What is operational marketing? Advantages, characteristics and examples

By David Tomas, posted on June 5, 2023

Do you want to achieve quick results with your marketing strategy? Then operational marketing interests you. There are many types of marketing and strategies, some with longer-term effects and others with more short-term results.. None is better than another, nor more effective, everything will depend on your sector or style, since the actions that they entail are different.

What is operational marketing?

Operational marketing or tactical marketing consists of carrying out commercial actions that generate an immediate effect on the results of the company. Unlike other types of strategies, operational marketing focuses on the present and in the achievement of short-term results.

Generally, to achieve these results, the focus on the product, that is, on transmitting its benefits and characteristics to the public directly to create an attractive offer. In this way, you can increase sales of both customers and potential customers in a short space of time.

Characteristics of operational marketing

• short term effect: if it goes well, the investment in this type of marketing will be profitable in a short space of time.
• Direct and aggressive strategy: the consumer perceives these marketing actions clearly. An example of operational marketing that illustrates this characteristic well is when a brand decides to change the packaging of all its products for a more minimalist line.
• Short and fast processes: brands do not work for a long time on tactical marketing actions. Unlike the implementation of other marketing strategies, in this case it is a quick and easy process.
• Concrete and practical actions: It is not about abstract, general or subtle changes, but about actions that are truly tangible by consumers, such as the change in brand colors.
• immediate decisions: in this type of marketing it is very common for brands to detect a problem and make decisions regarding it in a short space of time.
• High volume of customers: As a result, the changes are effective in the short term.

Operational Marketing vs. strategic marketing

Both operational marketing and strategic marketing have the goal of increase the sales of a business, get new customers, retain existing ones and get the brand to achieve a certain prestige. What differentiates one from the other is the way to achieve those goals.

The main difference that we find between the two is the time it takes to achieve the aforementioned objectives. While tactical marketing works with shorter time frames, strategic marketing is oriented to the long term..

Another important distinction is that strategic marketing raises its actions always taking into account a global vision of the brand. Also, it focuses more on the planning part. On the contrary, operational marketing is more focused on specific aspects of a business as well as the most practical part.

This leads us to the correct idea that Ideally, companies should have both types of marketing and that they complement each other to achieve optimal results. and take advantage of the good of both strategies. Although there may be only one of them in a company, the results are enhanced when both work together. This is because, in order to carry out concrete actions that give results, a previous plan and a reflection exercise that guides the course.

In summary, these could be the main differences between both types:

• Strategic marketing:
  • Seek to meet potential customers.
  • Analyze the market and customer needs.
  • Generate general marketing strategies.
  • It focuses more on indirect sales actions.
  • Puts the customer at the center.
  • His vision is in the long term.
• operational marketing:
  • Seeks to minimize costs.
  • It is responsible for finding the means to carry out the strategy.
  • It takes into account the KPIs (performance indicators).
  • Get results in the short term.
  • Your actions generate direct sales.

Operational Marketing Examples

Contests and sweepstakes on social media

Social networks are currently one of the most grateful environments for developing operational marketing actions, as they are capable of generating results in a short space of time. For example, the contests and sweepstakes They have proven to be excellent at attracting an audience to the profile and increasing the number of followers. In addition, with these raffles there is also a massive exposure of the brand, thus increasing its popularity.

Change of packaging (packaging)

Two products with the same benefits can have totally different sales just because of their packaging. Consumers take a product’s packaging into account, so a change in it will have a direct impact on purchasing decisions and, therefore, on sales results in the short and medium term. In this sense, all changes that have to do with the image and visual aspect of a brand are usually the task of operational marketing.

price change

The price has great repercussions on the demand for a product in the short term. Lowering it can increase the number of customers, but also make your brand less exclusive. On the contrary, increasing it, although it can decrease the clientele, can also make the company profitable. Nothing guarantees success, but this is undoubtedly included within the actions of operational marketing. Furthermore, this is a clear example of how important it is that both types of marketing (strategic and tactical) work together. Without prior research and analysis work, a price change could be wrong.

Within this tactical marketing action, the discounts They are widely used to increase sales volume in a short space of time., since it is a tactic that usually works. This temporary or limited-time price drop has a clear objective, but the reasons may be different: reduction of stock, the need for a boost when launching a new product or attracting new customers.

seasonal campaigns

Some marketing campaigns aim to sell a certain product or products in a specific season. This is something very common in the fashion sector, where campaigns are carried out according to the different seasons of the year and in which it is intended that the public buy the garments in that season and not in another, that is, in a space short of time.

How to implement operational marketing in your business strategy

Unlike strategic marketing, in which it is necessary to carry out an in-depth analysis step by step on different aspects to mark a roadmap, such as describing the ideal client or defining objectives; The same is not the case in tactical marketing. There is not a step by step to follow to carry out the objective successfully, since it is a more practical work. Of course, you have to take into account two premises:

• What is the target audience like? to which the brand is targeting.
• What does that audience think about the change or proposal? What are we going to offer you?

What is the relationship between operational marketing and the marketing mix?

The marketing mix is ​​a type of strategic marketing that analyzes internal aspects of the business. To carry out the analysis, 4 main variables are taken into account:

• Price.
• Product.
• Distribution.
• Promotion.

The relationship between this and operational marketing is that the latter is in charge of working at the tactical level on the conclusions drawn by the team in charge of the marketing mix.

Tips for successful operational marketing

One of the positive aspects of operational marketing is that You don’t need a big team to get it up and running, and you don’t need a big budget either.. In this last section we want to give you some advice so that you can carry it out successfully:

• Make the budget clear from the beginning: optimizing and setting an initial budget before starting will help you not to overdo it and have a much higher ROI (return on investment).
• Differentiate yourself from the competition: in any tactical marketing action that you develop, we recommend that you highlight the advantages and benefits that make your product or service unique, as this is what will attract the consumer the most.
• Set SMART goals: It is highly recommended to follow the SMART technique when setting objectives, since it helps you to develop them in the best way so that they are useful for your business.
• measure results: once the action is launched, it is essential to measure its results to know what has failed and what has been successful for future actions or campaigns.
• The 4 P’s of the marketing mix: do not overlook these four pillars that we have mentioned before (product, promotion, price and point of sale) when developing your tactical marketing strategy.