A - Z of Planning and Executing your Marketing Strategies

The world of business has never been more competitive. Over the last two years, we have seen many companies fold due to unexpected circumstances around the world. But, we have seen more businesses pop up to take their place. So, whether you run a new business, work at an established small business, or work for …

How much should a small business owner spend on marketing? How do I position my small business against giant competitors using my lean budget? How do I create a successful marketing campaign that suits my small budget? Well, I will advice you read on to find the marketing answers you need. The aim of a …

How do you attract new customers to your business? How can you a create a successful marketing campaign that will go viral? These are the questions i will answer in this article. Marketing campaigns can never stand the test of time if they are boring. More than three thousand marketing messages are sent out to …

Do you aspire to become a business leader like Steve Jobs? Do you want to improve your communication skills in business so as to build a strong customer relationship? If YES, i advice you read on. There is so much to learn about communicating effectively with people than you can ever imagine. Your desire to …

“If you are not a brand, you are a commodity.” – Robert Kiyosaki Research in advertising is done to determine the copy testing of advertisements. It is also used to know the efficiency of ads placed in any medium, the customer attention it gets, the message it delivers and how it motivates the customers to …

What marketing opportunities exist online for entrepreneurs and small business owners? Why should you market your business online rather than traditional media? Well, i advice you read on to find out. If you are not already marketing your business online, it is time to start. Although there are a few exceptions, almost every business can …

What is sales? What is marketing? How are sales and marketing inter-related? What’s the big difference between marketing and sales? Well, I will advice you read on to find the answers you seek. Do you know that marketing and sales are one of the most important components of a business’s survival in the market? While …

Most entrepreneurs are familiar with business to consumer marketing because it’s the most popular and some even go ahead to inter-relate business to business marketing (B2B) with business to consumer marketing (B2C). In this article, I am going to draw the line between B2B and B2C marketing; I am also going to give you a …

The relationship existing between two businesses in which no end consumers are involved is called the business to business marketing. It is commonly known as B2B and is nothing new in the industry; although with the gigantic rise of technological advancement, the marketing type has come to embrace the changes as well. Before the term …

When you purchase an item or availed a service of a certain establishment and you are satisfied with what you got, don’t you recommend that to a friend? And when you give your recommendation, doesn’t your friend buy or avail of it as well? More often than not, you may express satisfaction with a product …

The Internet has modernized man’s way of living. It has also affected how we do certain things including business tasks. Marketing has gone a long way and it is not being revolutionized by the Internet. Internet viral marketing is a cost effective way to be able to reach a targeted audience and efficiently convey one’s …

Viral marketing has definitely gained its popularity over the global network. More and more businesses are adopting this marketing strategy to gain their fair share in the market. The approach developed by Hotmail in increasing its number of subscribers is one classic example of viral marketing.      How Hotmail used Viral Marketing Hotmail is one …

Do you take your business to networking events, expos and trade shows? Do you want to learn how to increase your brand awareness at such events? Then read on as i share with you vital tips to optimizing your banner stands at business networking events. I’m often astounded by the sheer number of poorly designed …

Baby boomers are surprisingly worthwhile target customers for web-based firms, but many businesses have failed to effectively reach them. Boomers are online and willing to spend more money than most other generations. The reasons vary from the fact that many have a great deal of wealth they’ve been able to save and they simply have …

Do you have a Facebook Business page? Do you know you can market your products and increase your brand awareness on Facebook? Well, if you don’t know how to create a Facebook business page to market your product, services and brand; then this article is for you.    Why your Business Needs a Page on …

What are the benefits of using twitter for business? How can twitter help my small business? What is the impact of Twitter on small businesses? Well, you are going to find out in this article. With over 500 million accounts and 200 million tweets every single day, Twitter is the new media kid on the …

Why should small business owners invest in market research? What role does market research play in a product launch? Can market research information be a source of competitive advantage to a small business? I advice you read on. In the process of developing new products, increasing sales and expanding into a new market or organizing …

Making a lasting impression on your customers is perhaps the toughest challenge a business owner faces. Many small business owners first try costly advertising and learn that this is not always worth the expense. Making a positive impression on your customers is not as hard as it might seem, and it’s certainly not always as …

Do you want to build a strong bond and earn the trust of your customers? If YES, here are 10 best customer relationship marketing strategies for small businesses. Relationship marketing, just as the name implies is simply the art of developing a personal relationship with your customers. Anybody can start a business but not everybody …

What is the difference between B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing? How do they affect businesses? Well, i advice you read on to find out. Recently, I was discussing the value of business to business marketing to a small business and how it be can used in synergy with business to …

What has global marketing strategies and global branding got to do with a small business owner like me? I don’t intend going global, why do I need to study global branding? What has global marketing strategies and branding got to do with local businesses? Well, I advice you read on to find the answers you …

