Export Marketing Problems - Essay Example

Marketing research By Presented to Executive Summary Past research has made extensive efforts towards identifying export marketing problems among manufacturing firms in the United Kingdom. The efforts have been directed towards exploration and description of the major export problems. Even though there are wider network applications in business contexts, recent marketing approaches in the UK companies have engaged networks where more mechanisms are used in breaking export-marketing barriers. Experiences of such networks are important among different manufacturing firms in the UK. In the light of such argument, this paper aims at reviewing the current state of marketing knowledge on different networks that can be used in solving export-marketing problems among UK manufacturing firms. The essay synthesizes the outcomes through a qualitative model that consists of determining factors among successful export organizations. Marketing variables focus on the export marketing problems within the UK manufacturing industry. In particular, some of the experiences within the UK have complex marketing with networks for both small and medium enterprises while facilitating access of developing new export markets while providing useful insights. Even though broad knowledge in global marketing exists, export problems in the UK are based on time, state, industry, and country where most export problems among SMEs have similarities. Resemblance of the marketing networks is expected to broaden the restricted capacities of individual companies while investing in sunk costs engaged in substantiating export markets. Introduction Exports from the UK encounters major marketing problems defined by export marketing problems such as gaps that should be filed prior competitive producers translate into successful exporters. Problems in export marketing provoke failure in business operations for foreign environments and bring financial losses together with negative attitudes to international activities of current and would-be exporters. Further, export marketing problems are classified as either external or internal. Internal export marketing issues are intrinsic to a firm and are associated with higher levels of insufficient organizational resources based on export marketing. For instance, problems relating to meeting import quality standards as well as establishing suitable designs and the export market image relate to poor organization from export departments. There are issues with the firm’s shortage of competent personnel administering exporting activities as well as an inability of financing exports (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 34). In some cases, companies experience insufficient information for overseas markets such as identification of viable overseas communications and distributors with the overseas customers. Even though there is a critical fragmentation, they are constitutive of internal issues influencing export performance among the UK manufacturing firms for different countries and penetrating new foreign markets. External export issues relate to the perforating industry such as export markets and macro environments. The intensities of exporting activities coupled with nature of strategies in export marketing on different scales across industries. The implication is largely based on the varying scope and participation of industries. Industry structure a critical determinant of the marketing strategy that a firm takes in domestic market contexts. For purposes of developing ideal export marketing strategies, the differences of market systems, presence and firm sizes for foreign competitors in such markets should be considered. Technology and price intensity competition within the industry are essential determinants of marketing strategies. Barriers in the macro environment are substantive factors past a firm’s control including lack of favorable trade institutions, inappropriate exchange rates, absence of international agreements and policy stimulating national exports. The problems are classified as a firm’s exogenous economic barriers. Problem Definition Firms in the UK take different marketing measures in alleviating problems in internal and external export. Networks are engaged used such purposes. The scope that marketing systems are modified as vertical and long term networks or relationships among firms has a clear expression of preferences in non-market governance within markets and hierarchical governance forms. The decisions upon which firms enter into network relationships with subsequent firms’ influence the willingness of management in abdicating autonomy and acquire resources within external environments. The UK firms recognizing the potential of joint value creation as well as attaching less relevance to the preservation of their independence have a high likelihood of linking themselves to external environments. Networks are categorized in terms of horizontal and vertical networks. The ultimate goal of the marketing shift defines vertical networks through co-operative relationships of producers, buyers and suppliers that focus on exerting solutions to marketing problems and improving production efficiencies. The alternative observation is exploitation of more market opportunities. Such definition allows for the consideration of subcontracting relationships through marketing networks. Vertical networks are established through marketing channel networks (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 234). Marketing channels in the UK are networks with the ability of efficiently promoting, modifying and moving goods to diverse markets. Such performance includes channel participants that add value to products while sharing market risk and profit with partners across the channels. The co-operation opportunities among competitors for horizontal network relationships are plenty. Global competition includes firms within a similar business co-operating to realize ultimate marketing objectives. Horizontal networks are co-operative network relationships between