Discuss the 4Ps of marketing, establishing and focusing on the ones most relevant to your project

 

(Freepik)

What are the 4ps of marketing?

The four Ps are the main factors that must be carefully examined and put into practise in order to properly market a good or service. Product, price, place, and promotion are the four.

The marketing mix, sometimes known as the four Ps, is frequently used. They cover a variety of elements that are taken into account when marketing a product, such as what consumers want, how the good or service satisfies or falls short of those needs, how the good or service is viewed in society, how it differentiates itself from the competition, and how the business that makes it takes part with its clients (Twin,  2022).

Product 

The first step in developing a marketing strategy is to comprehend the product itself. And why is it required? What does it accomplish that the products of its rivals cannot? Perhaps it's something completely new, and because of its alluring look or usefulness, they will be compelled to buy it right away.

The marketer's responsibility is to describe the product and its benefits to the customer. Distribution of the product depends on its definition as well. Business leaders must have a strategy for dealing with goods at every point of their life cycle, and marketers must be aware of the life cycle of a product (Twin, 2022).

Price

Price is the amount a client is prepared to spend on a good or service. To stay up with consumers who are well-educated, pricing techniques are evolving. For instance, discounting tactics could become ingrained in customers' thoughts over time, causing them to subsequently refuse to pay full price (Kareh, 2022).

Place

Location references to how easily people may obtain a product. When seeking to establish your brand as a household name, choosing shops like Amazon may improve coverage. But, restricting coverage may show scarcity, as in the extreme instance of diamonds, where controlled scarcity drives up costs. With the advent of e-commerce, this "P" recently underwent evolution. Your relationship with distributors may be considerably impacted by your decision to offer a product online (Kareh, 2022).

Promotion

As it encompasses advertising, sales promotions, and PR activities, promotion is the "P" that is most obvious. Although it is more vital than ever to understand your integrated marketing communications (IMC) and where you fit into the marketing funnel, media has changed, and it is crucial to take into account the opinions of people who are most familiar with the new media mix (Kareh, 2022).

I don't think the product and prices are all that important for my shop. The location of the business and the products are the two things that matter the most to me since I own a pharmacy, where the needs of the customers are very essential and what I offer depends on where I am. Because people will always utilise pharmaceuticals and pharmacy items, my promotion is actually not important.

Reference:

Kareh, A. (2022) Council post: Evolution of the four ps: Revisiting the marketing mix, Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/01/03/evolution-of-the-four-ps-revisiting-the-marketing-mix/?sh=160680121120 (Accessed: February 24, 2023).

Twin, A. (2022) The 4 PS of Marketing and how to use them in your strategy, Investopedia. Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/four-ps.asp (Accessed: February 24, 2023).

The largest platform of free graphic resources in the world- freepik (no date) Freepik Company. Available at: https://www.freepikcompany.com/freepik (Accessed: February 24, 2023). 

Research what Alt Tags and Title Tags are in HTML, and discuss how they improve SEO for your E-commerce website

 

(Freepik)

Alt Tags

The written text that replaces an image on a webpage when it fails to load on a user's screen is known as an alt tag, also known as alt text or alt descriptions. This tag enables search engines to more thoroughly crawl and rank your page while also assisting screen-reading software in describing images to users who are blind or visually challenged (Becker, 2022).

According to Becker B. around 38% of Google's SERPs currently display photos, and that number is certain to rise. Hence, despite your greatest SEO efforts, you can still be missing out on your website's photos as a source of organic traffic. How do you tap into this source of traffic? picture alt text (Becker, 20220.

Title Tags

When a webpage is displayed in search engine results, social media posts, and browser tabs, its title is indicated by a title tag, which is a piece of HTML code. One of the simplest strategies to raise your ranks on Google is to optimise your title tags. They tell Google the subject of your page. On a search engine results page, title tags are displayed as links (SERP) (Lyons, 2022). 

Here’s what HTML code for a title tag looks like: 

<title>This is My Title</title>

In general, title tags should be between 50 and 60 characters. This will prevent word breaks on desktop or mobile SERPs.

According to Google, alt text is used to interpret the subject matter of photographs in conjunction with computer vision algorithms and the page's contents. So, alt text aids Google in comprehending the webpage's overall theme as well as the subject matter of the photos. This can enhance the likelihood that your photographs will show up in image search results.

There is indication that title tags affect rankings. The content on your website and its relevance to the user's search query are both determined by Google using the title tag.

In addition, title tags instruct browsers how to show your page's title in three crucial locations: search results, browser tabs, and social media.

The image above shows the SEO that I applied to my website to increase its visibility on search engines.

Reference:

Becker, B. (2022) Image alt text: What it is, how to write it, and why it matters to Seo, HubSpot Blog. HubSpot. Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/image-alt-text (Accessed: February 22, 2023).