How did Wal-Mart become the world largest retail chain? Why is Apple the most valuable technology company despite having highly priced products? Do you know that having a good product pricing strategy can give your business a Competitive Advantage? Regardless of whether you intend to offer your products at a low-price or high price, you …

Do you want to build a strong competitive business brand? If YES, here are 25 example of companies with sustained competitive advantage in their industry. Having discussed the sources of sustainable competitive advantage, we will now take a look at various companies that became market leaders by exploiting the various avenues of competitive advantage available.  …

How can I build a successful business from scratch when there are giant businesses existing in my industry? How can I compete favorably with the giants of industry when I have limited budget? If you desire answers to the two questions asked above, please read on. “You don’t have to be the biggest to beat …

Do you want a cost effective way to promote your company effortlessly? If YES, here are 7 result oriented ways to market your business with word of mouth. I have seen businesses and companies spend millions of dollars on advertising just to increase sales and sustain their brand awareness. Now what about the small business …

What are the best corporate Christmas gifts ideas for business executives? If this is the question on your mind, then read on as I share with you a list of the best corporate Christmas gifts ideas for business executives, employees, customers, men, women and everyone alike. Christmas is here again and it’s a season to …

Why do you need a strong brand image for your small business? What’s the importance of business branding? Why should i invest in building a brand identity for my small business? If any of the questions above bothers you, then i advice you read on. Building a business from scratch is a very complicated task. …

There’s no marketing strategy more effective than a “free give away” to get people’s attention. It doesn’t even have to be great stuff. If it’s free, people will definitely want it. That’s why logo products and promotional items are a great idea for any marketing or advertising campaign. When it comes to using promotional products …

Like most types of marketing, B2B marketing is a rapidly evolving landscape. From Internet channels to the real world, there’s an incredible number of ways that a B2B business can and even must engage with their customers. There are also an equally large number of bases to cover, from making your brand mobile-ready to incorporating …

How do you conduct market research analysis for a new product idea? How do you ascertain the profitability of a business idea? How do you turn a business idea into an opportunity? How do you decide if an idea or opportunity is worth pursuing? What tools are needed for market research? A couple of years …

Do you offer B2B services? Are you looking for marketing ideas that will increase your client base and corresponding profits? If yes, then applying at least one of the ten B2B marketing strategies and ideas listed below can really make your small business grow. B2B or business-to-business marketing is a popular concept in the field …

If you are not leveraging social media to promote your business, then you are leaving a lot of money and opportunities on the table. Do you want some tested and proven social media marketing ideas for your small business? Then i advice you read on. With the ever increasing popularity of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, …

When it comes to business reputation, the little things which we think do not matter actually do mean a lot. I was discussing with some people and we began arguing about the best bank in Nigeria; each person was trying to project the reason why the bank he uses is the best bank in Nigeria. …

I don’t want to assume every reader understands what cold calling entails so I will just take out few minutes to explain the concept of cold calling. Cold calling is the initial contact a marketer has with a prospective customer. People often mistake cold calling to mean placing phone calls to clients but it is …

What if I took you to a place and I showed you a room and then I told you that there are plenty of diamonds in that room (of course, I am someone you trust so you would believe me) and that you can have all the diamonds to yourself except that I don’t have …

How do you build your personal brand within a company without provoking jealousy among your teammates? How do you build your personal brand successfully and why should you do it? What are the benefits, the pros and cons? Well, this article will provide the insights you need. Building your own personal brand helps you establish …

Organizing business conferences and seminars is one of the smartest ways to market your business and create more awareness of your brand. This explains why several thousands of business conferences and seminars are staged every year. How well your conference or seminar goes can determine how participants will see your business or brand. A perfectly …

Many decades ago, the only way companies reached out to their potential and existing customers is to send them mails, which usually take days to deliver. Although that method is still very much in use today, it’s no longer the most preferred. Companies now favor email, instead. Email marketing has many advantages over traditional methods …

A business review is a narrative account of a customer’s experience with a company’s products and services. It presents the customer’s assessment of the company’s offerings, so that potential customers can make an informed decision as to whether the company is a good match or their needs. According to research, more than 70 percent of …

College students constitute a huge market segment of millions of potential customers that entrepreneurs cannot afford to ignore. One advantage of having college students as customers is the potential for present and future sales. At ages 18-30, college students are in their formative years, have access to some money, and can make purchase decisions. A …

Are you on a quest to build a brand? If YES, here are 10 examples of unethical marketing practices you must avoid that can ruin your business reputation overnight. Whether you are playing the salesman role for your own business or you are hired to market an employer’s products or services, you need to understand …

