Today's large organizations, both business firms and not-for-profit organizations, are often divided into three levels: the corporate, business unit, and functional levels.
Marketing has a role in all three levels by keeping a focus on customers and finding ways to add genuine customer value. At the lowest level, marketing serves as part of a team of functional specialists whose day-to-day actions actually involve customers and create customer value.
Organizations exist to accomplish something for someone. To give itself focus, an organization continuously assesses its business, mission, and goals.
Setting strategic directions for an organization involves asking "Where are we now?" to assess the organization's customers, competencies, and competitors. It also involves asking "Where do we want to go?" and using techniques like portfolio analysis and market-product analysis.
The strategic marketing process involves an organization allocating its marketing mix resources to reach its target markets using three phases: planning, implementation, and control.
The planning phase of the strategic marketing process has three steps, each with more specific elements: situation (SWOT) analysis, market-product focus and goal setting, and marketing program.
The implementation phase of the strategic marketing process has four key elements: obtaining resources, designing the marketing organization, developing schedules, and executing the marketing program.
The control phase of the strategic marketing process involves comparing results with the planned targets to identify deviations and taking actions to correct negative deviations and exploit positive ones.