Lyons , K. (2022) What is a title tag & how to optimize title tags for google, Semrush Blog. Available at: https://www.semrush.com/blog/title-tag/ (Accessed: February 22, 2023).

Background images - free download on Freepik (2021) Freepik. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background (Accessed: February 22, 2023).

About Pages/Brand Stories research for at least 2 similar (to your project) E-commerce website

 

(Freepik)

One of the most important components of a company's website design process is the About page. However, many business owners don't pay much attention to it or give it much thought. The about page is one of your website's most frequently visited pages and a significant digital asset. It's easy to rapidly fill it with a generic bio and keywords like "innovation" and "excellence." Anyone coming to your website for the first time will be curious to learn more about the business and will go to the About page to do so (Dublino, 2023). 

The about page is written in first person or third person. The third person is often suggested when writing the "About" section of a company website ("She supervises ..."). While the use of first person as often as possible if your website is a personal blog or portfolio ("I have 10 years of experience ..."). Don't blather on. The likelihood is that your reader won't have a very lengthy attention span. Aim to limit your message to 250–500 words. If your "About Me" section is too long, consider breaking up the content with bolding or bullet points (Doyle, 2022).

To draw clients to your organisation, a about us page must have a number of crucial elements. Some of them are listed below:

The Company Values

Organizing what you want to say on your "About" page around a few core principles might help make the chore of outlining your company's mission and values feel less tedious. However, it's crucial to avoid falling into the simple trap of using buzzwords simply because they seem cool: Integrity is listed as a key value by 55% of all Fortune 100 organisations, while teamwork is included by 40% of them. Worthwhile qualities indeed, but they tend to lose their significance when they are used so frequently (Writer, 2021).

Visuals 

Bold language and well-positioned headers are a fantastic place to start when it comes to structuring your page, but the greatest method to grab a reader's attention is with some carefully placed visuals or tables. Even three days after viewing something visually, studies have revealed that people can still remember 65% of the information (Writer, 2021). If you don't have a lot of creative work to showcase, a good image of the workplace or an interesting graph showing the increase in sales from the previous year should be more than sufficient. An excellent technique to break up the text on your page and make your material more enjoyable to read is by using one or two visuals (Writer, 2021).

Your Team 

In order to avoid being perceived as some Wizard of Oz-style "guy behind the curtain," your "About Us" page should humanise your company. A wonderful way to engage your audience and unleash your creativity is to include a photo of yourself and your team as well as some humanising background information (Writer, 2021).

The characters are always the finest part of a tale, and prospective clients would be interested to know what motivates you personally in your line of work. No one knows this tale better than you, as we've previously stated, so don't be shy about sharing it! (Writer, 2021). 

I'm going to look at two pharmaceutical websites' about pages to see how they're constructed after gathering suggestions for how to write a about page.

Boots 

 The first statement on the about page was "The top retailer of health and beauty products in the UK is Boots". The corporate values are one of the most crucial elements on the about page, as we previously stated. Anyone who opens it and notices that they are the best in the UK is inclined to purchase their goods.

https://www.boots-uk.com/

Lloyds Pharmacy 

In contrast to Boots Pharmacy, which was launched 170 years ago, Lloyds Pharmacy was just recently founded. Their profile largely discussed their medical staff and their backgrounds. They use the calibre of their services and their professional standards to draw clients.

https://lloydspharmacy.com/pages/about-lloydspharmacy

Reference:

Doyle, A. (2022) How to write a perfect about me page with examples, The Balance. The Balance. Available at: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-to-write-about-me-page-examples-4142367#toc-tips-for-writing-a-great-about-me-page (Accessed: February 6, 2023).

Dublino, J. (2023) The importance of your website's about page, business.com. Available at: https://www.business.com/articles/importance-of-about-page-on-website/ (Accessed: February 6, 2023).

Writer, M.M. (2021) How to write an about us page: 9 dos and don'ts, Website Builder Expert. Available at: https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/building-websites/how-to-write-an-about-us-page/ (Accessed: February 6, 2023).

Free photo: About as service contact information concept (2021) Freepik. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/about-as-service-contact-information-concept_18421712.htm#query=about%20us&position=1&from_view=search&track=sph (Accessed: February 6, 2023).

Documentation of progress in Website Development (Using Wix). Post should cover signification milestones in the development process

 I'm using the website builder wix.com to make a website. It is a simple and practical method for setting up an online business. Although it isn't complicated, it still needs a lot of work to look good and be simple to use. The initial step was to create a wix account, which would prompt you to select between a manual or automatic starting point. Although there is still a lot of customization to be done, I choose the automatic one.

