is that all the strategies reflect and are focused on understanding and satisfying the target "customer's" needs. Satisfying the customer's needs will in the end ensure demand and demand will in the end, contribute to a nonprofit's achieving it's mission.
A Washington Post article by Michelle Sinletary serves to remind us that not all, even the largest, of nonprofits develop and implement marketing strategies that are customer focused. On the contrary, sometimes these entities are so bad at it, the US Congress must step-in and mandate customer responsiveness. Thus is the case about the cost of college and colleges themselves telling the story clearly so that customers can understand and make a choice.
I would have thought that sophisticated nonprofits like colleges would just do this -- appears I'm wrong.
Marketing is an unfamiliar concept for many nonprofit organizations. It's important that these organizations understand that marketing is more than just the old sense of making a sale or obtaining a donation.
Posted by: Business Investors | 08/11/2012 at 03:19 AM
Wow interesting. These marketing styles actually reminds me of the olden days when marketing was a bit simpler and was less complicated than it is today. But with what we have now, we should still be thankful because of the advancements that we have.
Posted by: roll up banners | 08/29/2012 at 02:35 AM