What is Pragmatic Marketing?6 min read

what is pragmatic marketing

In simple terms, pragmatic marketing is a product development and marketing process that continually adapts itself based on what customers desire. This marketing strategy focuses on testing and readapting until the final product meets customers’ needs and expectations.

The core objective of pragmatic marketing

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The primary objective of pragmatic marketing is to deliver exact products customers are looking for or those specified by customers. Through a series of product adaptation and tests, a company is able to offer products as precisely specified by customers. For example, a company may design a smartphone for a particular audience and use a small audience to test it. Based on the feedback, the company will readapt the phone to precisely address user demand before it enters the market.

Product life cycle

As mentioned earlier, pragmatic marketing focuses on matching a product to the market needs during the development process. This involves a series of testing and adaptation to come up with a customer-centric product throughout the product life cycle. In some cases, testing and readapting go past the first launch.

Here is what happens during the product life cycle:

  • Interviewing customers to understand what they want.
  • Creating a prototype that incorporates as many of their requests as possible.
  • Having a fraction of the target customers test out the prototype.
  • Collect feedback and use it to make the second prototype.
  • Sharing the prototype with the customer again, hearing what they have to say and make the necessary adjustments.
  • Repeat the testing and improvement cycles until all testers give positive feedback.
  • Launch the product to the public.

Marketing channels

marketing

Using multiple channels in pragmatic marketing is very crucial. Apple is a good example of companies that widely include multiple channels in pragmatic marketing. For example, weeks before launching a new product, they always create a buzz about the rumored product. That way, target customers are sure of what to expect.

Timing of launches

The right time to launch a product is when customer curiosity is at the peak. Therefore knowing when to launch your products is very crucial. A good plan can help schedule the perfect time to launch your products. The same plan can guide you in case some distractions pop up. Apple, for example, has specific times when it launches its new products.

Positioning and messaging

 

Making sure target customers clearly What is Pragmatic Marketing? 3understand your new product and how valuable it is to them is very crucial. This involves going above and beyond to present the benefits of your products. You can do this by advertising your product in a way you are satisfied target customers will get the message.

Pragmatic marketing framework

There are many benefits linked to using a pragmatic marketing framework. For example, this framework makes sure you are on the same marketing page as a team. Further, it helps you focus on creating a profitable product. With that in mind, let’s have a look at some key things to consider when using this framework:

  • Have a clear knowledge of areas to focus on when using this framework. This is more crucial than just knowing which parts are functional.
  • In pragmatic marketing, individual factors multiply rather than add.
  • Creating a product is a high-risk venture with a high failure rate. So be prepared to deal with all the shortcomings.

How pragmatic marketing framework works

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Know market problems

The first step in interacting with potential customers to identify potential gaps in the market. You can as well consult recent evaluations. Start by addressing the most burning issues.

Conduct win and loss analysis

What is Pragmatic Marketing? 4

Why did current evaluators purchase or decided not to purchase the products? What steps did they follow when buying? Research and apply these findings.

Evaluate distinctive competencies

Assess and determine if you can deliver to the market. You can do the following to evaluate:

  • Use 20-30 win interviews to gauge strengths, loss, and weaknesses.
  • Used use-cases that will assist you find a precise market segmentation.
  • Use win on usability for buyer-centric use cases.

Research your competitors

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Find out what they are offering, what is unique about them, their strength and weaknesses, and source for any other information you think will give you an edge. That way, it will be easier for you to come up with a marketing strategy to wrestle them.

Asses all your assets

This includes brochures, emails, blog content, social media posts, and other marketing mediums. See how you can leverage them to get the message across.

The pragmatic marketing focus

focus

Only focus on those activities that boost the highest potential in your organization.

  • Define your industry and market

Focus on targeted markets to understand market segments to pursue. Target market segments must be able to support your business today and in the coming days.

  • Develop a distribution strategy

Identify all channels that will directly or indirectly support the buying process. Learn more here about the distribution model.

  • Create a product portfolio

This includes using insights and strategies like marketing plans, business plans, market requirements, positioning that are focused on the market.

Pragmatic marketing and agile software development: Is it possible to combine the two?

Both pragmatic marketing and agile software development share a number of similarities.

First, both approaches require finding out what the customer really wants. Series of testing and redesigning follow until the final product evolves. Both approaches are also based on the idea that presenting a product in the right way boosts sales.

According to Barbara Nelson and Stacey, agile software development is not the best approach if not sure about the product you want to develop. This approach will not help you decide what must be built. Luckily, pragmatic marketing steps in where agile software development fails and where taking action is necessary. It is, therefore, wise to use the two where applicable.

Pragmatic marketing commandments

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  1. Project management must do its job; else, other departments will fill its void.
  2. Spend more time on foundational strategies and cut the time used for tactical approaches.
  3. Market problems decide what goes into the product.
  4. First position the product, then name it.
  5. The outside-in approach enhances the chances of product success.
  6. Focus more on building urgent solutions.
  7. Consulting professionals when building the product is an absolute must.
  8. Use your distribution strategies with their personas and their problems.
  9. Use product management and business plan on every product.
  10. Use positioning to focus on what you can do for the buyers.
  11. Your sales channel is not expected to carry a win/loss analysis.
  12. You must express your distinctive competence—what sets your product apart.
  13. Use market segments that add value to your distinctive competence.
  14. Even if your opinion is interesting, it is irrelevant.
  15. Most of the answers to your questions won’t be found in your own building.

Conclusion

With businesses focusing on customer satisfaction than ever, there is a need to come up with a way to address their satisfaction. With traditional approaches offering little to no help today, pragmatic marketing is the way forward. Are you implementing this approach? We would be happy to hear from you.

 

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