I was directed to the following stem after picking create modify customised template. I was given the choice to select the kind of template I wanted for my home page. One of a website's most crucial components is its home page, which gives visitors their first impression. If it seems unprofessional or is difficult to use, a consumer may leave and check another one. The fact that largely adults and senior citizens will use my website makes it extremely important. I must keep things really straightforward.

The second group of items I needed to include were the goods that will be sold online. I can add items like wheelchairs and many other medical aids even if the majority of medicine kinds cannot be sold online.

After doing that, I proceeded to make the page resemble the template I had created. I have to update and edit the contact page and home because they are already in default. Before I changed it to my own template, it appeared as follows.

Website homepage wireframe: hand sketch and digital

 The process of creating a website or mobile application's user experience (UX) begins with a wireframe. In the same way that engineers sketch mechanical diagrams and architects begin with blueprint drawings, the idea of generating a wireframe is comparable.

Hand sketch of the website 

Home page 

Team 

Contact page 

My Wireframe for my website using UIZARD template design.

Home page 

About the team 

Contact page 

I used UIZARD to design my templates above. 

Reference;

Velarde, O. (2022) What is a wireframe? guide with types, Benefits & Tips (2022), Visme Blog. Available at: https://visme.co/blog/what-is-a-wireframe/ (Accessed: February 4, 2023).

Website research: including type of E-commerce website you plan to develop, 5 similar websites, model and target market

(Freepik)

 For my pharmacy, I'm setting up an internet store. The drugstore will be called X-Medix and will be situated in Leicester, England's downtown. Business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing will make up the majority of it. All of the services will be located at the website's ribbon, making it simple to browse. We will also provide other services like package packages and online doctor appointments. "Your health is our focus," will be the pharmacy's catchphrase. All ages and genders will be in our target market.

To get an idea, I browsed through various different pharmaceutical websites. The following are a few of them:

Boots 

https://www.boots.com/

Lloyds Pharmacy 

https://lloydspharmacy.com/

Fusion Pharmacy 

https://fusion-pharmacy.co.uk/

Omcare Pharmacy 

https://omcarelatenightpharmacy.co.uk/

Pharmacy2u 

https://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/

After checking all these websites i now have an idea and what i have to add to mine to make it better. 

Reference:

Free photo: Hands of unrecognizable female doctor writing on form and typing on laptop keyboard (2019) Freepik. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/hands-unrecognizable-female-doctor-writing-form-typing-laptop-keyboard_5839269.htm#query=doctors&position=3&from_view=search&track=sph (Accessed: February 3, 2023). 

Example of different types of E-commerce: including screenshots, description and links

 There are six basic types of E-Commerce which are;

• Business-to-Business (B2B)
• Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
• Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
• Consumer-to-Business (C2B)
• Government-to-Citizen (G2C)

Business to Business. 

Selling goods and services directly between two firms is referred to as business-to-business (or B2B). B2B is fundamentally distinct from B2C, which involves direct sales to customers, in terms of business strategy. In business-to-business e-commerce, wholesalers and retailers or manufacturers do business online (Keenan, 2022). 

(Business-to-Business)

https://www.shopify.com/

Business to Consumer 

Business-to-consumer (B2C) refers to the practise of conducting direct sales of goods and services between an organisation and the customers who will ultimately utilise those goods or services. B2C enterprises are the majority of businesses that sell to customers directly.E-commerce, or the act of buying and selling products and services online, is a brand-new B2C business channel that was made possible by the growth of the internet (Kenton, 2023).

 

(Business-to-Consumer)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/

Consumer-to-Consumer 

C2C, or consumer-to-consumer commerce, is sometimes referred to as the sale of products or services from one customer to another. Consumer to consumer eCommerce is referred to as C2C when conducted online (Beer, 2023). An eCommerce platform designed for consumer-to-consumer transactions enables one party to conduct direct business with customers without having to invest a significant number of money in setting up and maintaining an online shop. eBay is a great example of a C2C company where customers can buy from other customers online. Even though the popularity of Buy It Now listings today outpaces that of timed auctions, it was the first customer-to-customer auction platform on the internet (Beer, 2023). 

(Consumer-to-Consumer) 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sl/sell

Consumer-to-Business

In contrast to the B2C and other marketing approaches we are used to, the C2B strategy encourages customers to offer businesses services or goods that they find appealing.In general, a C2B business model is one in which a client or end user creates materials, goods, or services that a firm employs to carry out a transaction. In general, a C2B business model is one in which a client or end user creates materials, goods, or services that a firm employs to carry out a transaction (Ward, 2022).

(Consumer-to-Business)

https://affiliate-program.amazon.co.uk/

Government-to-Citizen 

The use of electronic technology by the government to deliver services to individuals as well as to purchase the many goods and services that governments require to conduct business with the general public and within the government itself is known as "e-government commerce."Do you file your taxes electronically rather than via mail? You make use of e-governance. E-government also refers to the process through which the government deposits your tax return straight into your bank account (Matthiesen-Jones, 2021).

