If you are a company that wants to optimize your marketing strategies, then you are in the right place!
Using the “4 Levels of Marketing Problems” framework , this article will walk you through fundamental strategies that every business should know.
Whether you are a growing business or an established company, these strategies will help you prioritize and address your marketing issues in order of importance.
SOURCE
Digital marketing Emanuela Incarbone
But first… a brief introduction!
Importance of Marketing Consulting for Businesses
Every business wants success, growth and recognition. But achieving these goals is not always easy. Marketing consulting is a key element in guiding companies towards these goals.
Without a clear and well-defined marketing strategy, businesses risk sailing blindly , missing out on valuable opportunities and potential customers.
The value of marketing consulting lies in its ability to provide clarity. It allows companies to identify what works, what can be improved, and where the greatest opportunities lie.
More than a simple exercise in self-analysis, marketing consultancy offers concrete strategies to highlight and enhance a company’s products or services.
Beyond theory, action is what matters!
Having a marketing consultant by your side ensures that every action you take is informed, targeted, and most importantly, effective in achieving your business goals.
If you’re ready to take your marketing to the next level, keep reading
“4 Levels of Marketing Problems” Framework
The “4 Levels of Marketing Problems” Framework is an essential strategic guide for companies that want to successfully navigate the complex world of marketing. By distinguishing between product, strategic, structural, and surface problems, this model provides a clear path to prioritize marketing initiatives based on their relevance and potential impact.
1.Product Issues
This first level is fundamental because it is here that the intrinsic value of the company’s offering is defined.
A strong product must be supported by a deep understanding of the market and the ideal customer.
Your market research needs to go beyond simple demographics, exploring customer needs, wants and behaviors. With this information, you can refine your Value Proposition and Messaging so that it speaks directly to your audience, ensuring that every dollar spent on marketing brings a significant return.
Through surveys, interviews, and data analysis, you’ll gain a clear overview of how your customers perceive your brand, what their needs are, and how you can better meet them by positioning your product in a way that authentically resonates with those most likely to purchase.
Understanding your market is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Market research is not just a to-do list item, but the cornerstone of any successful marketing strategy.
Action to take
Get started today! Schedule a survey of your current customers. You can use online tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms. Ask them what they like most about your products or services and where they see room for improvement.
This will provide you with valuable insights into where to position yourself and what opportunities to exploit for new launches.
Competitor analysis and benchmarking
Competitive analysis and benchmarking are two critical processes that provide a clear view of the market landscape and help companies make informed choices.
Action to take
Detailed Competitor Analysis : Identify the main competitors in your industry and analyze their offerings, prices, strengths and weaknesses. Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to understand their online presence and the keywords they focus on.
Physical or Digital Visit : If possible, visit your competitors’ physical stores or browse their websites and apps. Evaluate their customer experience, usability, and the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.
Industry Benchmarking : Identify the leading companies in your industry, even if they are not direct competitors. Analyze their best practices and consider how you might adopt or adapt them to your reality.
Direct Feedback :
Ask your customers what they think of your competitors, what products/services they prefer and why. This information can provide valuable insights into how to improve your offering.
Remember, action is key. Market research is not a “one-time” activity. It needs to be repeated regularly to ensure you stay in tune with changing customer needs and market trends.
By doing so, you will always be one step ahead, ready to develop products or services that perfectly meet the needs of your audience.
2.Strategic Problems
The second level of the framework addresses “Strategic Problems,” which are critical to defining how the company positions itself in the market and how its offering differentiates itself from the competition. This level includes positioning, offering, team, and testing , which are crucial to outlining the overall strategic direction of the company.
Positioning is the act of defining the place a product intends to occupy in the mind of the consumer, and is closely linked to the offering , which is the total proposal that the company makes to the customer.
To develop a competitive offering, it is necessary to consider pricing, that is, the pricing strategy that not only covers costs and generates profit, but also aligns with the value perceived by the customer.
A key aspect at this level is the setting of objectives and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), which allow to measure the effectiveness of the strategies implemented and the efficiency with which resources, including the budget, are allocated.
These indicators are essential to ensure that the team is focused on strategic objectives and to evaluate whether marketing actions are leading to the desired results.
Action to take
Develop a clear offering strategy that communicates the unique value of your product or service.
Make sure your pricing reflects both your customer’s perceived value and your position in the market.
Define strategic goals and KPIs to measure progress and performance.
This will allow you to make informed budget choices and ensure that every dollar you invest in marketing contributes to achieving your business goals.
By carefully managing these strategic aspects — offering, positioning, pricing, KPIs, objectives and budget — you can build a solid foundation for your marketing activities and ensure that your team is equipped to effectively achieve its goals.
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The third level of our framework concerns “Structure Problems”, which focus on the processes and infrastructure needed to execute marketing strategies.
