Marketing model for a metropolitan local council

English: Marketing has traditionally only been used in the private sector as a process to identify, anticipate and supply customer needs and requirements. However, when marketing is defined as the social and managerial process by which individuals and groups can obtain those services and products that satisfy their needs and wants, the concept could be broadened to also include public sector organizations such as municipalities. Marketing is a process consisting of a number of steps that has to be completed in order to reach its goal. This includes researching the target markets and environments of the organization where marketing activities are to be undertaken. In this dissertation research was done for the purpose of developing a marketing plan that can be implemented in the Western Metropolitan Local Council (WMLC) to suit the specific needs and requirements of its customers but that will also serve as a framework for other municipalities to develop marketing plans that are driven towards satisfying the needs of their customers. Organizations getting involved in the marketing game should ensure that they do not concentrate solely on external marketing but that they should also invest in marketing to their internal customers (employees). Employees are important internal customers to any organization and to each other. In service delivering organizations such as municipalities, it is the employees of the organizations who deliver the services to the customers and therefore their perceptions, attitudes and actions could have a positive or negative effect on customers' impressions of an organization and the services it delivers. In an effort to develop a marketing plan for the WMLC attention is paid to the policy documents that affect the structures, powers and functions of municipalities and as such may have an impact on the marketing plan that can be developed for the WMLC. It was also necessary to undertake a survey of the internal and external environments of the WMLC in order to acquire knowledge about all the factors that should be considered in the development of a marketing plan. The questionnaires that were distributed to the three target markets (employees, residents and the business sector) were analyzed to provide the necessary information about the perceptions and attitudes of the customers (internal and external) of the WMLC. The aim of this research was not only to develop a marketing plan for the WMLC, but also to create a model according to which all other municipalities will be able to develop their marketing plans suited specifically for their target markets and to achieve their marketing and ultimately strategic objectives. The marketing model and marketing plan developed where done so on the basis that municipalities are service-delivering organizations. This means that it was necessary to use the extended marketing mix for the development of the marketing plan. Other municipalities, therefore, only need to use the suggested framework of the WMLC marketing plan and work through the suggested marketing model in order to develop their own marketing plans. The marketing plan developed for the WMLC is an effort to not only market all the services delivered by the WMLC but also to address the perceptions of the customers in an effort to change negative perceptions moving the attitudes of customers from apathy to active participation and attracting new investments for the local economic development of the area.