(Government-to-Citizen)

https://www.usa.gov/taxes

Reference:

Beer, S. (2023) Ecommerce, Clarity. Available at: https://www.clarity-ventures.com/ecommerce/what-is-consumer-to-consumer-ecommerce#:~:text=What%20does%20C2C%20mean%3F,are%20consumers%20instead%20of%20businesses. (Accessed: February 2, 2023).

Keenan, M. (2022) What is B2B ecommerce? types + examples, Shopify Plus. Available at: https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise/b2b-ecommerce (Accessed: February 2, 2023).

Kenton, W. (2023) B2C: How business-to-consumer sales works, 5 types and examples, Investopedia. Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/btoc.asp (Accessed: February 2, 2023).

Matthiesen-Jones, M. (2021) Take online courses. earn college credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers, Study.com | Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers. Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-e-government-commerce-definition-examples.html (Accessed: February 2, 2023).

Ward, P. (2022) C2B: Business Definition and examples, NanoGlobals. NanoGlobals. Available at: https://nanoglobals.com/glossary/c2b-consumer-to-business/ (Accessed: February 2, 2023).

Website project initial idea

(Freepik)

This post will discuss about my pharmacy website. I started off by thinking of the type of business I want to have. I ended up deciding to have a pharmaceutical website. It might be unique because it is hard to find one and mostly uncommon in the society. It is always tough to get new ideas other than the existing ones so I decided to check what the existing ones don't have. I went through LLOYDS PHARMACY, CHEMIST DIRECT and BOOTS. I then took notes of what they didn't have and the important features they had. I also realized that two of the websites were complicated and confusing, which I will try my best to avoid. There was also no place to book an appointment with a doctor there whether it being online or at the pharmacy which I look forward to including in mine. Ill also add package offer for customers that will include free sessions and discounts.

Reference:

Free photo: Laptop with different applications installed (2016) Freepik. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/laptop-with-different-applications-installed_902746.htm#query=website&position=11&from_view=search&track=sph (Accessed: February 2, 2023).

 

Advantages and disadvantages of Meta tags: including ways to overcome the disadvantages

 

(Freepik)

Advantages 

• They impact how Google indexes your website. In order for your pages to show up in pertinent queries, Google has to be able to interpret the content of your pages (Hughes, 2020)
• The keyword ranking may be improved via meta tags. When you include high-quality keywords in your meta tags, Google is more prone to rank your website higher in online search outcomes, which may help you stand out (Hughes, 2020).
• The effectiveness of meta tags might affect user experience. Tags give the visitor a certain level of expectation, which your website should ideally match. In addition to lowering annoyance, meta tags may make it simpler for visitors to locate exactly what they're searching for on your website (Hughes, 2020).

Disadvantages 

• When a page contains a lot of content, snippets can sometimes provide searchers with the specific information they're searching for more effectively than page summaries (Peach, 2008).
• The more crucial task of creating the page content should take priority over working on meta description tags (Peach, 2008).
• The more critical task of optimising your website for such keywords takes priority over working on meta keyword tags (Peach, 2008).

Ways to overcome the disadvantages: 

• To let search engines and your intended audience know that your description is actually consistent with the material on the page it represents, make sure to include a sufficient number of pertinent and topically related keywords (Riddall, 2020).
• We are all aware that the search engines dislike duplicate material, and descriptions fall under this same category. For the search engine crawlers to not skip over a page and the material it describes, it is imperative that each page have its own distinctive, interesting description (Riddall, 2020).
• In order to maintain consistency with your page title and, maybe, your URL, it is advisable to include a major keyword or phrase in your page description (which Google will often highlight in the search result) (Riddall, 2020).

Reference:

Hughes, B. (2020) Why meta tags are still relevant to seo - and the best way to use them, Entrepreneur. Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/why-meta-tags-are-still-relevant-to-seo-and-the-best-way/344233 (Accessed: February 1, 2023).

Peach (2008) Meta tags and search engine optimization - web hosting talk, Meta tags and search engine optimization. Available at: https://www.webhostingtalk.com/blog/meta-tags-and-search-engine-optimization/ (Accessed: February 1, 2023).

Riddall, J. (2020) 10 mistakes to avoid when writing your meta descriptions, Search Engine Journal. Available at: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/meta-description-mistakes/250897/#close (Accessed: February 1, 2023).

Free photo: Computer screens running programming code in empty software developing agency office and computers parsing data algorithms in background. neural network servers cloud computing in Data Room. (2022) Freepik. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/computer-screens-running-programming-code-empty-software-developing-agency-office-computers-parsing-data-algorithms-background-neural-network-servers-cloud-computing-data-room_22298430.htm#&position=5&from_view=undefined (Accessed: February 2, 2023).