What Are The 4 Main Functions Of Marketing?

Generally, the four main functions of marketing are:
1. To create a public identity or image of a company or brand- This may include a company logo, slogan or style of customer service. It is this image that members of the public will think of when thinking of the company. In the same way, if the marketing campaign is successful enough, just seeing a logo or slogan will make a consumer think of the company or brand in question.
2. To monitor current market trends- a successful marketing campaign will continue to look at consumer buying habits, will conduct market research campaigns and constantly strive to improve the service or products on offer to the public. This is the only way the company will know what their targeted consumer base is interested in buying.
3. Identify a key consumer market- When opening a business or launching a new marketing strategy, a company needs to be sure they are targeting the most suitable clientele for their product and services. This ensures the marketing campaign is as successful as it possibly could be as it is only targeting the most likely people it will appeal to. Taking these actions and taking the time to target a particular group of people will help keep marketing costs down and will consequently make the strategy more effective in the long run.
4. Maintain and build customer relationships- Marketing campaigns are the most effective way of communicating important messages or attracting the attention of your consumer base. This will keep a customer informed of what is happening in the company in regards to any new products or services that are soon to be launched.

Major function of marketing

The major functions of marketing are:
1.Marketing research
2.Customers service

1st of all you have to know what marketing is? As Marketing can be defined in a number of ways. Marketing is an art of fulfilling the customers wants needs and demands by selling your product to them. Since in marketing the main emphasis is on the customer. As customer is the king so and this king is the key player in the business market so to satisfy this king's desires and wants effectively and efficiently as compared to your competitors. As Marketing is all about conducting market research, deciding on products and prices, advertising promoting distributing and selling.

Market Research is a business function which enables an organization to judge the competitors strategy. The market share it has. How it is satisfying its customers the level of satisfaction of customers is judged. In short you try to dig out every possible available information about your product value and competitor's product value according to customer's perspective. You try to read the customer's mind in market research.

Once you are able to read the customers mind then you go for the production of the product based on the needs and demands posted by the customers. You try to provide the best quality product or service as compared to your competitors. You have to keep the cost low or equal as compared to your rivals in the business.

Once the pricing and product phase is over then you come to the advertising and promotion. This task is the most important in order to aware the customer about your product. Companies spend billions to advertise their product. Pepsi and Coca Cola is a good example of it. Along with advertisement and promotion you make sure that your product is available in the market. By following the best available distribution channel you spread your product in the market. This process does not ends here it's a continuous cycle. Marketing enables you to sell your product in order to maximize the profit along with maximizing the share holder's wealth and increasing its share.

Marketing is a diverse field and it performs major functions for the organization. Marketing aims to identify and satisfy customer needs, it connects the customer needs with the firm’s production function. Its major role is to estimate the demand. All these aims and objectives can be translated into four important functions of marketing. The first one is exchange function, in which it performs the buying or raw materials, selling of goods and pricing the products. The second one is the physical function in which the actual assembling of the goods takes place, storage, transportation, packaging and standardization takes place. The third major function is the facilitating function as it collects information that is used by other divisions of the organization, creates demand and carries out research.

The four functions of marketing are; facilitating exchanges, adding value, cultivating customer relationship, and building a brand.

Establish a distinctive identity for a product or organisation.  
Plan, co-ordinate and monitor the marketing mix
Co-ordinate marketing activities effectively
Manage changes in technology, competition and consumer tastes