Brief Comment On E-commerce Marketing Strategy

With the rapidly-developing Internet and gradually mature E-commerce, medium and small enterprises have a good way to win the bid if they pay enough attention on E-commerce. But how to effectively conduct network marketing seems to be become a difficulty of medium and small enterprises.

E-commerce marketing is not simply to build up website and put advertisements on Internet, but a series of planned and strategic marketing work with budget and effectiveness analysis. The network marketing effects of medium and small enterprises is not brought about by single product promotion, but by integrating the information resources of enterprises and Internet, which help to conduct promotion of network marketing in order to reach the commercial purposes of low cost and high returns.

Many enterprises have realized E-commerce’s value as the new marketing terminal and new interface. But how to utilize E-commerce to cut down fees of traditional channels and terminal and thus realize E-commerce marketing seems to require a must of three core tasks, according to relevant experts. They include: first, E-commerce network construction and stores network planning; second, branding and online advertising; third, customer management and marketing organization. These are also tasks I agree.

Overall service solutions can be hardly gained only through the sole business modal, then professional network marketing companies come into being. Because of its low cost and high returns, network marketing are attracting numerous businesses to engage in it, and thus results in the prosperity of Internet E-commerce. Then why not join the tide of E-commerce marketing as well?

On The Marketing Strategy of Galanz Microwave Oven

Grandma has just bought a Galanz microwave oven, whose marketing strategy attract my attention. First is its product and service quality. As is well known, product and service quality is the foundation on which a product and its enterprise rely, and enterprises will succeed more than a half if they put quality on the first place. And this is what Galanz has been making efforts to do, so its success is not fluke.

Galanz actively “create” its consumer market. In fact it is the result of its common information and three-dimensional public relations that Galanz microwave oven enters into a greater consuming group. This active marketing strategy of “Creation of consumer market” deserves all enterprises’ reference. 

In respect to cost control and price cut, Galanz actually adopts marketing strategy made on the basis of “price strategy”, rather than “price war “. Galanz’s deep price cut is based on its deep cost cut. It expand the consumer market by introducing Galanz microwave oven to the common people, transforming it from an “aristocratic” product to household consumption. Galanz expand its consuming groups by hundreds of times, and form its cost advantages through specialized cost management system to greatly decrease its cost. So its products price is much lower than that of its craft brother, thus rapidly and steadily occupies its own market share.

Besides, any good product has the time to be eliminated. Bearing this in mind, Galanz has been constantly develop new products and new fields.

From the above we can see that Galanz’s marketing strategy is a very excellent one.

On Marketing Strategy of Alibaba Search Engine

Being the leader sheep of B2B, Alibaba has gained much attention of SEOs. From perspective of strategy, Alibaba adopts a perfect marketing planning. Macroscopically, I think Alibaba really does well in search engine marketing which adopts four main steps. Firstly, it took up the then not so mature market by the concept of SEO and then add contents to fill in, which, together with the uses’ contributions compensated the disadvantages of the information deficiency. Secondly, it leads the users to immediately find what they want and make them run promotions for it, thus build a pervasive link group. Thirdly, as the information proliferates, it shunts the information and form certain influence with each product line as the main bodies. Fourthly, in the late strategy period, it applies pay form of PPC to prepare for the users search for better way out.

Someone may ask: what’s next? Well, I think it follows obviously that Alibaba will make more and more  information and contents inside the website since its brand advantage has been build up and the users will not proliferate within the platform.

Seen from the above analysis, Alibaba’s success depends not only on opportunity but to a greater extent its marketing strategy, or to say plainly the marketing strategy of search engine. But the problem is whether this modal can be reproduced. And the answer is NO because of different environments and opportunities. And I am now analyzing Alibaba only to discuss whether SEO is a ncessary factor that can most improve an enterprise’s environment. And personally I think strategy is more important than optimization as optimization is only a small part of marketing strategy. In order to develop, marketing strategy of search engine should be carefully examined and researched.

Speed and Perfect—Which One Is More Important?

