Marketing Framework

🎪 The Marketplace Circus: Your Complete Guide to Marketing

Imagine you’re setting up the BEST lemonade stand ever. Marketing is just figuring out how to make people LOVE your lemonade and tell all their friends!

🎯 What is Marketing? (Marketing Concepts)

Think of marketing like being the friendliest kid in the playground. You want everyone to know about your amazing toys and want to play with you!

The Simple Truth

Marketing is answering 3 simple questions:

1. WHO wants what I’m selling? (Finding your friends)
2. WHAT do they really need? (Understanding their wishes)
3. HOW do I tell them about it? (Spreading the word)

Real-Life Example 🍪

Sarah’s Cookie Stand:

• She noticed kids were HUNGRY after school
• She made chocolate chip cookies (their favorite!)
• She stood right outside the school gate
• Soon, everyone wanted her cookies!

That’s marketing! She found WHO (hungry kids), WHAT (yummy cookies), and HOW (perfect location).

🎢 The Marketing Funnel Concept

Imagine a big slide at the playground. LOTS of kids climb up, but only some slide down all the way to the bottom!

graph TD
    A["👀 AWARENESS - Kids see your stand"] --> B["🤔 INTEREST - They smell the cookies"]
    B --> C["💭 CONSIDERATION - They check the price"]
    C --> D["🛒 PURCHASE - They buy one!"]
    D --> E["❤️ LOYALTY - They come back every day!"]

The 5 Stages Explained

Why It’s a “Funnel” 🔽

• 100 people might SEE your stand
• 50 might walk over (interested)
• 20 might ask questions (considering)
• 10 might buy (purchase)
• 3 might become regular customers (loyalty)

The funnel gets narrower because not everyone moves to the next step. And that’s okay!

📦 Product Decisions

Your product is the HEART of everything. Like choosing what toy to bring to show-and-tell – it better be AMAZING!

Key Product Decisions

1. What Problem Does It Solve?

• Bad: “I made a pretty box”
• Good: “My box keeps snacks fresh all day!”

2. What Makes It Special? Think about what makes YOUR thing different:

• Is it tastier?
• Is it faster?
• Is it more fun?
• Is it easier to use?

3. Quality Level Like choosing between:

• Regular crayons 🖍️
• Fancy art supplies 🎨
• Professional artist tools 🖌️

Example: The Perfect Backpack

Product Decisions Made:

💰 Price Decisions

How much should you charge? This is like deciding how many candies something is worth!

The Price Balancing Act

graph TD
    A["TOO CHEAP 😟"] --> B["People think it's bad quality]
    C[TOO EXPENSIVE 😤] --> D[People can't afford it"]
    E["JUST RIGHT 😊"] --> F[People feel it's fair!]

4 Ways to Set Prices

1. Cost-Plus ➕

• Figure out what it costs you
• Add some profit
• Example: Cookie costs $0.50 to make → Sell for $1.00

2. Competitor-Based 👀

• Check what others charge
• Match or go slightly different
• Example: “Other stands charge $1.50, I’ll do $1.25”

3. Value-Based 💎

• What is it WORTH to customers?
• Example: “My cookies are HUGE, worth $2!”

4. Penetration 🚀

• Start LOW to get lots of customers
• Raise prices later
• Example: “First week special: $0.75!”

Price Psychology Trick ✨

Why do stores price things at $9.99 instead of $10?

Because $9.99 FEELS much cheaper even though it’s only 1 cent less! Our brains focus on the first number.

🏪 Place Decisions

WHERE will you sell? Location, location, location! Like choosing the PERFECT spot for your lemonade stand.

Think About Your Customers

Ask yourself:

• Where do my customers go?
• When are they there?
• Is it easy for them to find me?

Distribution Channels

graph TD
    A["Your Product"] --> B["Direct to Customer"]
    A --> C["Through a Store"]
    A --> D["Online/Website"]
    A --> E["Through a Partner"]

Real Example: Where to Sell Cookies

Bad choices:

• In a gym (people on diets!)
• At midnight (everyone’s asleep)
• In a library (no eating allowed)

Good choices:

• Outside school (hungry kids!)
• At soccer games (hungry fans!)
• Near the park (families relaxing)

📣 Promotion Decisions

How do you tell the world? This is the FUN part – spreading the word like confetti! 🎊

The Promotion Mix

1. Advertising 📺

• Paying to show your message
• TV, online, posters, billboards
• Example: “New Cookie Stand! Open Now!”