Some businesses have been in the market for years—and in fact, decades—but they continue to struggle to climb the ladder of success without making headway. On the other hand, some other businesses come into the market and within a few months, it’s just like they have a secret formula or magic bullet because they achieve …

Everyone recognizes a bottle of coke wherever they see it—whether in Asia or Africa or America, a bottle of coke looks the same. That’s a perfect example of strong brand awareness. Brand awareness refers to the ability of consumers and potential consumers to recognize your product without assistance. There are so many things involved in …

A press release is a very useful form of communication. Therefore, it’s highly recommended that companies should utilize the best methods when writing press releases in order to effectively communicate with the public. Do you want to learn how to write a press release that attracts public attention? Then i advice you read on. Now …

Apart from production and packaging, branding is the second most important aspect of a business or company. What then is a brand? A brand is what makes your business, products and services unique and different from similar products and services. Your business brand is not just the logo of the company as many people think, …

Do you have a fantastic product that you have been struggling to launch due to financial constraint? If you are optimistic that your products can meet the needs of people out there, then you should not allow lack of capital to deprive you from launching it into the market. New products are launched into the …

How stiff is the competition in your industry? How do you intend to stay ahead of competition in business? What’s the average number of new customers that come to transact business with you daily? Do you know how to attract or find new customers for your small business? Do you need cheap marketing ideas for …

Twitter is among the top four social networking sites with over three hundred million active users on it including a lot of celebrities and public figures. On twitter, you either follow people or people follow you, and if you want to leverage twitter for online marketing, then you have to map out how you will …

Business cards say a lot about what we do, our brand and our taste. If you have ever been handed a business card by an intending business partner or just a friend, then you just might want to agree with me that they do really say a lot. This is no wonder that they have …

Your ability to make money as a business man or women to a large extent is dependent on your marketing skills. Business is about selling services or products to people in exchange for money. That is the reason why the marketing department of any organization must be up and about sourcing for new clients and …

In a world economy where you just might not be able to predict a hundred percent how things might turn in the nearest future, it becomes really important that one has a multiple stream of income. It is because of this that people are turning into entrepreneurs every day. It is their wish that they …

It is such a great thing when you have loyal customers whom you have been able to relate with overtime. You would agree with me that these types of customers are the ones whom you may have to refer to as the back bone of your business. This is because their constant patronage sure does …

Experts have said that one of the ways to keep being assured of new customers is by increasing brand loyalty, so that your clients are assured of a brand that has their interest at heart. This is why in recent times, loyalty programs that are aimed at rewarding clients for their patronage have continued to …

There are several ways through which you could get new customers as an entrepreneur. There is the way of advertising; through which you get customers when you give the right ones your flyers, brochures, telling them via the word of mouth and through other means that aren’t mentioned here. However, did you know that there …

It is true that having a side business can be such a big relief, especially when you are looking to add other streams of income because of the unpredictable twist the economy can take at anytime. This is why experts have advised that in building any kind of business that you have first got to …

If you are in business and the bulk of your clients are high profile clients, or people that would need your products or services are people who can be classified as high networth people, then you must be deliberate about how you market your products or services to them. The truth is that if your …

Trade Shows or Expos are the best times to advertise your Company’s brand and products so that you can acquire new Customers. Depending on the industry your business belongs to, there are regular Trade shows and Expos organised to help business owners and organizations showcase their products and services. If you have ever attended a …

Have you ever visited any company whose staff put on uniforms to conduct their duties? If you have done that, you will realize that the uniforms they put on make them look decent, smart and easy to identify. Although putting on uniforms might not apply to all organization, but if your organization is such that …

The goal of every business man or woman is to ensure that they attract more clients to their business and also to maximize profits; so they do all they can legally to achieve their business aims and objectives. An invoice is a document that contains the details (price and quantities) of goods and services sold …

The major reason why people go into business is to sell their products or services to their customers and as such they will want to do all they can to keep their existing customers and also to continue to work hard to add new customers to their clientele base. In recent time, organizations all over …

Every well established brand or organization that you see around you is an organization people have perceived to be credible. No organization attains credibility in the eyes of their customers and the general public without consciously working to achieve it; as a matter of fact, they are deliberate about it. The advantage an organization gets …

Looking at big brands like Coke, Procter and gamble, and Nestle Foods, what readily comes to mind? Well, you would find that these are brands that have existed for several decades and have become really impressed in the minds of consumers. One of the reasons why this is so is because of the way they …

All over the world it is the wish of businesses to become successful and have an avalanche of loyal customers. Customer loyalty one way in this instance, has to do with loyal customers that will always choose your company’s products over similar products any time and any day. You need to treat your loyal Customers …

Publicity is one thing that all entrepreneurs cash in on when the issue of marketing comes to play. This is because of the immense benefit that can be garnered; benefits such as converting potential clients to regular or even loyal clients is key here. As a business owner, you need publicity for your company to …

