by Barbara Findlay Schenck Marketing Consultant Small Business Marketing FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2ND EDITION 01_578391 ffirs.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page v Small Business Marketing For Dummies ® , 2nd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permis- sion of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2004117340 ISBN: 0-7645-7839-1 Manufactured in the United States of America 10987654321 2O/RY/QR/QV/IN 01_578391 ffirs.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page vi About the Author Barbara Findlay Schenck built her career matching products to markets, which is what marketing — and what this book — is all about. Her involvement in the field began in the University of Oregon public relations office, where she developed an interest in marketing that she has followed lit- erally around the world. She graduated with a degree in English from Oregon State University and immediately moved to Hawaii, where she became direc- tor of admissions and instructor of writing at a small private college on Oahu before joining the staff of Honolulu’s largest public relations firm. In 1978 she and her husband, Peter, left Hawaii for a village on the South China Sea, where for two years they managed a development program for the Peace Corps in Malaysia. In 1980, they returned to their home state of Oregon and founded an advertis- ing agency, attracting a clientele that included ski and golf resorts, banks, apparel and equipment manufacturers, the state’s tourism, lottery, and job training divisions, and a good number of small and larger-sized businesses that provided the wealth of hands-on experience reflected in this book. In 1995, they sold the agency and moved with their son to Italy, where Barbara began work on several book projects. In 2000, she co-wrote Portraits of Guilt, the Edgar Award-nominated memoir of internationally recognized criminal investigative artist Jeanne Boylan. In 2001, she authored the first edition of Small Business Marketing For Dummies, which Business Week praised for pre- senting “marketing issues as real-world problems with real-world solutions.” Today, she’s still forming her thoughts into headlines, news releases, and marketing plans, but on a more relaxed schedule. In addition to writing, she offers marketing presentations and workshops. Contact her by writing BFSchenck@aol.com. 01_578391 ffirs.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page vii Author’s Acknowledgments As I finish this second, updated edition of Small Business Marketing For Dummies, my gratitude reaches back to all those who helped bring the book into existence the first time round, and it spins forward to the current long list of those who helped me overhaul the contents to incorporate the rapid- fire changes that affect today’s business world. As in the first edition, my greatest thanks goes to Peter, my husband, collabo- rator, and best friend, and to our son Matthew, who bails me out with com- puter advice and, increasingly, with marketing wisdom gleaned from his own ascent in the business world. My longtime and treasured business associates and friends Kathy DeGree and Meaghan Ryan Houska win heaps of appreciation for the resources, perspec- tive, and enthusiasm they’ve shared throughout this and every other project we’ve undertaken together. Revising this book to address the technical realities of today’s world required current, hands-on expertise, and I am deeply indebted to our hometown newspaper, The Bulletin, for providing help without limit as I prepared the chapters on media buying and public relations. Likewise, I’m grateful to the team at Alpine Internet Solutions who shared hours reviewing the online mar- keting advice included in Chapter 16. Brad Hill, author of Building Your Business with Google For Dummies didn’t think twice before responding to my call for help. The same is doubly true for Jim Schell, author of Small Business For Dummies, with whom I’m fortunate to work on an ongoing basis. In the first edition I wrote that my book’s editorial team, led by editor Norm Crampton, “would make any author wish for an encore performance.” This edition is proof that wishes come true. This time, thanks goes to Acquisitions Editor Kathy Cox (a champion), Project Editor Corbin Collins (I still can’t believe my luck that someone with his talent edited this book), and Technical Reviewer Kimberly McCall, the Marketing Angel referred to us by the wonder- ful editors at Entrepreneur magazine. Finally and most sincerely, my gratitude in life begins and ends with my par- ents, Walt and Julie Findlay, and the best three sisters ever put on this earth. Thank you all. 01_578391 ffirs.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page ix Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Corbin Collins (Previous Edition: Norm Crampton) Acquisitions Editor: Kathy Cox Copy Editor: Corbin Collins Assistant Editor: Holly Gastineau-Grimes Technical Editor: Kimberly L. McCall Editorial Manager: Carmen Krikorian Editorial Assistants: Courtney Allen, Nadine Bell Cartoons: Rich Tennant, www.the5thwave.com Composition Project Coordinator: Adrienne Martinez Layout and Graphics: Lauren Goddard, Barry Offringa, Lynsey Osborn, Melanee Prendergast, Jacque Roth, Julie Trippetti, Mary Gillot Virgin Proofreaders: Leeann Harney, Jessica Kramer, Carl William Pierce, TECHBOOKS Production Services Indexer: TECHBOOKS Production Services Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Brice Gosnell, Associate Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 01_578391 ffirs.