4P are the four core parts of a marketing strategy: Product, Price, Place (location, channels) and Promotion. 7P adds three more for services: People, Process and Physical evidence (proof).
4P is an old model, but it is still the simplest checklist: before you turn on ads, can you answer four questions?
In short:
- Product — what problem it solves.
- Price — the model and the entry price.
- Place — where the customer is.
- Promotion — what message and which channel.
- +People, Process, Physical evidence — for services.
Product
A product is not a list of features. It is a problem it solves. For an ERP for installment sales: warehouse, payment schedule, debts, finance and CRM in one place. For a store owner, the value is reliable numbers and not having to control everything personally.
Price
The model (subscription or one-time), packages and the entry price. In B2B, a small entry offer — a tripwire — is a bridge to a big purchase. More here: What is a tripwire.
Place
Where the customer is: Telegram, Instagram, LinkedIn, offline events, search. For international IT outsourcing: LinkedIn and SEO. For local stores: Telegram and offline meetings.
Promotion
The message and the channel: a filtered lead form, expert content, events, ad tests. For example, for an installment-sales ERP: a filtered lead form and a sales team.
7P: People, Process, Physical evidence
- People — who sells and who serves. In B2B, when the founder or the expert personally runs the meeting, trust grows.
- Process — the path the customer takes: application → call → audit → commercial proposal (KP) → contract.
- Physical evidence — proof: cases, success stories, certificates. For DeepVision, Odoo Gold Partner status is strong proof.
How do we use it in strategy?
In our process, the strategy stage starts with research and positioning by 4P/7P. Then come the offer and price, funnel, packaging, ads and optimization. More here: Go-To-Market: 6 steps.
Where do most people go wrong?
The mistake is working only on Promotion. The ads are good, but the price is wrong, the customer is searching in the wrong place and there is no proof.
The right way is to answer four (or seven) questions in writing before you run ads.
Conclusion
In short, 4P is a checklist to use before ads.
- Describe the product in the language of the problem.
- Choose the pricing model and the entry offer.
- Find out where the customer is.
- Test the message and the channel.
- For services, add people, process and proof.
We will build your strategy by 4P/7P together — book a consultation.
About the author. Safarmurod Abduroziqov is the founder and CEO of AURA Digital: 6 years in marketing, 50+ IT projects, ~$1M in managed ad budget. Telegram · LinkedIn
Frequently asked questions
What is 4P?
The four elements of a marketing strategy: Product, Price, Place and Promotion.
What is 7P?
4P plus three elements added for services: People, Process and Physical evidence (proof).
Does 4P work for IT products?
Yes. It is a simple and useful checklist for checking the product, price, channel and message before ads.
How long does a strategy take?
After the briefing and research, the strategy is presented in a separate meeting; then the estimate and execution begin.