Marketing Support Services
Marketing support functions in general that includes the entire gamut of services ranges from product launches to brand management, marketing research to trade shows, copy writing and content writing to advertising, preparation of marketing collaterals, materials, website management and development.
Business Model:
Elements of marketing support services:
Public Relations: Public Relations are traditional form of marketing communications that will create goodwill about a company or institution in the mindset of the general public.
Trade Shows: Trade shows are common platform or event that companies will showcase and demonstrate their goods and services to its customers.
Interactive Advertising: Interactive advertising means that Internet users can customize their needs and wants based on their own interest to view the information i.e., users have the option to communicate with others via email, posting questions and answers on bulletin boards, creating a dialogue among other users using chat facilities etc.
Internet Marketing: Internet marketing is also known as online marketing, which uses the Internet to inform customers about a product, advertisements, promotions, selling and distribution of products or services. In simple words, it is the use of the Internet as an electronic medium to advertise and sell goods and services. It is a vital element of electronic commerce.
Database Marketing: Database marketing is a form of direct marketing which will use the databases of its customers to create a personalized communication to greet them during festive occasion, birthday, wedding anniversary etc., in order to promote a product or service.
Sales promotions: Sales promotions are a predefined set of activities used to complement advertising with the help of promotional tools like discount coupons, vouchers, loyalty cards, gift offers and special contests to reach its customer databases to promote its products or services. Sweepstakes is one of the most recognized sales promotional tolls in the marketing field.
Marketing Support Service Companies:
Few lists of marketing support Service companies including:
- Performance Solutions International
- Simmonet Marketing
- Aspect Marketing
- A Redi- Direct Company
- Marketing Support Services Inc.
- Crayon Lab
- Marketing Support Network
- MDF Systems
- Protocol Marketing Group
- Marketing Support Solutions
- Delling Group etc
Sub functions of marketing support services:
Internet Marketing:
- Search Engine Optimization
- E-mail campaigns/marketing
- E-Invitations
- Web site hosting
- Banner advertising
- Web site content development
- Flash videos and movies
- Database design
- Technical Writing
- E-commerce
Interactive Multimedia:
- Audio Visual presentations
- Multimedia
- 3-D Animation
- Slide Presentations
- CD-ROM Authoring
Trade Shows:
- Event Management
- Project Management
- Team building
- Training
- Product/service support
Sales promotions
- Annual reports
- Advertisements
- Brochures
- Catalogs
- Corporate Identity
- Direct Marketing
- Invitations
- Financial Marketing reports
- Logo/label design
- Newsletters
- Trade show display materials
- Product/service bulletins
- Signage
- Packaging
- Stationary items
Thus, the marketing support functions are playing a vital role in promoting a companys product or service in the market place. Academically, its been emerging as one of the favorite subjects among the student communities in recent years. In general, it is a back end support given to the company to trace strategically the product or services performances in the market.