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Summary

From the author of the successful The Unofficial Guide to Marketing Your Small Business, this handy guide provides detailed information on low-budget, high-impact marketing techniques that produce near-immediate results. Small businesses need a quick return on their marketing investments, and this book shows the best ways to achieve it. Small business expert Marcia Layton Turner puts her wealth of business knowledge to work for business owners who need results now. The Unofficial Guide to Marketing Your Small Business provides comprehensive, straightforward coverage of everything small and large businesses need to know about the vital basics of effective marketing. Marcia Layton Turner (Rochester, NY) is the founder of her own marketing consulting firm and a small business expert who has been profiled or quoted in such publications as Money, Entrepreneur, and USA Weekend. She is also the author of The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Small Business (0-7645-7285-7), from Wiley.

Introduction
Marketing Matters
Zeroing In on Your Customer
Divide and conquer
How many customers make a successful business?
Who are you currently selling to?
Understanding demographics
Picture your perfect customer
Just the facts
Why Customers Buy
Decisions, decisions: How customers buy
Your product meets their needs
Your product has a competitive advantage
Your product is priced right
Your product is convenient
Just the facts
Know Your Enemies
Who are they?
What do they offer?
How do they measure up?
What's their marketing strategy?
Take an inside look at their operations
Information is power
Just the facts
Planning Your Success
Positioning
Perception is reality
Who's on first?
What makes you different?
Positioning strategies
Holding on to the lead
The follower advantage
Just the facts
Goal Setting
The bottom line
Financial goals
Customer goals
Image goals
Just the facts
Your Marketing Plan
Why plan?
Outline of a plan
A marketing plan's long-term value
Just the facts
The Least Expensive Ways to Market Your Business
Public Relations
Relevancy
Contact point
PR tools
More advanced PR tools
Beyond publicity
Just the facts
Networking
Be prepared
Trade and professional organizations
Alumni groups
Volunteer and civic organizations
Private clubs
Online networking
Networking groups and tip clubs
Barter exchanges
Referrals
How not to network
Follow up or fail
Just the facts
Public Speaking
Public presentations
Seminars
Courses
Webinars
Getting comfortable with public speaking
Preparing a presentation
Just the facts
Moderately Priced Marketing Approaches
Online Marketing
The best online tool: Your Web site
Digitally communicating your message
Just the facts
Printed Pieces
Must have: The basics
Helpful to have
Just the facts
Sales Promotion Opportunities
Selling to new customers
Selling more to existing customers
Selling higher value offerings to existing customers
Just the facts
In-Person Marketing
Manning a booth at trade shows
Setting up appointments and meetings
Making presentations
Door-to-door calls
Using sandwich boards
Handing out flyers
Just the facts
Telemarketing
Rules you don't want to break
Cold calling
Warm calling
Outsourcing
Inbound telemarketing
Teleseminars
Just the facts
V Higher-Cost (But Highly Effective) Marketing Tools
Branding
Consistency
Awards
Certifications
Promotional products
Packaging
Employee dress and/or uniforms
Signage
Sponsorships
Just the facts
Advertising
Print advertising
Broadcast
Out-of-home advertising
Indoor opportunities
Inserts
Online Advertising
Design Do's and Don'ts
Just the facts
Finding What Works and Sticking With It
Choices, Choices
The top tier: Selecting the most important activities
Expanding with additional marketing tools
When to do it yourself; when to delegate
Just the facts
Evaluating What's Working and What's Not
Tra
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Supplemental Materials

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