Do you want to successfully promote your business on social media? If YES, here are 14 best result oriented Facebook marketing strategies & tips for beginners. If you look at successful brands that have built a formidable brand over the years, then you would agree with the fact that marketing is a very essential part …

Do you want to learn the secret to promoting your business on TV and radio for free?? If YES, here is a step by step guide to advertising on TV and radio FREE. A good way to promote your business is through radio jingles and TV adverts; this is because millions of audience can be …

It’s the utmost desire of a business man to see customers trooping into his place of business. Here are 99+ best marketing ideas to get new customers & clients FREE. Most entrepreneurs have successfully built a functional business system around their product or idea but they don’t seem to be making headway with respect to …

Does your product appeal to students or schools and do you seek ways to promote it? If YES, here are 20 tips on how to market your business to schools successfully. Do you want a long-term business relationship with a client who buys in bulk? Then a school might just be the right institution for …

Do you want to create a social media plan for your business but lack the right tools? If YES, here are 17 hot tips on how to develop a social media strategy. Developing a solid social media strategy that will help you achieve your aims and objectives can seem like a real hassle, however, if …

Do you want to increase your brand awareness by through CSR activities but you lack ideas? If YES, here are 50 best philanthropic ideas for small businesses. Corporate social responsibility is a commitment to do more than just serve the needs and expectations of customers and shareholders. It can also mean going beyond business basics …

Do you put your products on the shelf in Walmart? If YES, here is a detailed 8-step guide on how to get your products selling in Walmart stores nationwide. Walmart has grown into one of the fastest-growing marketplaces and continues to roll out features that make it easier for sellers and brands to reach Walmart’s …

No, it is not acceptable to put anything on any car whether it is in Walmart parking lot or on a public street. It doesn’t matter if a business sends someone into its own parking lot to put a coupon flyer or other type of information on vehicles. It is generally illegal in California. Under …

A competitive environment is the dynamic external system in which a business competes and functions. The more sellers of a similar product or service, the more competitive the environment is. So many markets in the United States are flooded with firms, making them extremely competitive. Competitive environments fuel creativity and productivity, generating higher quality work …

Nickelodeon in recent years has emerged as the number one entertainment brand for kids. It has established a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Note that …

Indeed making a sale is demanding and sometimes requires tricks and manipulative techniques. But honestly goes beyond just sealing deals. Honesty is now becoming a necessity; you have to tell the truth at all times. If you tell a lie, even a small one, and you get found out, your credibility is gone and any …

Instagram influencers have changed the course of online marketing in the past few years. They do this by being a face for people to market their products and serivces instead of just posting it online and using SEO to promote it. Influencer marketing indeed puts a human face to product marketing. Instagram influencer marketing is …

Having a good public relations strategy is very crucial especially if you’re looking to promote your business and reach your target audience effectively. It will be a wasted endeavour to just send out messages to just anyone without considering the exact people you want to hear your message. To adequately market your business, you need …

An explainer video is a short online marketing video that is used to explain a business idea in a simple, engaging and compelling way, by using a clear, concise language; and appealing visuals that quickly grab the viewer’s attention. Explainer videos have become extremely popular for businesses because it leads to better conversion rates for …

When it comes to the world of video production, there are a multiple types of videos that can be produced. Videos are great ways to communicate messages to a particular audience in a way that really stimulates the right kind of reaction. The video director and the entire production team come together to make sure …

Are you thinking of holding a social media contest? If YES, here are 10 Best Crowd Pulling Social Media Contest ideas you can use. If you have ever followed a social media site where a brand is organizing a contest, and if you note the avalanche of folks looking to be a part these contests, …

Are you considering doing behavioral targeting in advertising but you don’t know what to expect? If YES, here are pros and cons to take note of.  For many companies, traditional advertising may seem like an arbitrary, hit-or-miss operation. Carefully crafted messages sometimes fall short without an apparent reason. Potential customers usually fail to connect with …

No, it is unethical to target uninformed consumers because it could negatively impact their cultural beliefs and social norm. Globally, industries and businesses are desperately trying to acquire new customers and some of the companies are likely to apply inappropriate means of gaining their attention. One of such methods is target marketing. Note that target …

No. It is completely legal to stick your business cards between the small gaps on doors, but it might annoy some people. You might get cited for trespassing or littering, remember they already have your information on the business card. It is always a good idea to request permission first before you put your card …

An advertiser should consider using responsive display ads because these types of ads are created automatically from images, videos, headlines, logos, and descriptions. By using Responsive Display Ads, an advertiser leverages the ability to upload their own assets and create ads that serve in all ad slot sizes, whether both native and non-native inventory. They …