As the practice shows, that often achievement or failure is the result of an effective or inefficient marketing strategy. Surely every businessman knows that in today's business environment, the choice of marketing strategy that corresponds to the product or service of the company is of vital importance.
What is Field Marketing?
Let's see what is “the field marketing”? Actually, the “field” in the trade marketing is the work with intermediaries in the sales channel, outlets and buyers outside the sales office to promote the subject of marketing, creating an enabling environment for the movement of the subject of marketing from the producer to the consumer. In the “fields” the marketing specialist should spend most of his working time. Field marketing implies when a business or company gets its products or services “in the field” in front of its customers. This can be in various public places, outlets, outdoors and indoors.
Field marketing organization includes promotions, demonstrations and direct sales in the fields. With regard to the goals of field marketing, they vary depending on the company, but there are some common goals: brand recognition, increased sales in targeted locations and more interaction with the local potential customers.
Types of Field Marketing Campaigns
It should be noted that the field marketing campaigns have their own specific risks because the managers of Field marketing rely on the personal communication and put the reputation of a product, service or brand in the hands of many people. For this reason, the field marketing campaign must be guided by the effective training of personnel. Professionals who participate in the campaign should not only communicate effectively and convincingly but also have the ability to assess and analyze the interest of consumers in communicating.
- Demonstration of the goods or services of the company. Perhaps this is the most common field marketing activity. This type is especially suitable for companies that are engaged in food or drink. At such demonstrations, company representatives sell free samples to buyers in the shopping malls, universities, campuses or passers-by. If an enterprise engages in non-consumed goods, then the demonstration must take place in such a way that the potential consumers get knowledge about the use of the product or even see the product in action.
- Direct sales of the company. In this case, the company representatives must make sales at the moment of interaction with the client. Often, demonstrations take place with the direct sales, increasing the client's interest in trying a product. There are also other types of the field marketing that concentrate on the direct sales. For example, they include advertising stands at the event and pop-up stores.
- Retail audits. Actually, not every marketing initiative in the field assumes direct contact with the consumer. In a retail audit, the company's field teams must collect the certain information about how their products and the promotional materials are displayed in the different outlets. The benefits of the retail audit are: obtaining the representations of the effectiveness of marketing strategies. So, it helps the company to identify errors and correct them.
- Guerilla marketing. It is believed that partisan strategies are unpredictable. The essence of this strategy lies in the creative marketing companies when they are conducted in such a way that they are held in unexpected places and in the ways that no one expects. Such strategies do not require the large funding, however, they definitely require a lot of energy and ideas. It is for this reason that companies rely on "infantrymen" to implement marketing strategies.
What Are the Different Fields in Marketing?
Inbound marketing. This kind of research involves marketing areas. These research include studying habits, customer needs and determining ways to meet these needs, setting an appropriate price and, of course, researching competitors. Marketing research is defined as "a function that connects the consumer, the client and the public with marketing through information" and also requires mathematical and analytical skills.
Outbound marketing. This includes the customer service, public and media relations, sales and advertising. You can also include the social networks and management of the online reputation. This may include the graphic design or display advertising as a function of advertising.
Social marketing. It focuses on the behavior change and is commonly used in the social campaigns worldwide in order to benefit the groups of the population. Here attention is paid to the desired behavior that benefits society as a whole.
Naturally, there are many advantages of field marketing. Field marketing is valued not only as traditional marketing initiatives because it also offers companies something unique, namely flexibility. However, it should be noted that the planning and implementation of extensive marketing campaigns takes a very long time. With proper implementation, field marketing allows companies to gather information and analyze data about their campaigns much faster, which makes more flexible, successful and effective marketing.