Introduction
Star Bucks Coffee targets every person who loves beverages, coffee being the major product. Thus, the target market can be young and old, male or female and from any region. However, to achieve its target and face off competition, it has to apply several marketing strategies that aim to make their product widely known, thus, advertised largely.
Personal Selling and Direct Marketing
Personal selling is one of an advertising trait that the Coffee shop needs to apply, which will serve as the best tool in terms of convincing the consumer. Personal technique involves direct approaching of the target market by a marketing representative of the Coffee shop, which comes along with appropriate communication skills that will enable the personnel to convince the client about the coffee ranges offered that can suit the his/her taste. Personal selling techniques will serve the greatest advantage to the business since the sales personnel can easily interact with the consumer, convince them pertaining the wide range of coffee products and help the present, new and potential clients in decision making. Another advantage is the interactive communication which will aid in the sales marketing representatives in presenting their selling techniques to suit the potential consumer of the coffee product, and at the same time fit enough for presentation by the marketer (Cant & Van 2004. pg., 35).
Direct marketing comes in handy with personal selling, which involves direct interaction with the consumer in question. It can involve face-to face communication or via oral telephone conversation. Star Bucks Coffee can incorporate personal selling and direct marketing by; using marketers as order-taking personnel. Through that process, they will interact with the consumers and explain the wider range of the products in a creative, systematic and convincing manner. Arguably, the sales person can be an order taker standing behind the counter, who aids the consumer in selecting the coffee taste he/she likes and in turn explains and answers all questions the customer asks.
Internet Marketing and Social Media
Internet marketing and the use of social media to promote the coffee product will involve the extensive use of internet in presenting the different brands they offer in terms of beverages and their main product. Internet and social media involve the use of interactive sites such as Facebook, twitter, blogs, emails, coupon sites, you tube among others. For the business, advertising a product in such social cites encourage consumers to interact, share and learn more about the product that the coffee shop has to offer. Creating blogs, social sites account and inviting people to the page will serve as a promotional role of the product, since, internet has been the common use of communication today, and it will encourage potential and new customers in using the products that Star Bucks Coffee shop has to offer. Internet has a broad reach, cheap, easy to access and faster as compared to any other promotional method (Zarrella, 2010, pg., 77-83). Thus, for the Coffee shop to woo more customers, the should create lucrative page that is appealing to customers and give them a reason to “tweet”, “share” or give an internet word of mouth concerning the product. For example, coffee shop can introduce a system where they reward loyal customers via the net, a statement like “share this update about Star Bucks Coffee shop and get one free cup of beverage you like form our shop.”
Star Buck Coffee shop has the advantage of implementing various promotional products that are relatively cheap and at the same time the best as compared to other strategies as outdoor advertising. The fact that a marketing personnel can be utilized in other fields as well as encourage the diverse consumption of the brands produced by the shop. It also encourages customer satisfaction of needs through different product presentation while helping out customers and answering questions that the customers would like to know. Also, the use of internet promotes integration and cohesiveness of the sellers and serves the leading role in encouraging the use of products through incentives created by the coffee shop.
Contrary to the advantages, there lie disadvantages such as malicious people on the internet who might take advantage of the posts and try to spread wrong information about the product. Often, the competitors might try and use the internet as a completion source and employ the same techniques while defacing the actual producers of the brand.
Conclusion
Different promotional techniques are used by different organizations pertaining the use of promotional techniques in encouraging the use of their product. As or the Star Bucks Coffee shop, the incorporating of direct marketing involving personal selling and the use of internet and social media to encourage the use of their products serves the best way of interacting with their consumers. With this, the shop learns to get the needs of the consumers, put into mind the questions they raise including the ideas they share on improving their product. Thus, the two ways are the best in establishing relationship, although much care needs to be put when it comes to internet and social media since it can serve as a defacing element for the shop.
References
Cant, M. C., & Van, H. N. (2004). Personal selling. Lansdowne, South Africa: Juta.
Zarrella, D. (2010). The social media marketing book. Beijing: O'Reilly.