different manufacturers seeking to solve common marketing problems through improvement of production efficiency and exploitation of market opportunities based on resource sharing and mobilization. Most initiatives are popular for advancing export-grouping networks. Analysis of such distinguishes emergence of networks within processes of network development and overall performance. There are formulations of conditions for the emergence of success in export marketing and appropriation of co-operative networks. Common opportunities or problems exist in the UK retail and manufacturing markets. The implication is lack of reliable export market information, limited trained human power capacity and lack of capacities of meeting market requirements in terms of quality and design. Companies prefer joint responses and products are marketed through co-operative elements, and income formation relates to organizational budgets (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 104). The conditions are accompanied with conclusion in which inter-organizational relationships formulate impact based on internal needs for resources and commitment towards external problems and opportunities. Firms can focus their analysis in second phase marketing to the network development process through outlining major determinants successful of performance and operation of export grouping networks in global marketing. Research Method and Limitations One of the determinants in the progress concerns the evolution of the group’s attitude towards cohesion, commitment, and solidarity. The number of firms involved within the process is of importance as group cohesiveness in marketing increases gradually, and members are in a position of spending more time together. On the contrary, the expansion of the group’s size and interaction with the members is more difficult while expounding the abilities of maintaining common goals. The marketing group composition is important as greater substitutability among different products within firms lead to a higher likelihood of promoting competition other than co-operation. However, it is not clear that co-operating firms develop complementary products. The competition element is managed through groups export operations based on handling of relatively independent parties. The common external threats of group’s members also draw strategies together. Abilities in making grouping concept in marketing work depend on the critical people within particular elements of abilities in working together. Away from the change facilitators or agents, marketing constraints such a limited distribution channels also facilitate this process(Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 271). The individuals continue initiating the concepts of co-operation among would-be partners while helping them into the realization. The external change agent plays crucial roles in promoting proper marketing ideas within the group while positively guiding the grouping activities and providing links to support infrastructure. The other success determinants for in the framework concerns evolution of activities in foreign market penetration. The factor comprises all network initiatives aimed at acquiring foreign market knowledge and marketing experiences while solving external and internal export problems, support infrastructure and contacts with foreign partners. Initial market activities continue facilitating network’s evolution while increasing commitment, cohesiveness, and solidarity. However, proper functioning requires that firms build strong network relationships prior starting efforts of foreign market penetration. A critical relevance of employing Social Media marketing in communications tools is that it allows companies to have increased accessibility to individuals sharing interests in their products. The concept also makes the product offerings more visible among clients without the knowledge about the products(Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 821). Such companies apply social media in creating buzz, learning from and targeting potential and repeat customers. Social media marketing is a critical form of marketing in which consumers at all stages are through based on consumer decisions. Marketing based on social media bears consecutive benefits in the end. A top factor correlating with strong organic search on Google is dependents on social media. Research Findings The concept means that where brands remain nonactive or less for elements of social media, there is a tendency of showing up fewer relationships to Google searches. Even as platforms like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter with larger scopes of monthly users. However, visual media sharing through mobile platforms garners higher rates of the interaction register the fastest growth as compared to other mainstream media. The platforms change the approaches upon which consumers create brand content. Instagram increased the levels of interaction rate by 1.47% to reach an average of 140 million users on a monthly basis as opposed to Twitter with 0.03% interaction rates and the total of 210 million users monthly. Away from traditional media that are cost-prohibitive among many UK companies, social media strategies do not necessitate astronomical budgeting. UK companies can engage the utilization of platforms like Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook for reaching out to audiences with the wider scope. Previously, companies used advertisements on traditional platforms such as print, TV, and radio alone through fractions of the total costs(Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 632). However, UK companies can use social networking sites at no cost. This concept changes the way in which companies approach various interactions with customers where substantial percentages for consumer interactions are carried out through online platforms and with increased visibility. Customers are in a position of posting products and services reviews through customer service rating and asking questions or voicing direct