Generally speaking, the marketing department takes responsibility to make marketing strategies and planing, and the sales department is responsible for the implementation of them. Many times a typical-regarded marketing program results much less satisfactory because of slow implementation. Now comes a new marketing topic—speed and perfect, which one is more important?

   In fact perfect and speed do not run counter with each other. If the enterprise’s marketing activities are of “Baton” type (i.e. after the marketing department has made perfect plan, the sales department follow up immediately to implement it step-by-step), the perfect degree of the plan and its implementation speed are always in a contradict state. And if the enterprise’s marketing activities are of “Olive” type (i.e. when the marketing department are making a plan, the sales department begin its intention of implementing it. Later the two departments meet each other to discuss and settle down the marketing plan and then the sales department implement the plan again, and then the circle goes once again and again), a good result can be achieved as “Implementation advances the marketing plan and the market plan in turn instructs implementation.”

Personally, I think perfect and speed are not contradict. The key point is what work style your marketing team has. If the marketing team is laid back then there will no good result no matter how perfect and how easily-implemented the plan is. But if the team members are impassioned and good at leaning and willing to cooperate with each other, they will try even there is no plan. So it is the marketing team that affects marketing implementation most. The thing that really matters is whether each member is willing and able and continuous to do the job or not.

Bundling—Is It A Good Marketing Way?

Recently, I saw many merchandises bundled on sale. Then I came to think about one question: can companies increase profit through bundling?

Microsoft nearly monopolizes the operating systems of personal computers, bundling many softwares into its own operating system. But Microsoft does not monopolizes all softwares because other companies produce many similar alternatives. Then can bundling marketing expand Microsoft’s monopoly position? The answer is no.

In fact, bundling cannot make consumers pay more money, but if different consumers have different evaluations of the product, bundling may bring more profits.

Suppose that two consumers Bill and Tom have different evaluations about product X and Y. X for Tom is 100 dollar and for Bill is 40 dollars. Y for Tom is 40 dollar and for Bill is 100 dollars. Also suppose that the company does not implement price discrimination. If the manufacturers sell only X, they can price it as 100 dollars and sell it only to Tom, or to both Tom and Bill at 40 dollars. So when companies sell these two products separately, the most profits they can gain is 200 dollar. But now let’s suppose that X and Y are sold bundled together at 140 dollar and both the two consumer are willing to buy this product portfolio, then the profits the company can get through bundling is 280 dollar.

So when some customers are satisfied with X and others Y, bundling as a way of marketing can help company gain more profits. Bundling surely can not increase the product value to specific customers, but can make them willing to pay money that are tend to be the same.

Can American Oatmeal Have Its Way in Chengdu?

One of my Chinese friends in the city of Chengdu recently told me that he found American oatmeal is different from Chinese oatmeal. Chinese oatmeal is bought mainly as presents for festivals, aiming at showing filial obedience to the older generation, concern about the young generation, and so on. While American oatmeal is regarded as  people’s daily breakfast. So the attention difference of product consuming appears.

Personally, I think this is a problem of inter-cultural consuming marketing of a new brand production seen from the oatmeal supply and market consumption of Chengdu. Then how to solve this problem? I propose the following points as necessary discussion points.

Firstly, in respect of marketing strategy, make careful research about the market and realize market’s strategy change. Different cultures result in different marketing directions. Strategies adjustment is inevitable because the Chinese breakfast consuming habit has formed.

Secondly, in respect of tactics, pay attention to the consuming habits and follow the path of difference. Follow-up examination of water consumption and then establish the direction of the future. At the same time conduct experience activities of the consumers and report to management decision-making. In the following competition, adopt steps of “association, research, and independence”. The most important thing for American oatmeal is to exhume the cereal market demands point. I think it is meaningful to develop children marketing or middle-market of cereals.

Thirdly, in the late, pay more attention to consuming characteristics and maintain the dynamic transition of its own oatmeal, and once changes happen in the market, immediately take measures to deal with them.

