Marketing For Dummies

How to get your business noticed, the customers flocking and your profits soaring!

Marketing is about finding and connecting with customers, getting them to buy what you′re selling and keeping them coming back again and again. Which is why, whether you run a small shop or work for a large multinational, great marketing is key to your business success. Written by a team of experts and packed with real–world examples, this third edition of the bestselling guide is the quickest, easiest way to get up and running with state–of–the–art marketing strategies, tools and techniques.

Get the lie of the land – inexpensively research your customers, your competitors and your market, and position your business in the marketplace

Plan a marketing strategy – develop a marketing strategy tailored to your business and write a winning marketing plan

Get your creative juices flowing – think like a marketer and generate bold new ideas for communicating creatively with your customers

Produce champagne advertising on a beer budget – create cost–effective advertising for all media, press releases and product placements for TV, radio and online

Tap the huge power of social media – use social media and e–marketing tools to spread your message with viral marketing, search engines and mobile apps

Connect with your customers – create a brand identity, design eye–catching packaging, price your products or services and provide first–class customer service

Open the book and find:

The latest innovations in marketing

How to plan your marketing strategy

Digital alternatives to advertising

How to maximise your marketing impact

Inexpensive market research ideas

Effective advertising and promotions you can do for little or no cost

Ways to generate new profits with direct marketing and PR

Tips to help you avoid common marketing mistakes

Learn to:

Find a marketing strategy that′s right for your business

Write a winning marketing plan

Connect with your customers and find out what they really want

Make use of the latest (and established) marketing techniques

Introduction 1

Part I: Where You Are, Where You′re Going 7

Chapter 1: Making the Most of Your Marketing 9

Chapter 2: Clarifying Your Marketing Strategy 25

Chapter 3: Writing a Marketing Plan 45

Part II: Creative Thinking, Powerful Marketing 65

Chapter 4: Researching Your Customers, Competitors and Industry 67

Chapter 5: Harnessing Creativity in Your Business 87

Chapter 6: Making Your Marketing Communications More Powerful 101

Part III: Advertising Everyone can Do 111

Chapter 7: Brochures, Press Ads and Print 113

Chapter 8: Signs, Posters and More 135

Chapter 9: TV and Radio Ads (Or Your Own Show!) 153

Part IV: Powerful Alternatives to Advertising 169

Chapter 10: Digital Marketing 171

Chapter 11: Using Search Engines 193

Chapter 12: Tapping into Networking Sites 211

Chapter 13: Embracing Mobile Marketing 229

Chapter 14: Direct Marketing and Telemarketing 239

Chapter 15: Public Relations and Word of Mouth 261

Chapter 16: Face–to–Face Marketing 273

Part V: Connecting With Your Customers 287

Chapter 17: Branding, Managing and Packaging a Product 289

Chapter 18: Using Price and Promotions 309

Chapter 19: Distribution, Retail and Point of Purchase 327

Chapter 20: Sales and Service Essentials 345

Part VI: The Part of Tens 365

Chapter 21: Ten Common Marketing Mistakes to Avoid 367

Chapter 22: Ten (Or So) Ways to Save Money in Marketing 371

Chapter 23: Ten (Or So) Ideas for Lower–Cost Advertising 379

Index 383

Ruth Mortimer is the Editor of Marketing Week magazine. Greg Brooks is Global Marketing Director at media agency Mindshare. Craig Smith is the former Editor of Marketing magazine and is now Communications and Content Strategist at Persuasion Communications. Alexander Hiam is a consultant whose clients include many Fortune 500 companies.