Marketing Plan For Web-Based ERP Software
6.0 Marketing Strategy
Strategy Statement
The target market of this product and its versions are individuals, small shops, supermarkets, small and medium companies, including also any type of organizations, generally, any business activity that requires computer software for any of (finance and accounting, ware-house, inventory, HR, production, etc). The structure of the market is not homogenous, different types of customers exists with different behaviors, starting from individuals to medium companies, they are price sensitive from high to low respectively, in other side, small companies expected as most sources of income, based on that, STANDING TECH. company prioritize the version specific for small companies including individuals, small shops.
This product will positioned as first priority among other products that STANDING TECH. Company provides, because strategically improve STANDING TECH. company’s brands via contracts and relations with different companies that uses this product for business management, also, support and maintenance contracts will provide both short and long term benefit that considered as only source of income for those company that sold this product.
For first year, STANDING TECH. Company will aim to sell this product to 100 small companies, and at least 50 small shops and individuals. And trying to control all demand for ERP with RTL interfaces so that it can take %50 of Market share by providing all versions and offering support in customers’ language. By accomplishing this, expected profit will be $300,000 to $500,000 because this product will sold with flexible and dynamic prices according to customers’ requests.
Dedicated budget for promotions and advertising will be $20,000 that includes advertising in (TV, Radio, Web, and as major printed formats), this budget will be used for brand definitions and to start advertising the product before selling, additional budget will be taken that depends on rate of sales, for heavy advertising in all cities, %30 of the profit will be used at the end of each month for non-traditional advertising, and innovative media technologies that targets more customer because of some effective places that can be used.
STANDING TECH. Company will aim to control market share at the end of first year, also, offering new versions that includes all futures and fixes that collected from all customers, this new product can also be offered as upgrade for current customers, with %30 discount, during two years, expected profit will be $500,000 to $600,00 that includes support and maintenance.
Advertising will be continued but with less frequency, non-traditional advertising will be used in some places for brand improvements and to remind current customers with Company’s mission to serve them for long period.
6.1 Marketing Communications
6.1.1 Communication Objectives
· Awareness and knowledge of company’s brand: STANDING TECH. Company first starting to create awareness of its brands before offering any products, according to people’s behavior in this country, people not willing to deal with stranger brands, each target will be communicated according to their behavior, communication messages for formal companies are different from other informal shops and super-markets. By accomplishing these, customer attention will be achieved so that, the same strategy will be used for this product.
· Liking and Preference: after brand awareness, STANDING TECH. company start changing communication messages to change customers’ behavior for liking this product and then to prefer it, by introducing major benefits of this product and mentioning differentiate characteristic that not exist in current market, this stage require more focus because most customers not experienced with ERP so that practical presentation and customer education required for making this stage for being effective.
· Purchase: starting to describe this product and offering good-value prices, direct communications are expected more effective by sending agents for oral communications and to present the product.
6.1.2 Communication channels
The following communications channels will be used for sending different messages in each channel, both personal and non-personal communication will be mixed for all objectives that mentioned. For first step, non-personal advertising will be used for creating brand awareness and knowledge customers, after this accomplished both personal and none personal communication will be used.
· Advertising: (TV, Radio, Posters and leaflets, Brochures, Newspapers, Magazines)
· Sales Promotions: (Demonstration, Free trial, Test version, Discounts)
· Events and Experience: (Causes, Presentations)
· Public relations: (Publications, Community Relations, Seminars)
· Direct marketing: (Website, Email List, Blogs, Telemarketing)
6.2 Advertising
Detailed Advertising strategy mentioned above, in addition, the following patterns and advertising Medias will be used for advertising this product, considering expensive costs of advertising; a direct agent will be used for more important target companies for personal communication and direct marketing startup. Most Companies interested to talk directly with engineers and developers, advertisement messages contain these offers also along with product definitions, promotion, and competitive advantages.
Generally, broadcasting channels will be used for all advertisements; also, all possible advertising will be used for first three months, after that, the following advertising media will be used:
· TV: local TVs and Satellite channels will be used for long-period advertising.
· Radio: popular radios will be used for continues advertising.
· Newspapers: because few popular newspapers are most popular, all of them will be used for continues advertising.
· Place Advertising by using innovative media technologies: there are several places that designed for placing advertisements, effective places will be used for continues advertising.
· Online Advertising: Yahoo, Facebook and Google are most popular websites that attracts more people, they will be used for different messages, and other local website also will be used for continues advertising because they are cheaper than international websites.
6.3 Promotions
The product will not be promoted for free, or for low prices, because prices were based on good-value and competition that previously came with good promotions, during sales, sales person can explain hidden details about cost reductions and long-term benefits of the product, for example: third-party programs that used are free and also the product require less cost to be employed if comparing with other products.
STANDING TECH. Company uses experienced developers to analyze requests from customers for determining best version and further customization that fits with customer’s system, also, explaining technical points of experienced customers for creating a trust and attracting customers to involve in the product customization, this strategy expected as effective way because other vendors that their products available in the market not able to directly communicate with their customers, availability of local engineers and developers provides a good value that differentiate this product.
Discounts allowed only when four core modules requested, the discount rate depends on types of customers and total price, sales team will use different approaches and equations for estimating discount rate.
Generally, Demo version will be offered for some scenarios that the software customized for them, also, a test version can also be offered for customers that willing to test the software, for sensitive customers, core modules with full functionality will be offered for one month, if the product satisfied the customer, production system will be created with no additional charge.