Search Marketing Essence with Innovation

In the Marketing 3.0 times, the key to marketing success is effective innovation, by which the consumers are conquered and made to actively spend time to interact with the brand, and while they are gaining good brand experience, the value of brand or product is at the same time being planted into their hearts.

When taking measures to deal with its national pupil overweight, the America government throw away the stereotype government advocacy advertising and cooperated with a marketing communication company. As a result, integrating marketing innovation with executive order has made the weight loss campaign a charming experience trip—the innovative Verb Yellow-ball activity created a crazy campaign fashion among the American pupils.

From the great success of Verb Yellow-ball, we can see that marketing essence is to make something happen between brand (or product) and the consumers, making them experience the value of brand or product and be willing to pay for the brand’s or product’s value.

No matter how the times changes, the consumers are always making choices between the product’s rational selling point expression and sensible psychological demands. When product quality are the same, the emotional experience brought by marketing innovation can add brand sentimental value, press down the sentimental button with the consumers, thus make them captive of the brand.

 

Since innovation is so important, the pursue for it has reached an unprecedented hight: enterprises ask marketing agency for better innovation in order to surpass its competitors, the consumers turn an blind eye to those business information without innovation, and the government also find it more effective promote its executive order by innovative thought. All in all, innovation seems to become the core drive of the running times.

Find the Association Point Between Brand and Consumers

No marketing activity can succeed without enterprise’s grasp and agitation of the consumer’s emotion. Mengniu’s milk space marketing strategy made good advantage of the Chinese high attention of the Shenzhou V and the great national pride, thus find an association point between brand performance and the outbreak of public sentiment.

Of course the products have no emotion, but they are indeed given specific personality and meaning when marked with the brand and promoted through a series of packaging. The marketing communications goal is to convey the brand personality to consumers and arouse their resonance.

 

Excellent marketing strategies and dissemination of ideas are the results of practice, rather than theoretical deduction. They are adjusted by the enterprises with constant changes of market  environment, media environment, and consumer concerns. While in a new market, the key to marketing success depends on how to find an effective association point, conveying messages to the consumers by a way that interests customers most and is most easy accessible to them.It is on this purpose that the theory of six degrees of innovation dissemination came into effect.

The theory of six degrees of innovation dissemination is to solve such a problem as how to connect brand with the consumers. Brand may be connected with the consumers from each direction of their feeling, and this is the fundamental motivation promoting the consumers to actively understand the brand. Meanwhile, it is wise to arouse resonance between brand promotion and the media, and for the enterprises, the best result is to gain the most effective market communications with the least investment. And all these are goals of the theory of six degrees of innovation dissemination.

Marketing Rules of Dell Social Media

Around the coming of 2009, Richard Binhammer, one of the critical figures behind Dell social media strategies, made the most comprehensive explanation of Dell social media marketing strategies of which I think the following points are very valuable.

Dell gives its social media an internal name—the Connected Era, which is expected to enable the customers to connect and communicate with Dell. When engaging in social media marketing, an enterprise should have a clear understanding and implementation strategy, and it must see to that the customers can both get in touch with and receive message from you.Dell does well in this respect.

It is very difficult to measure the performance of social media by using sole strategy or tool, especially like Dell, who is making social media an indispensable part of conducting transactions and connecting the customers. For instance, Dell probes problems and change business process on the basis of social media messages and communications; through blog and and social media evaluation. And through blog and social media comments, Dell can find problems and make responses much more timely than before. Still the evaluation of social media marketing is very difficult and the biggest obstacle of breakthrough. 

In Richard’s opinion, social media is advancing a great change, leading the concept of “traditional, rational, objective, and systemic” to a more “objective, emotional, personalized, and human” concept. I cannot agree with this opinion more. All the media websites, including blog, are proving this trend. Speaking from the source, the uses’ participation and the contents’ democratization have changed the whole situation.

1024 Interactive Marketing: New Life of Network Marketing

As the first brand of Chinese Network Marketing, 1024 Interactive Marketing company is carefully leading its network marketing to success. Facing with the economic crisis, 1024 Interactive Marketing is planning the future. It aims at revitalizing the industry, benefiting more enterprises, and even letting them break loose from economic crisis by way of developing the great potential of “network marketing”.