This level includes understanding marketing consulting: strategies every business should know the context in which the company operates, the internal processes that support the execution of strategies, and the use of tools and technologies to bx leads optimize and automate marketing operations.
At this level, data analysis and the use of information to make informed strategic decisions are essential.
Understanding context is not just about knowing the market and competitors but extends to analyzing current trends, consumer behaviors and emerging technologies.
This requires adopting advanced analytics tools and implementing processes that enable you to collect, analyze, and act on the data you collect.
Action to take
Implement processes to constantly monitor the market environment and collect data about your customers.
Use this information to refine your marketing strategy, adapting your offerings and communications to your audience’s changing needs and expectations. Additionally, leverage digital technologies to automate marketing processes, such as email marketing campaigns, social media management, and web traffic analysis. This not only increases efficiency but also allows you to personalize customer interactions, improving the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Additionally, it is important that internal processes are flexible and able to adapt quickly to new information or changes in the market. This includes having a well-coordinated team that can execute marketing strategies in an agile manner and always being ready to test new ideas or approaches to see what works best.
Finally, design and creativity play an important role at this level, ensuring that marketing messages are presented in a way that captures attention and resonates with the target audience.
This can include using compelling visual assets, creating content that educates and informs, and implementing innovative campaigns that stand out in the marketplace.
By addressing these “Structural Problems,” companies can build a solid marketing infrastructure that supports effective strategy execution, ensuring that each initiative is well-founded in a deep understanding of the market and is executed through efficient processes and advanced technologies.
4.Superficial Problems
The fourth and final level of our framework focuses on “Surface Problems,” which involve the most visible and directly interactive elements of marketing, such as narrative, content, communication channels, and copywriting.
These elements represent the tip of the iceberg of your marketing strategies, being the first points of contact between your company and your audience.
At this level, the importance of clear, relevant and strategic communication is fundamental.
It’s not just about conveying messages, but doing so in a way that truly resonates with your target audience, establishing an emotional connection and providing value.
This requires a deep understanding of the most effective platforms for reaching your audience and the types of content that generate the most engagement.
Action to take
To maximize impact at this level, it’s essential to carefully select the channels through which you communicate. Whether it’s Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, or an industry-specific forum, your choice should reflect where your audience spends most of their time online.
Customize your message for each channel, ensuring that the tone, style and format are appropriate for both the platform and the audience.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is another crucial aspect, ensuring that your messages are easily found online by those looking for information relevant to your products or services.
At the same time, don’t underestimate the power of quality content —whether it’s articles, videos, or infographics—to attract and retain your audience’s interest.
Additionally, real-time interaction with your customers, through live chat or bots, can significantly improve the user experience on your website, providing immediate answers to their questions and guiding them towards a purchasing decision.
Finally, video marketing represents a powerful storytelling tool in the digital age , offering a direct and engaging way to communicate the value of your product or service.
Effectively addressing “Superficial Problems” means not only grabbing your audience’s attention but also building lasting relationships, through content that informs, entertains and inspires.
This level of marketing strategy, while the last in the framework, is crucial to turning interest into action and contributing to the overall success of your marketing efforts.
Identifying and segmenting your target audience
Understanding and connecting with your audience is like having the key to success in your hands. Identifying who they are, what they want and how to behave allows you to create targeted and incisive marketing strategies.
Audience segmentation goes beyond simple demographics; it involves understanding their aspirations, desires, and behaviors.
Action to take
Dive Deep : Go beyond the surface data. For example, if you’re selling a bicycle, don’t just look at who searches for “bicycles” online, but also who searches for “bike routes,” “two-wheeled workouts,” or “benefits of cycling.”
Real Conversations : Conduct small focus groups or one-on-one interviews. Sometimes, a face-to-face conversation can reveal much more than a cold data analysis.
Innovative Monitoring : Use modern analytics tools like artificial intelligence to examine social media trends or discover new emerging market niches.
Experiment Small : Before launching a big campaign, test your ideas on a small segment of your audience. Analyze the results and adjust accordingly.
Taking these actions will help you understand your audience on a deeper level, allowing you to create marketing campaigns that are truly resonant and authentic.
Marketing Communication and Promotion
In an era where we are bombarded with messages from all sides, clarity, relevance and strategy in communication and promotion are essential. It is not just about talking, but talking in the right way and to the right audience.
Action to take
Channel Selection : Before deciding how to communicate, it is important to know where your audience is. Analyze where they spend most of their time online: is it on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube or an industry-specific forum? Direct your communication there.
Calibrate Your Message : Tailor your message to your channel and audience. A Facebook ad campaign will need a different tone than a LinkedIn post.
Monitor and Adapt : Use tools like Google Analytics and social media platform insights to monitor the effectiveness of your campaigns. If something isn’t working as expected, adapt and try something new.
SEO is your friend
Don’t underestimate the power of appearing at the top of search engines. Optimize your website with relevant keywords , quality content, and valuable external links.
