Bill gates Microsoft has been an iconic brand of our era. There
are 100′s of lessons which business graduates can learn from Microsoft.
However, here we present 8 marketing strategy lessons from Microsoft.
1) Network Marketing – The first and most known strategy of
Microsoft is Network marketing. This is because each windows product is
compatible with another windows products. Your office documents can be opened
on most computers because of the number of people using Microsoft. Thus it has
established the concept of Network marketing perfectly.
2) Regular product launches – Microsoft is present almost
everywhere, be it the music market with its Zune, the computer peripherals
market, it is the market leader in operating systems, it has its own tablets,
it has revolutionized gaming with XBOX 360, it is now involved in Cloud computing
and it generally comes out and gives tough competition to the current players
in the market. This expansion helps build up the deep pockets of Microsoft.
3) Follower strategy – One problem in the strategy of Microsoft
has been that it has had a follower strategy in the past decade or more. It has
rarely come out with an innovation. Check “Microsoft office” from 2003 to 2010.
You will see that except for graphics, they have been almost the same products
over and over again. In hardware too, there has hardly been an innovation in
Microsoft. Ipod launched in 2001 and Zune launched in 2006. Need we say more.
4) Learning and adapting – If you look at Windows, you will find
that XP had the most security holes, Windows Vista had several too, Windows 7
has quite less security problems and Windows 8 too is expected to be even
better in security. Thus Microsoft is learning fast and adapting to the
environment. Microsoft knows that nowadays people need security and it is
providing the same to them.
5) Build a cash cow – Even though I am repeating this point, but
this is important. Microsoft has a cash cow – operating systems as its backup.
And its whole empire is built on the basis of this cash cow.
6) Be customer focused – There are a lot of jokes about the
customer service of Microsoft but if you really look at it, then the reason why
Microsoft is actually working is because help is available offline as well as
online. Your computer might crash for any reason, but generally you are able to
specify the reason for the crash and if you are a techie you will be able to
rejuvenate it. Even a 10 year old nowadays knows how to correct windows.
7) Ease of use – Make products which can be used by the youngest
to the oldest in the easiest manner. Like Nokia in mobile phones, Microsoft OS
is known for its ease of access. The start button has been revolutionary.
8) Build brand equity –
Today Microsoft is amongst the top 10 companies in terms of its brand
equity due to many different consumer and business to business products that it
has. Building such a high brand equity has paid off for Microsoft with it
becoming a highly trusted household name.
The above are some strategies of Microsoft which has helped in
making Microsoft one of the topmost brands in the world. Can you think of some
other strategies which have helped Microsoft grow?
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