Proven marketing techniques for small businesses of any kind Small Business Marketing For Dummies, Second Edition is the small business owner's road map to successful marketing. Packed with savvy tips and easy--to--implement action steps, this street--smart guide arms readers with the ammunition to survive and thrive in the war for profits and market share. Fully 25 percent of the book has been revised to emphasize affordable marketing plans and solutions, including a new chapter on quick--fix, low--cost marketing tactics. Updated material includes new information on Internet marketing, sizing up the competition, developing advertising strategies, direct mail, and do--it--yourself marketing. With five million small businesses in America and more starting up every day, competition is fierce. Small Business Marketing For Dummies, Second Edition gives entrepreneurs the marketing know--how to stay ahead of the pack. Barbara Findlay Schenck (Bend, OR) has spent more than 25 years guiding the marketing programs for organizations ranging from Fortune 500 firms to small businesses. She and her husband are cofounders of Mandala Communication, an advertising agency.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Part I: Getting Started in Marketing. Chapter 1: A Helicopter View of the Marketing Process. Chapter 2: All About Customers. Chapter 3: Seeing Your Product through Your Customers' Eyes. Chapter 4: Sizing Up Competitors and Staking Out Market Share. Chapter 5: Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Budgets. Part II: Sharpening Your Marketing Focus. Chapter 6: Projecting the Right Image. Chapter 7: Establishing Your Position and Brand. Chapter 8: Getting Strategic before Getting Creative. Chapter 9: Hiring Help for Your Marketing Program. Part III: Creating and Placing Ads. Chapter 10: Mastering Advertising Basics and Media Planning. Chapter 11: Creating Print Ads. Chapter 12: Broadcasting Ads on Radio and TV. Part IV: Getting the Word Out without Advertising. Chapter 13: Mailing Direct to Your Market. Chapter 14: Brochures, Promotions, Trade Shows, and More. Chapter 15: Public Relations and Publicity. Chapter 16: Tapping the Internet's Marketing Power. Part V: Winning and Keeping Customers. Chapter 17: Making the Sale. Chapter 18: Enhancing Customer Service. Chapter 19: Fortifying Customer Relationships. Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 20: Ten Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Name. Chapter 21: Ten Ideas to Embrace and Ten to Avoid. Chapter 22: Ten Steps to a Great Marketing Plan. Appendix: Where to Find More Information. Index.

About the Author

Barbara Findlay Schenck has been a marketing consultant for more than 20 years, with clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.