2. Social Media 📱

• Sharing on Instagram, TikTok, etc.
• Free but needs great content
• Example: Cookie-making video goes viral!

3. Word of Mouth 🗣️

• Happy customers tell friends
• The BEST kind of promotion
• Example: “You HAVE to try these cookies!”

4. Sales Promotions 🏷️

• Special deals and discounts
• Example: “Buy 2, Get 1 Free!”

5. Events 🎪

• Demonstrations, tastings, meet-ups
• Example: Free sample day!

Which Promotion Works Best?

🧲 Inbound Marketing

Make customers come TO you! Like being so cool at the playground that everyone wants to be YOUR friend.

The Inbound Philosophy

Instead of chasing people, ATTRACT them by being helpful and interesting!

graph TD
    A["Create Amazing Content"] --> B["People Find You"]
    B --> C["They Trust You"]
    C --> D["They Buy From You"]
    D --> E["They Tell Friends!"]

Inbound Strategies

1. Helpful Content 📚

• Blog posts answering questions
• Videos teaching things
• Example: “5 Ways to Pack Better School Lunches”

2. Social Media Value 💡

• Share tips, not just ads
• Be entertaining AND useful
• Example: Fun cookie recipes to try at home

3. SEO (Being Found Online) 🔍

• Using the right words people search for
• Example: When someone Googles “best cookies near me” – you show up!

4. Email Newsletters ✉️

• Helpful updates to people who signed up
• Example: “New cookie flavor this week!”

Why Inbound Works

Traditional: “HEY! BUY MY STUFF!” (Annoying 😤)

Inbound: “Here’s something helpful for free. Oh, you want more? Here’s my product!” (Friendly 😊)

📢 Outbound Marketing

You GO to the customers! Like going around the playground telling everyone about your cool new toy.

The Outbound Approach

You actively reach OUT to people, even if they didn’t ask.

graph TD
    A["YOU"] --> B["Send Message to Many People"]
    B --> C["Some Pay Attention"]
    C --> D["A Few Become Customers"]

Outbound Strategies

1. Cold Calls/Emails 📞

• Contacting people who don’t know you yet
• Example: “Hi! Have you heard about our cookies?”

2. TV/Radio Ads 📻

• Broadcasting to everyone
• Example: Cookie commercial during cartoons

3. Direct Mail 📬

• Physical letters and flyers
• Example: Flyer in mailboxes about new store

4. Trade Shows 🎪

• Setting up booths at events
• Example: Cookie stand at local fair

5. Billboards 🪧

• Big signs everyone sees
• Example: “World’s Best Cookies - Exit 5”

Inbound vs Outbound: The Showdown

The Smart Move? 🧠

Use BOTH! Like having a friend who brings their toy to share (outbound) AND being the kid everyone wants to play with (inbound).

🎬 Putting It All Together

Remember our lemonade stand? Here’s how all the pieces fit:

Marketing Funnel:

1. Kids SEE the stand (Awareness)
2. They smell the lemonade (Interest)
3. They check the menu (Consideration)
4. They buy a cup (Purchase)
5. They come back next week! (Loyalty)

Mix of Inbound + Outbound:

• Outbound: Giving free samples, putting up signs
• Inbound: Happy customers posting on social media, word spreading

🌟 Your Marketing Superpower Checklist

✅ Know your Marketing Concepts – WHO, WHAT, HOW

✅ Understand the Funnel – Awareness → Loyalty

✅ Make smart Product Decisions – Solve real problems

✅ Set the right Price – Not too high, not too low

✅ Choose the best Place – Be where customers are

✅ Master Promotion – Tell the world!

✅ Balance Inbound – Attract them to you

✅ Use Outbound – Go find them too

Now YOU know how to market anything – from lemonade to rocket ships! 🚀

The secret? Think about your customers first. What do THEY want? Where do THEY go? How can YOU make their life better?

You’ve got this! 💪