4Cs Marketing Model & Why It’s Good for Business | Business.org (2024)

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Oct 11, 2022

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You may have used the popular 4P Matrix, a seller-oriented marketing theory around product, place, price and promotion. But if you haven’t tried the 4C model, you could be missing out on sales. This take on the 4Ps is a customer-guided approach that may be more effective than one centered on products in today’s customer savvy world.

The 4Cs are customer, cost, convenience and communication. By learning to use the 4Cs model, you’ll have the chance to think about your product from a new perspective (the customer’s) and that could be very good for business.

Here’s how to use the 4Cs to best position your product in a competitive market.

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1. Customer

Considerations include: Product/service worth, competitive advantage and market positioning.
In order to use the 4Cs marketing concept, you must clearly identify your target customer and keep in mind that you may be targeting more than one group. When thinking about your target customer, keep these tips in mind:

  • To position your product or service for maximum profitability, you must know what your target customer needs and wants. It's important to consider how you are going to go about determining what your customer wants.
  • Your product’s market position is determined by the value/worth your customers perceive it to have.

As you evaluate each element of the 4Cs, keep in mind that the customer drives your decision making.

2. Cost

Considerations include: Affordability, satisfaction and value.
The 4Ps Matrix approaches cost considerations from the seller or manufacturer’s perspective, whereas the 4Cs looks at cost from the consumer’s point of view. As you evaluate cost, consider these guidelines:

  • What price will you ask your customer to pay for your product or service? What research have you done to determine if that figure is reasonable and affordable for your target?
  • Is your product or service still profitable at that price your customer is able/willing to pay?
  • What will the consumer’s total, or real, cost be for obtaining your product or service? Will the cost of driving to your location significantly add to their expense? How much more will shipping charges add to their bill? How will local, state and federal taxes impact the total cost of the product or service?
  • Keep in mind that price alone doesn’t usually convince the consumer to buy, so setting a low price won’t necessarily drive sales and could hurt your bottom line.

Does the value or benefit your product or service offers the customer support its cost?

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3. Communication

Considerations include: Customer engagement, "What's in it for me?" (WIIFM), and social media.
When assessing how you will communicate with your customer, keep these thoughts in mind:

  • Engaging with your customer through meaningful communication builds customer confidence that drives sales. You need a communication plan.
  • Every customer wants to know “What's In It For Me” (WIIFM). Your communication with the customer should answer that question.
  • Social media is an amazingly powerful communication tool. You can use social media to “promote” your products (as the 4Ps Matrix would advise) but you can also use it to ask your customers for their insights. Finding out what your customers like and dislike about current products and learning what they want allows you to develop products and services they’ll be more likely to purchase. Create polls, track “Likes” and ask for comments.

Remember that you must adapt your communication approach to each of your targets. What you say and where and how you say it is unique to each group.

4. Convenience

Considerations include: Purchasing barriers and online sales.
In today’s fast-paced world, convenience is valuable. Don’t underestimate its influence on your customer’s decision to buy. Make it easy for him or her to buy from you by considering these points:

  • What barriers might the customer face when trying to locate or purchase your product or service? What are you going to do to reduce or remove these challenges?
  • Whether you have a web-based business or operate a brick and mortar one that offers online sales, your website must be easy to navigate. Ask yourself: Can the customer find what they are looking for? Can they move from product selection to checkout with just a few clicks? Are product descriptions detailed enough for the customer to make a purchasing decision?
  • Consider offering your product through multiple outlets or use a distributor. Your profit margin may take a bit of a hit, but making your product more convenient could mean more sales.
  • If a customer has a question during the purchasing process, what kind of customer support do you offer?

Have you thought of creating an app or a mobile edition of your website? Doing so puts your product or service in the hand of the consumer virtually 24/7.

The takeaway

If you’re a small business owner, understanding the 4Cs can give you a much needed advantage over your competitors. It can also help you compete with larger businesses that boast sizable marketing budgets. Remember that 4C success starts with knowing your target customer and identifying their needs and wants. Then you can respond with products or services that they feel are valuable and watch sales skyrocket.

Related reading

4Cs in Marketing FAQ

The 4Cs in marketing are customer, cost, communication, and convenience.

The 4C framework is helpful for positioning a place in the market and better understanding your customer.

Marketing mixes help you understand what your product or service can offer to your customers. This can also help to better plan for future marketing strategies.

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FAQs

4Cs Marketing Model & Why It’s Good for Business | Business.org? ›

The 4Cs are customer, cost, convenience and communication. By learning to use the 4Cs model, you'll have the chance to think about your product from a new perspective (the customer's) and that could be very good for business. Here's how to use the 4Cs to best position your product in a competitive market.

