EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Marketing is a very important aspect in the success of any organization. Every entity must device possible means of ensuring that the company’s products are well known to the prospective customers.  This can only be achieved through providing a master class marketing plan for the organization. It is the obligation of the company’s marketing department to ensure that the   company’s products/services are well known to prospective consumers. A strategic plan must also be laid out to ensure that the company remains competitive in the industry for it to remain sustainable (McDonald & Hugh, 2011).

Sinclair University is one of the leading community universities in Ohio. The university offers different faculties to the community at reasonable prices.  It is important to note that the university does not have several branches but it has strived to maintain high competitive edge. The university aims to carry out both internal and external analysis of the college in order to derive a sustainable marketing plan. The marketing plan will focus on improving the quality of product offered in the market. T will also be of great importance to consider the level of competition within the industry in order to come up with a sustainable marketing plan.

The marketing plan must also focus on the growth strategy of the university. It aims at suggesting ways of improving customer relationship which has over the years been critical to the success of the university. This can be achieved through development of new products, offering new pricing strategy and looking for strategic locations which will enhance accessibility of the services to a large population. The marketing plan should be based on thorough research processes aimed at improving the university’s market position within the budgetary constraints of the organization.

Opening paragraph

Education sector has been one of the most competitive sectors in United States. Sinclair community college is one of the many institutions in the education field. It stands as the largest community college located in the state of Ohio and has been operational since 1948. The campus enrolment has been significant which has made it the leading campus in terms of enrolment in North America. Sinclair community College has been more famous as a result of the special funding by taxpayers of Montgomery County thus making it the cheapest college in Ohio (McDonald & Hugh, 2011).

Product description

Sinclair University College has been recognized as one of the leading destinations of high learning. The university’s main campus is situated downtown Dayton but has established its satellite campuses recently. The college has been recognized in offering different faculties which has enabled the institution to be accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Some of the most notable courses offered in the university include; Art and design, automotive technology, engineering, medical courses to name but a few.

It is noteworthy to understand that the university is a commuter school. The community college does not offer any boarding facility to its students thus making it difficult for students from long distance to enroll in the college. Travel abroad services are also available where students are always engaged in academic trips abroad especially in Australia and African continents.

Competitive analysis

The education industry is among the most competitive sectors in United States and Sinclair Community University has not been spared. The main competitors to the Sinclair University are; wright state university, University of Dayton and Boonshoft School of Medicine. All these institutions of higher earning have offered stiff competition to Sinclair University thus necessitating for an effective marketing plan for the university. The institutions are faced with both price and product competition.  The location and the courses offered in these institutions have made the competition to be even stiffer considering the fact that the college is a commuter based (McDonald & Hugh, 2011).

In order to maintain a competitive edge, it is essential to carry out internal and external analysis through SWOT and PESTLE analysis. This is a very important aspect in ensuring that the college remains competitive. Better services as well as good pricing strategies are critical in ensuring that the college remains compared to other institutions. Staff and faculty recruitment should be selectively carried out to ensure that the services offered by the college are exemplary.  The education sector is an area where dynamics are inevitable; it is for this reason that proper mechanisms to promote the college should be devised soonest possible. Sinclair University should capitalize on the county funding initiative to ensure that its pricing strategy gives it an upper hand in terms of competition with other institutions.

Pricing overview

Pricing is another vital aspect in developing an effective marketing plan. A good pricing strategy is very instrumental in achieving a competitive edge of the company. When determining a pricing strategy in an organization, it is essential to have the level of competition in mind. An effective pricing strategy in an organization is the one that maintains profitability as well as ensuring that the firm remains competitive in the industry. The price should be competitive but have value for the services offered(McDonald & Hugh, 2011).

The three competing institutions of high learning also differ in annual tuition fees. For instance, University of Dayton charges $5748 annual fees for the commuting students. This is a bit lower from the cost charged by Wright State University which charges $8,542.00 for the same services. However, Sinclair college charges a bit lower rates since the taxpayers have contributed to the tuition fees for the residents.

Sinclair University has had a competitive edge as a result of the taxpayers’ contribution in Montgomery County. This has resulted to students in this county paying less tuition fees as compared to those outside the county. As a result of this, the university has had a competitive edge since most people in Ohio would prefer to enroll in this university. Sinclair University seems to be practicing price discrimination by charging higher rates to non-residents.

The three competing institutions of higher learning seems to have different tariffs even in matters concerning to travel abroad. For instance, travelling to Australia for academic trip would cost around $23,000 in University of Dayton, $18,576 in Wright State University and 21,300 in Sinclair College. The same pricing differences can be observed in trip to Africa offered by the three universities. This is a clear indication that the three tertiary levels of education institutions have different pricing strategy aimed at enhancing competitiveness (McDonald & Hugh, 2011). The quality of services offered also remains a significant determinant in pricing. The level of market competition is also critical in determining the pricing strategy, for instance, wright state university uses price skimming to have a competitive edge over its competitors. Pricing strategy does not entirely depend on the level competition but other factors relating to marketing mix are also essential. Thus it is important for Sinclair college to factor in all these factors in coming up with the most effective pricing strategy.

Place suggestion

Place is another equally important aspect of marketing mix. In order to increase competitiveness, the organization should strive to ensure their products and services are within the reach of prospective consumers. In order to determine the best place to locate the product and services, intensive research is recommended (McDonald & Hugh, 2011).  This will involve analyzing of prospective market target which would enhance the competitiveness of the firm. The marketing plan of a company shouldensure that convenience to the consumers is withheld in satisfying their wants.

Currently, Sinclair University College employs a more defensive strategy in its positioning. The college has intensified its concentration in Ohio and more specifically in Montgomery County.  The move by the college to reduce fees for the county residents limits the expansion of the college to other states. This is not an advisable move since it makes the institution to have limited resources for the expansion of the college. A good marketing plan should focus on organizational growth which should be both in terms of population and income. Sinclair University should strive to reach other states in united states as well as internationally.  The college should also organize more academic trips to different global destinations apart from Africa and Australia which will increase its competitiveness.

Promotional suggestion

Promotion is another critical approach in ensuring the marketing plan of an entity is successful. Promotional practices mainly involve making the prospective consumers aware of the existence of a product, its price and the utility derived from the consumption of the product/service. Intensive promotional activities are critical in ensuring that the competitiveness of the firm is maintained. Sinclair University College should design a proper promotional mechanism in order to cope with the fierce competition from University of Dayton andWright State University (McDonald & Hugh, 2011).

The college intends to use travel abroad as the path to promote the community college. The university intends to carry out several travels abroad trips especially to Africa where there is potential untapped market. The promotional program will include but not limited to exchange program, Sinclair College affiliated initiatives providers, Sinclair College field experience initiatives and the Sinclair College sponsored internship and research programs. All these promotional activities should be student friendly and cost conscious to ensure that the success of the organization is achieved. The college should also undertake intensive advertisement both in print and audio media, internet and all the available means to ensure that the college’s products are known all over the globe.

Closing paragraph

In conclusion, developing an effective marketing plan is very critical in business development. Developing of such plans should be guided by intensive research processes where necessary information regarding development of such organizations can be unearthed. Sinclair community college aims to be successful in offering academic services into the foreseeable future(McDonald & Hugh, 2011). Every effective marketing plan should be able to increase its presence in the market both in United States and other parts of the world. Sinclair University College should aim at becoming the leading academic services providers in United States which in turn would result to it increasing its revenues to sustainable levels.

(Works cited)

McDonald, Malcolm, and Hugh Wilson. Marketing plans how to prepare them, how to use them. 7th ed. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: Wiley, 2011. Print.

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