Monday, November 29, 2010

Marketing Communications
At the heart of the marketing plan is the system by which the business or organization communicates with its target audience. In his book "Marketing Communications" by John Egan, a professor at Middlesex University Business School in London, defines marketing communications or marcom as the process used by suppliers (of products, services values or ideas) to communicate with a target audience. The goal of the communication is to stimulate dialogue that will lead to developing a relationship.
Marcom encompasses a wide range of possible activities, including;
1. Personal selling--being face-to-face with the customer or prospect.
2. Direct Marketing--sending promotional or sales material to a specific target audience.
3. Advertising--using various mass media to offer a promotional or sales message to a broad audience.
4. Sales Promotion--offering incentives to purchase
5. Public Relations and Publicity--indirect promotion via third-party media.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Planning your Marketing and Planning What you Print
Fall is a good time to review the results of the current years sales and marketing strategy and weigh it against past years efforts. It is also a good time to plan for the year to come and develop a strategy to achieve your goals.
Marketing refers to all of the processes and activities associated with promoting the sale of products or services, with focus on acquiring new customers and satisfying existing ones. While marketing plans for medium and large businesses can be very formal and based on extensive research and analysis, most small businesses and organizations use a simpler approach that often is defined by the amount of resources---money and people--available to carry it out.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

If you are in business, you have developed areas of expertise that other people are interested in. For example, you know how to differentiate your product or service from your competitors--why what you are offering is superior and worthy of consideration. That becomes the basis for a checklist of what should be considered before making a purchase, and that type of information is valuable to others.
If you have been in business for a while you may have several areas of expertise that you can share and many options for getting the word out. An informational brochure and a periodic newsletter are two commonly used and relatively inexpensive methods. Others are writing a column for a local newspaper or sending a post card as part of a direct mail marketing campaign. A more ambitious method is to hold a seminar or demonstration on an informational topic or offer a presentation as a public speaker for community groups. Writing a blog is a new and increasingly popular method.
For subject matter, use topics that help your target audience with their problems.