Traditional marketing modal requires large sum of money to research marketing but can not ensure earnings within a limited time. The new born network marketing discourages many enterprises, which is a drawback for innovation thought of business. Network marketing can not only enhance the efficiency but also save a large sum of advertisement cost. 

After strengthening small enterprises one by one, network marketing begins to activate the market . With a reserved attitude towards the network economy, the power of network communication accomplished a legendary enterprise. Facing with the global economic crisis, big enterprises are also trying to change their images by expanding its upstream and downstream market in the new fields and new businesses. Such a trend has posed network marketing in its deserved position, and as a new born area and business, its advantages have been proved by the market.

The businessmen will get worried when they see their funding chain broken. The only way to free them is the network market. Network marketing can greatly cut down capital that are invested in advertisement, and the benefits brought by network to the enterprises are much more pervasive. Now what the enterprises need to do is to face up to the new generation network and cultivate network marketing to enable it to grow into maturity.

Application of Social Media in America “Inc 500”

The marketing research centre of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth have made a two successive study on the application of social media in America “Inc 500”. The various results shows that the main stream social media tools are rapidly entering American “Inc 500”, which are the most rapid-developing companies of America. 50% of the investigated companies are very familiar with social networking, blogging, and online video. More than 3/4 of the “Inc 500” have utilized at least one social media tool. And 44% of them regard social media as critical for their marketing strategy.

It can be seen that in the previous year, social networking, network video and blog have been rapidly adopted by most American “Inc 500”. These three tools have become main information carrier of Internet, and their influences can not be neglected. Podcast and Wiki are also paid more and more attention to, but their practical usage is not much. I think this is due to their own characteristics—Podcast still bears strong features of traditional media, while Wiki is of some serious academic quality, which is difficult to be accepted by everyone.

Although social media are becoming more and more popular, people still has problems in understanding it. Possible reasons I think include marketing-oriented misunderstanding resulted by business pressure (e.g. help with promotion, enhance the company site ranking), conflict and fear due to culture factors (fearing of decentralized control and transparent,etc.), as well as the inheritance of traditional marketing concept and operation (content push, media buying, and marketing campaign), and so on. For companies and enterprises, it is time to carefully think about where to proceed to a breakthrough in adopting social media marketing.

361° and Tencent—How to make Marketing Planning

In resent years, the great marketing platform of Tencent Network is being continuous hot and 361° has taken the first position on the Sports Channel of Tencent Network in a successive three years, with a vary rapid increase of marketing performance. Obviously, only during a short period has 361° finished its accumulation of brand awareness by way of strong end-to promotion, advantage of the media put, and Tencent Network Marketing.

 
As an advantageous platform of Network Marketing, Tencent has in this field abundant experience and expertise, which are highly weighed by traditional enterprises. Since Tencent is rich in user groups overlap, broader platform, and abundant application, the traditional enterprises have every reason to admire Tencent as a network medium in respect of sports marketing. The wonderful combination of 361° and Tencent not only opens the ceremony of 2008 sports marketing, but also indicates the coming of new sports marketing modal.

 
Sports is as one of the languages understandable to all mankind, and it is very wise and effective for enterprises and media to adopt sports for marketing. On referring sports we can not neglect 2008 Beijing Olympics. As is reported, during their cooperation, 361° and Tencent jointly launched the propaganda for the four Matches. Tencent Network integrated the combination spread with sports, play games channels, and client and the game client that are advantageous in resources, and construct new display platform for 361°as well. 361°also provided Tencent with a series of display opportunity of matches and activity scenes.

 
The essence of the marketing cooperation of 361° and Tencent lies in the profits thus achieved. Of course, there is a precondition for marketing cooperation—your products have enough room to develop. Besides, you must make great efforts to maintain and continue it.

