Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

Marketing Circle: Reflection and Research

Introduction

Once we are committed to marketing ourselves, naturally we will look for efficient tools and procedures. Where do we begin? How much time and money do we have to devote? How difficult does it have to be? Through the marketing circle, Community Literacy of Ontario is providing a tool that is easy to use right away and yet works well for more complex and in-depth marketing needs. It allows you to control how you expend your marketing resources.

In this section we will begin the marketing circle¹. You can see from the diagram that actions flow one into another. Each marketing sequence informs the next. No decisions are made or actions taken in isolation. You can decide how much time, effort and material to spend on each component.

In order to understand the marketing circle, we will begin at the top and work our way around, just as we would if we were using it for a marketing project. Don't worry: as you work your way through the circle, the marketing terminology will become clearer.

The circle is meant to be used as a complete tool. The marketing circle as a whole safeguards against endless speculation in the research and reflection phase and hair-splitting in the segmentation and targeting section. It does this by propelling us toward the marketing mix and positioning, which encourages us to action. After buy-in we are galvanized into activity, delivering what we have promised in our marketing mix. Follow-up provides us the opportunity to correct and fine-tune so that the information upon which we reflect directly affects the implementation of our marketing plan.

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Elements of Reflection and Research

As with all strategic undertakings, reflection and research come first. Ideally, our marketing should work this way. Of course, sometimes marketing opportunities are thrust upon us. We scramble to get some materials together or participate in a last-minute photo opportunity. Often, we can think of just the right things to say after the press has left. These situations come and go, but they should not be central to our marketing. Good marketing begins with reflection and research. Using this reflective process, we don't react to good marketing: we generate good marketing. Reflection and research are about clear and strategic thinking. Here are some of the elements that might belong to your reflection and research.

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1. Several versions of a marketing circle or cycle have been developed by various authors. Most give reference to an overview of marketing. The marketing circle used in this training module is based on the one illustrated in Small Business Marketing for Dummies, 2005.

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