concerns to firms based on different social media platforms. Therefore, social media marketing is used by different businesses for purposes of building trust relationships with consumers. The goal allows companies to hire personnel with specific abilities of handling the social media interactions. The personnel usually report through the ‘Online community managers’ title. Handling such interactions to satisfactory levels results allows for increment of consumer trust. This aim, as well as fixation of the perception of a company by the public, is addressed in different levels of consumer concerns (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 45). The first step identifies the scope of social chatter; engage the influencers towards help and the development of proportional responses. Recommendations Twitter allows firms promote their products using short marketing messages of 140 characters appearing on home pages of the followers. Messages link to such product’s website, photos, Facebook profile, and videos. Facebook pages have more detail as compared to Twitter accounts. They permit products to provide photos, videos, and longer testimonials, and descriptions among the followers commenting on distinct product pages for all people. Facebook links back to the Twitter page of the product while sending out several event reminders (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 92). Studies attribute 84% of clicks or "engagement" to Likes linking back to the element of Facebook advertising. Analysis about Facebooks widely content restriction as published within brands and businesses Pages is a factor of consideration. "Zero" refers to projected percentages of followers of a given Page, who are in a position of seeing posts from the Page on personal News Feeds. Authors observe that frequent adjustments within Facebook algorithms reduce organic reach among non-paying business pages, especially those with at least 500,000 ‘Likes’ from 17 percent around 2012 to 2 percent in the month of February 2014(Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 27). Google+ adds onto other pages and features of Facebook to provide a platform that integrates with Google search engines. Some of the Google products are integrated to facilitate elements of Google Maps and Google Adwords. The Google Personalized Search development among other services of location-based searches, Google+, provides for methods in targeted advertising, navigation services, among other marketing and promotion forms that are location-based. Google+ is also beneficial in advancing various digital marketing campaigns and in social media marketing. Authorship in Google+ is popular for having significant benefits on a search engine optimization on websites prior the relationship was withdrawn by Google. To this end, Google+ remains to be a fast growing social media network that benefits most businesses. LinkedIn is a business-related site that facilitates companies venture in creation of professional profiles by themselves and their business for purposes of networking and meeting others. The application of widgets and members promotes the different social networking activities like blog entries or Twitter stream of the product pages and other forms of LinkedIn profile pages. LinkedIn allows members to embrace the opportunity of generating business partners and sales leads. Members use such “Company Pages” like they would in Facebook pages for purposes of creating areas that allow business owners promote their services or products while interacting with other customers (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 91). The spread of job seekers receiving spam mail is annoying, and leading companies opt to engage LinkedIn for in the recruitment of employees other than using subsequent job portals. Companies’ voice preference for higher information amounts gleaned from LinkedIn profile against limited email. YouTube is a social medium marketing popular avenue where advertisements are achieved through ways that suit target audiences. The scope and nature of language engaged used within the commercials as well as ideas used in promoting the product are a reflection of the style and taste of the audiences. Further, ads on such platforms have sync with the content from the videos requested, and it provides further advantages to YouTube application as it is available to advertisers. Different ads are displayed with certain videos because the content is related and relevant. Promotional opportunities like sponsoring a video have a broad possibility on YouTube such as users searching for YouTube videos regarding manufactured goods in the UK may be having sponsored videos from an advertising company alongside the search results of the other videos (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 83). YouTube also enables publishers earn money based on the YouTube Partner Program. Yelp is an application that consists of comprehensive online indexing of different business profiles. A number of organizations are searchable based on location like it is with Yellow Pages. The online platform website offers an operational channel in various countries. Organizational account holders share, edits, and creates business profiles with much ease. The firms can post information for contact information, business location, pictures, as well as service information. Websites of this kind allow individuals to write and post reviews on various businesses while rating them across five-point scales. Talk and messaging features are made available among general members for the website as it serves as a guide for opinions and thoughts. The Foursquare application is a social networking website that is location based and users check into locations for purposes of Swarming apps within their smart phones. Foursquare enables businesses create pages or new existing venues. Good marketing strategies among businesses allow for the increment of foot traffic and retention of loyal customers such as offering incentives like discounts and free products for individuals checking in such