Brand Marketing of Meters Bonwe

 In the past two years, with the rapid development of Internet, there are many successful cases of traditional clothing company conducting Internet marketing under the help and promotion of E-business such as B2B, B2C, and C2C. But different from the real closing, what Meters Bonwe sells in the Internet is fashion dummy, which also shows promising perspective.
As a casual entertainment label, Meters Bonwe aims at another 100% young and vague groups—”Neutron Dance” players. The commentary online number of “Neutron Dance” players is as high as several decades thousands, which leaves Meters Bonwe much more room to expand image, advance brand, and promote sales.
In the practice of marketing operation, Meters Bonwe carries out its marketing both on and out of the Internet. As long as the consumers buy its clothes they can get presented “Neutron Dance” suit, then Meters Bonwe gives the game company profit. This is a win-win cooperation and benefits both the two parties.
What’s more, Meters Bonwe on the one hand utilize such existing b2c platforms as taobao and paipai, and in the other hand constructs on its own net clothing stores, which is consisted of network sales platform, self-ad platform, garment industry advisory platform, and interaction platform. These platforms support each other and forms a three-dimensional marketing platform for the whole.
As more and more brand clothing enterprises are entering network marketing, the traditional off line marketing is bound to undergo great impact. For the enterprises, in order to stand up to the severely competition and survive in the market competition, it is important and a very good way to follow Meters Bonwe to change the marketing method and snatch the network marketing heights.

To Reach The Marketing Goal—Can You Ask Questions?

Some people say that marketing depends on diligence and smart which will lead you to your marketing goal. Maybe that’s right, but sometimes there is indeed a short cut to follow, that is to ask questions.
One of my friends has recently met a heavy buyer and made good preparations before the meeting. During the discussion, he talked about his own opinions from brand to business modal to marketing communications and industrialization. He felt great until someone remind of him that he has went beside the very point. He has to start afresh by asking the buyer many relevant questions. And then all things went smooth.
This gives us a lesson that asking questions is very important. Without questions one will never get to the core, let alone receive the marketing goal.

Then how will be the thinking process of poseing questions and achieving its answers?
Firstly, to formulate the question. It is wrong for those operators who believe that anything will be done with comprehensive efforts. Operators should say to their salesman:”Stop juggling and make a plan for success!”
Secondly, to locate the needs, which is the fundamental point of marketing. The customers need to solve questions, rather than creating new nones. The real needs of the customers are effective implementing measures.
Thirdly, to gain resources. For those who have just became a marketing person, it is very important to dare to speak out which proves that you have unique opinion about the market. Also it is important to be skilled in speaking.
Finally, to gain identification. When you are asked “Why do you have such a conclusion” and so on, you have a well-thought-out plan, thus you get the resources and gain identification. Then will it be far to reach the marketing goal?

Axe：Sales Promotion by iPhone

With 3G’s coming, a variety of forms of advertising are also rushing in. How to seize the attention of consumers? Creativity is an essential element. Unilever’s Axe brand introduced an innovative mobile marketing case in America. Axe brand has been trying to find a creative way to interact with its target consumers, and now it has found iPhone. Axe transplants an online flash game to iPhone, and thus gain its target consumers aging from 18 to 24 through non-traditional channels.

To some extent, mobile marketing is determined by the attitude and acceptance of the consumers. This is a typical case which carries out mobile marketing to guide consumers to experience by way of mobile media.

Axe’s target groups are iPhone users between 18 and 24 which are young vogue public. Through iPhone they can experience Axe products at any time and interact in the process of the game, and adjust the game process according to his or her own needs. All these show the features of mobile marketing—Individual Identification, Instant Message, Interactive Communication, and Interactive Communication.

Focus is the trend and interaction is the mainstream. Mobile marketing is typical one-one relationship of marketing. Interact is the core of mobile marketing, and what the consumers really cares are the experience effect and experience forms, rather than the technical development degree the mobile has reached. During the process of marketing, enterprise must adhere to People-oriented principle, i.e. to respect people, and this is the magic winnign weapon of 3G mobile phone era. Since the feature of mobile media itself decides that marketing is an interactive communication and the essence of interaction is to experience, so marketing goal will not be achieved unless consumers’ feelings are caterred to.