• Apply the Science of Marketing to your business
• Prepare a SWOT Analysis and use it to create realistic action plans
• Build a Marketing Pyramid and use it to form your Marketing Plan
• Segment the market, identifying the best potential customers
• Use what you know about your customers as the foundation of quality communication

Check our a free preview or order your copy today!

Confessions of a Networking Junkie

Confessions of a Networking Junkie – $25.00

Blogging for SEO – Is it Really that Easy?

With all the “so called” SEO, Blogging and Social Media experts cropping  up on a daily basis, it is refreshing to find someone who really is an expert.  Doug Karr author of the Marketing Technology Blog, really knows his stuff when it comes to blogging for business.

In a new eBook he has boiled down effective business blogging to five key elements, and then explains how to maximize each element.  While he admits he won’t write your content for you, he does have great tips on how to develop new ideas, engage readers and publicize what you write.

So if you are just getting started, or well on your blogging way, this is must reading!

 

1. The platform’s ability to present the content to search engines effectively
2. The use of keywords and phrases to attract search engine traffic.
3. Compelling content that meets the expectations of the visitor and encourages them to engage your business.
4. A path to engagement
5. Effective publicizing of the content through every other medium available.

 To  discover how to put some of these compenents into action, you will just have to buy the book – And at $9.99 it is well worth the investment!

Buy A Book

Confessions of a Networking Junkie – $25.00

BusinessMap: A Practical Guide to Business Planning – $35.00

As a small-business owner, you need a map — a business plan! Without it, you are traveling blind. Often, the road to achieving your goals is a series of small steps. Creating a schedule for these interim steps or milestones will help you track progress toward the overall goal. In this combination book and companion CD, you will discover a step-by-step process complete with numerous examples to help a new business owner create a viable business plan.

Accompanied with blank forms and outlines, “Business Map” provides you will all the necessary information to get your started. Business Map contains:

• Outline of what your plan should contain along with a complete listing of the questions your plan should answer throughout the process
• How to avoid the 10 most common mistakes small business owners make when writing their business plan
• Excerpts from plans across a range of industries to help you formulate your plan

Check our a free preview or order your copy today!

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Help Me Write a Book – Part 5 – Your Competitors

Last Fall I started a project to create a second edition of my book: The Entrepreneur’s Notebook.  Periodically I present a piece of the original text, and ask for suggestions or additions.  I was hoping some of the great marketing minds I have met on the net would weigh in on some of the topics.   And I have gotten some good feedback.

But I got busy, and haven’t put a section up recently.  Well it is time to get back at it.  Contributors will be included with credit in the revised text, which I still hope will be released some time next summer.

Today’s Text comes from a new section on Your Competitors I want to add to the 2nd addition. What do you think:

Even new, completely innovative products have competition. Long before your product comes into the market, customers have found ways to solve their problems. Understanding who your real competitors are is critical to your business success. As you analyze your competitors, it can be helpful to think about the three levels of competition.

Level Two. These companies offer an alternative solution to your customer’s problem. On the surface, they may not appear to be a direct competitor because the product or service is dramatically different. If, however, this alternative solution solves your customer’s problem, it is a competitor.

Level Three. These companies or products do not solve the same problem at all, but compete for your customer’s limited resources.

Your business may not have competitors in every category, but you have some. As you think about the solution you provide from your customer’s perspective, why would they choose one of the alternative solutions? Price? Habit? Unless you understand why they are making the choice, it will be difficult to help them choose you instead.

Help Me Write a Book – Part 4 – Your Brand Position

A few days ago I introduced this challenge to my readers, to help me write the second edition of my book, :The Entrepreneur’s Notebook.

Every few days I present a piece of the original text, and ask for suggestions or additions. Contributors will be included with credit in the revised text, which will be released some time next summer.

Today’s Text comes from the Section on Your Brand Position

Once you have defined a market segment, and determined it is large enough, the last step in this process is defining your market position. This is the unique niche your business will serve and the key benefits you provide.

What do you want existing and potential customers to think of when they hear your name? What solutions do you offer them? The impression you are hoping to create should be captured in a clear concise statement which describes your target customer, the primary benefit they are seeking, and how the benefit will be delivered.

What is your brand position?  How do you describe your company and the unique market space you own?

For Roundpeg our Position Statement reads like this:For small business owners, who want to grow, Roundpeg provides, practical, affordable and productive marketing to make their phone ring.

Keep in mind this is not advertising copy. It is an internal definition of who your company serves, and what you provide which will help you create effective marketing messages.

In contrast our marketing message is simply: Roundpeg, we help small businesses become big businesses

So what is your brand position?  Will you share your favorite examples?

Help Me Write a Book Part 3 – More About Your Customer

A few days ago I introduced this challenge to my readers, to help me write the second edition of my book, :The Entrepreneur’s Notebook.

Every few days I present a piece of the original text, and ask for suggestions or additions.   Contributors will be included with credit in the revised text, which will be released some time next summer.

Today’s Text comes from the Section on YOUR CUSTOMER IS A THREE DIMENSIONAL BEING

Do not ever lose sight of the fact that your target customers are more than just numbers. Behind the demographic segments there is a psychological element as well. This psychological component includes interests, problems, values, philosophy and motivations.

Interests - What do your potential clients think about? Where do they spend their time? How do they react to things? What’s important to them? What fascinates or intrigues them?

Problems – What do they find annoying, disturbing or frustrating? What are their aversions? What do they dislike? What do they fear?

Values – What do they hold in high regard? Where do they put their time and their money? What are their politics? What do they take a stand about? What and who do they admire?

Philosophy - What is their attitude to life and business? How do they approach challenges? Are they optimistic and accepting or pessimistic and cynical?

Motivations - What makes them take action? Do they move away from things or move towards them? When will they commit to something? When will they ignore advice or accept advice?

The more you know about these psychological elements, the easier it is to write effective marketing copy.   As you create a very specific description which gives your marketing focus, it is important to balance the description with an analysis of the attractiveness (factors such as profitability and potential sales) of the segment.

Do you have examples of how you have used these psychological elements to target or attract your clients?

Business Map

BusinessMap: A Practical Guide to Business Planning – $35.00

As a small-business owner, you need a map — a business plan! Without it, you are traveling blind. Often, the road to achieving your goals is a series of small steps. Creating a schedule for these interim steps or milestones will help you track progress toward the overall goal. In this combination book and companion CD, you will discover a step-by-step process complete with numerous examples to help a new business owner create a viable business plan.

Accompanied with blank forms and outlines, “Business Map” provides you will all the necessary information to get your started. Business Map contains:

• Outline of what your plan should contain along with a complete listing of the questions your plan should answer throughout the process
• How to avoid the 10 most common mistakes small business owners make when writing their business plan
• Excerpts from plans across a range of industries to help you formulate your plan

Check our a free preview or order your copy today!

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