What is the 4 C's in marketing? ›

The 4 C's of Marketing are Customer, Cost, Convenience, and Communication. These 4C's determine whether a company is likely to succeed or fail in the long run. The customer is the heart of any marketing strategy. If the customer doesn't buy your product or service, you're unlikely to turn a profit.

What are the benefits to a business of focusing on the 4Cs? ›

Benefits of Using the 4 C's Model

Competitive edge: Implementing the 4 C's of marketing provides a competitive advantage by deeply understanding the target audience. This enables tailored products or services to meet specific consumer needs and strategically position the brand in the market.

What are the four C's in a business plan? ›

If you haven't addressed questions like these, then you haven't really created a plan you know you can tackle with confidence. That's where the Four C's – Capabilities, Capacity, Constraints and Culture – come into play.

Why should we consider the 4Cs model with the 4Ps in the marketing mix? ›

A 4Ps and 4Cs marketing matrix can be very beneficial if used correctly as marketers will better understand their product from different perspectives, which allows them to identify problems that need to be solved to achieve success.

What are the 4 C's of marketing content? ›

At the heart of content marketing lie the 4 C's: Creation, Curation, Connection, and Conversion. These core principles guide the way marketers create, share, and optimize content to achieve their goals.

What does the 4 C's mean? ›

The 21st century learning skills are often called the 4 C's: critical thinking, creative thinking, communicating, and collaborating. These skills help students learn, and so they are vital to success in school and beyond.

Why are the 4 C's so important? ›

Critical thinking teaches students to question claims and seek truth. Creativity teaches students to think in a way that's unique to them. Collaboration teaches students that groups can create something bigger and better than you can on your own. Communication teaches students how to efficiently convey ideas.

What are the 4 C's of business communication? ›

The document discusses the 4Cs of effective communication: clear, concise, correct, and courteous. Clear communication avoids vagueness by considering the recipient's background. Concise communication uses few words to maximize comprehension. Correct communication is factually and grammatically accurate.

What are the benefits of having a business model? ›

A strong business model offers several benefits, including attracting investors, setting and achieving business goals, making data-driven decisions, and identifying potential roadblocks and challenges.

What are the 4Cs strategy? ›

Let's clarify the two models: The 4Cs to replace the 4Ps of the marketing mix: Consumer wants and needs; Cost to satisfy; Convenience to buy and Communication (Lauterborn, 1990).

How will you use the 4Cs model in creating advertising messages? ›

4Cs of Marketing
  • Consumer. First, you have to know who your target customers are and what their needs and wants are. ...
  • Cost. In the 4C marketing model, the cost evaluates the cost considerations from the buyer's perspective. ...
  • Communication. Communication refers to how you will engage with your customers. ...
  • Convenience.
Nov 24, 2023

What are the 4 C's explained? ›

You've probably heard about the 4Cs of a diamond, and you may even know that it stands for diamond cut, color, clarity and carat weight.

What is the importance of the 4Ps of marketing? ›

The 4 Ps of marketing refer to product, price, place, and promotion. These are the key elements that must be united to effectively foster and promote a brand's unique value, and help it stand out from the competition.

How to implement the 4 cs? ›

3 Simple Steps to the 4 C's
  1. Step 1: Prompt Critical and Creative Thinking. After introducing and modeling a new concept, prompt students to think critically and creatively about it. ...
  2. Step 2: Prompt Communication and Collaboration. ...
  3. Step 3: Present. ...
  4. Scheduling the Steps.

What are the 4 C's and 4Ps of marketing? ›

The marketing mix consists of four Ps (price, product, place, and promotion), four Cs (customer needs and wants, cost, convenience, and communication), and more. To get a better understanding of the marketing mix, we'll take a deeper dive into each of these areas to help you unlock the power behind it.

What are the 4Ps 4C in marketing? ›

4P và 4C có mối liên quan vì cả hai mô hình đều là các chiến lược marketing. Tuy vậy, 4P bao gồm Product (Sản phẩm), Price (Giá thành), Place (Địa điểm), và Promotion (Quảng bá). Đây là các khía cạnh thiên về các sản phẩm và dịch vụ được mang đến bởi doanh nghiệp, và làm sao để sản phẩm có thể đến tay người dùng.

What are the 4 C's rather than the 4Ps? ›

The marketing mix evolved alongside the market. The four Cs concept was designed to replace the four Ps in order to better match marketing strategy with consumer needs. Consumer, cost, communication, and channel are the four Cs.

What are the 4 P's of marketing? ›

What are the 4Ps of marketing? (Marketing mix explained) The four Ps are product, price, place, and promotion. They are an example of a “marketing mix,” or the combined tools and methodologies used by marketers to achieve their marketing objectives.

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