locations. The Instagram application had close to 200 million users in May 2014. The engagement rate of Instagram users was 15 times more than that of Facebook during 25 times that of Twitter. Currently, 94 percent of world’s most prestige brands engage active presence through Instagram while including it across their marketing mixes. Brands and businesses are Instagrams goal in helping companies reach respective audiences based on captivating imagery for rich and visual environments. Instagram provides viable platforms in which users and companies in the UK can publicly and directly communicate (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 91). Such attributes make Instagram an ideal platform that companies can use in connecting with potential and current customers. Websites such as Digg, Delicious, Reddit and Slashdot are some of the famous social bookmarking sites engaged in social media marketing. Each site is dedicated towards creation, collection, and organization of such links among different websites. The process is sourced from crowds and allows members sort and prioritize different links through their general category and relevance. The larger user bases for the websites provide links among different elements where smaller website results in flash crowds. User generated promotion adds to the facilities that the sites offer advertisements in individual user categories and communities. The fact that ads are placed within designated communities and specific target audiences and demographics are established, there is greater potential in terms of traffic generation as compared to ads selected based on cookies and browser histories (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 72). Some websites implement measures aimed at making ads relevant to target users through allowing users vote on the ones to be frequently shown on their pages. The concept of redirecting large web traffic volumes and targeting specific and relevant audiences allows social bookmarking sites to be a valuable asset among social media marketers. Platforms such as LinkedIn allow for the creation of environments that clients and companies can connect online (Aaker, Kumar, Day & Leone, 2009, p 234 86). Firms that identify the essence of information, accessibility, and originality employ blogs that make each of their products unique and popular, and reach consumers privy to platforms of social media. Blogs promote products or companies in providing longer products or services descriptions through the inclusion of testimonials that link other social networks to blogging pages. Blogs are frequently updated and allow the development of promotional techniques that keep customers and acquisition of subscribers and followers who are directed towards social network pages. The online communities enable businesses reach clients from other businesses through the platform. For purposes of allowing UK companies measure their rating across the corporate world, websites such as Glassdoor enable workers place evaluations for their respective companies. Other businesses do not prefer integrating their social media platforms to the traditional marketing concepts. There are specific standards at corporate level that applies interaction elements on online basis. For purposes of maintaining an advantage for business-consumer relationships, the UK businesses should be aware of the assets which consumers maintain in terms of involvement, information, control, and community. Conclusion The essay showed that marketing networks can be used in solving export-marketing problems among manufacturing firms in the UK. The platform offers a critical approach in solving internal export problems that concern quality, financial, information or organizational problems. Social media marketing accommodates external export problems that relate to export markets and the overall industry. The broader roles of such networks play an important role without systematic documentation and lack of agreement to essential factors for success. The model offers efforts of filling the gap. The proposals in this paper capture variables relating to emergence and development processes for purposes of increasing achievement among networks. Case studies provide plenty of support within the model while complementing outcomes with additional variables such as learning, trust, personal relationships as well as forward and backward linkages through advancing critical network successes. Network development offers a high influence to the key factors. There are elements of marketing evolution for different foreign activities as well as the evolution of cohesion, commitment, and solidarity. The success of a marketing network within penetrating foreign markets allows for increased access to various foreign marketing experience and knowledge as well as access to supportive infrastructure that facilitates network development. The firms’ experiences in export promotion illustrate that there is a possibility in initiation and development of effective network relationships where the entrepreneurs do not have previous relationships with one another. However, incentives sources from external parties do not substitute clearly perceived logic among relationships as well as beneficial outcomes. Mutual interests coupled with active participation among group members offers preconditions for success and the presupposition of the models. Network development is demand-oriented and makes explicit stresses on the relevance of market problems and opportunities. Networks should be based on extensive analysis for market or problems opportunities. There are arguments for outside instigators playing important roles. UK’s manufacturing firms face financial inflexibility and lack of skilled labor force where network instigators play extensive roles in network emergence as well as network development processes. The export marketing networks and groupings rely on tasks performed based on the external change agents. Reference Aaker, D. A., Kumar, V., Day, G. S., & Leone, R. 2009. Marketing Research. New York: Wiley Read More