Many people confuse marketing, sales, advertising, public relations, and publicity. "Marketing" actually covers all of these, but I've broken out some of these into sub-topics. Also, read down past the sub-topics to find some general marketing articles.
Being an effective speaker and presenter is an essential part of entrepreneurial success. This article reviews seven core elements, some often overlooked, of being a successful presenter.
With the growing popularity of the internet, it's all too easy to forget about other forms of reaching customers directly. But surprisingly, direct mail response rates are actually increasing, thanks to better list maintenance and targeting. And while a compelling offer is a must, without the right design and copy, your piece will never get opened and your offer won't even be considered. Here are nine essential design tips to maximize response with the right offer to the right audience.
A lot of direct mail pieces get thrown straight in the trash. Making yours stand out in the right way can help prevent that and improve your response rate.
Some people call it "junk", but savvy business owners know that direct mail marketing is money in the bank. Even in this down economy, marketers continue to direct funds to direct mail marketing because of its high ROI.
The moment of truth has arrived. You and your team have spent months – possibly years – researching, prototyping, and testing. Your innovation is finally ready for market. Now what?
There are many ways to include marketing activities in your busy life, instead of wishing you had more time for marketing. Make marketing a part of the time you are already spending.
Occupying a niche means you won't be competing with a lot of similar businesses solely on price. And because you will be selling products and services that are customized to the specific needs and predispositions of a select group of people, you can often charge more. Your products and services serve a market that can't easily find alternatives.
One of the most difficult, yet important, issues an entrepreneur must decide is how much to charge for his product or service. While there is no one single right way to determine your pricing strategy, fortunately there are some guidelines that will help you with your decision.
The moment of truth has arrived. You and your team have spent months – possibly years – researching, prototyping, and testing. Your innovation is finally ready for market. Now what?
Besides its common use, "incubation" also refers to the time it takes for a potential customer to act upon marketing and sales efforts. Proper anticipation of that time delay can prevent costly mistakes in resource allocation and cash flow planning.
Consulting is a big—and growing—business. The market for consulting services is estimated to be between $130B and $150B annually, and professional consultants are among the highest paid workers, earning more than many doctors, lawyers and other professionals. So how do your break into consulting?
You can easily differentiate yourself from your competition by making the effort to follow-up with your prospects and customers. Don’t take it for granted that they will call you. Be proactive and contact them.
In this excerpt from the book, "Gravitational Marketing", authors Travis Miller and Jimmy Vee explain how smaller companies can defy the laws of gravity by attracting more than their fair share of business.
For most authors, there's not a lot of money to be made in selling books alone. At a few dollars profit per book, you have to sell thousands and thousands of copies to earn any substantial income. But when you use your self-published books as a sales tool to identify customers and make additional sales, then your self-published books become a money-generating tool that can drive a million-dollar business.
Collection of over a dozen original articles from our Small Business: Canada Guide, Susan Ward, plus links to marketing features from other About.com Guides.
Referred leads offer a 60 percent close ratio for your small business. Learn how to optimize your customer referrals to your company.
Guerrilla Marketing guru Jay Conrad Levinson breaks it down into seven short, simple concepts.
Increase your client base and thereby your referral base, get rid of excess inventory, fill up available schedule time, and get goods and services, all at a reduced cost to you. Barter is alive and well in the 21st century.
Three simple and cost-effective steps for marketing your home-based business.