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page x Contents at a Glance Introduction 1 Part I: Getting Started in Marketing 5 Chapter 1: A Helicopter View of the Marketing Process 7 Chapter 2: All About Customers 17 Chapter 3: Seeing Your Product through Your Customers’ Eyes 33 Chapter 4: Sizing Up Competitors and Staking Out Market Share 49 Chapter 5: Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Budgets 61 Part II: Sharpening Your Marketing Focus 73 Chapter 6: Projecting the Right Image 75 Chapter 7: Establishing Your Position and Brand 89 Chapter 8: Getting Strategic before Getting Creative 103 Chapter 9: Hiring Help for Your Marketing Program 113 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads 133 Chapter 10: Mastering Advertising Basics and Media Planning 135 Chapter 11: Creating Print Ads 155 Chapter 12: Broadcasting Ads on Radio and TV 173 Part IV: Getting the Word Out without Advertising 189 Chapter 13: Mailing Direct to Your Market 191 Chapter 14: Brochures, Promotions, Trade Shows, and More 211 Chapter 15: Public Relations and Publicity 231 Chapter 16: Tapping the Internet’s Marketing Power 247 Part V: Winning and Keeping Customers 273 Chapter 17: Making the Sale 275 Chapter 18: Enhancing Customer Service 289 Chapter 19: Fortifying Customer Relationships 303 Part VI: The Part of Tens 317 Chapter 20: Ten Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Name 319 Chapter 21: Ten Ideas to Embrace and Ten to Avoid 325 Chapter 22: Ten Steps to a Great Marketing Plan 331 Appendix: Where to Find More Information 337 Index 341 02_578391 ftoc.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page xi Table of Contents Introduction 1 How to Know That This Book Is for You 1 How to Use This Book 2 How This Book Is Organized 2 Part I: Getting Started in Marketing 2 Part II: Sharpening Your Marketing Focus 3 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads 3 Part IV: Getting the Word Out without Advertising 3 Part V: Winning and Keeping Customers 3 Part VI: The Part of Tens 4 Icons Used in This Book 4 Ready, Set, Go! 4 Part I: Getting Started in Marketing 5 Chapter 1: A Helicopter View of the Marketing Process . . . . . . . . . . .7 Seeing the Big Picture 8 The marketing wheel of fortune 8 Marketing and sales are not synonymous 9 Jumpstarting Your Marketing Program 10 Marketing a start-up business 11 Marketing to grow your business 12 Scaling your program to meet your goal 12 How Small Business Marketing Is Different 13 Dollar differences 13 Staffing differences 13 Creative differences 13 Strategic differences 14 The small business marketing advantage 14 Making Marketing Your Key to Success 15 Chapter 2: All About Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Anatomy of a Customer 18 Collecting information about your customer 18 Geographics: Locating your market areas 22 Demographics: Collecting data to define your market 23 Psychographics: Customer buying behaviors 24 Using customer profiles to guide marketing decisions 26 Determining Which Customers Buy What 26 Viewing your sales by market segment 27 Tracing your distribution channels 29 02_578391 ftoc.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page xiii Chapter 3: Seeing Your Product through Your Customers’ Eyes . . . .33 In a Service Business, Service Is the Product 34 Telling “Just the Facts” about What You Sell 34 Tallying your sales by product line 35 Using the cash register to steer your business 36 Illogical, Irrational, and Real Reasons People Buy What You Sell 37 Buying Decisions Are Rarely about Price, Always about Value 38 The value formula 38 Riding the price/value teeter-totter 40 Pricing considerations 41 Presenting prices 41 The Care and Feeding of Your Product Line 43 Enhancing the appeal of existing products 44 Even products have life cycles 45 Raising a healthy product 45 Developing new products 46 Chapter 4: Sizing Up Competitors and Staking Out Market Share . . .49 Playing the Competitive Field 50 The terminology of competition 50 Knowing what you’re up against 52 How businesses compete 53 Winning Your Share of the Market 53 Defining your direct competition 54 Moving up the competitive ladder 55 Calculating Your Market Share 56 Sizing up your target market 56 Doing the math 57 Increasing Your Market Share 59 Chapter 5: Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Budgets . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Where Are You Going, Anyway? 62 The “vision” thing 62 Developing your statement of purpose 63 Success stories 63 Goals and Objectives Defined Simply 64 Setting goals and objectives 65 Setting strategies 66 Goals, objectives, and strategies in action 66 The failsafe planning sequence 68 Budgeting to Reach Your Goals 68 Realistic talk about small business marketing budgets 68 How much should you be spending? 69 Budgeting considerations 70 Why a static budget is headed downhill 71 Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition xiv 02_578391 ftoc.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page xiv Part II: Sharpening Your Marketing Focus 73 Chapter 6: Projecting the Right Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Making First Impressions 75 Arriving by telephone 76 Approaching your business in person 78 Online encounters 82 Creating an Impression Inventory 85 Rating Your Marketing Communications 87 Chapter 7: Establishing Your Position and Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Brands Live in the Minds of Customers 90 You can have a powerful brand without having a power brand 90 Consistency builds brands 91 Branding makes selling easier 91 An essential online ingredient 92 Six steps to brand management 92 Filling a Meaningful Market Position 94 How positioning happens 94 Determining your positioning strategy 95 Conveying Your Position and Brand through Tag Lines 96 Advancing Your Brand through a Creative Strategy 98 Writing your creative strategy 98 Using your creative strategy 99 Writing Your Image Style Guide 99 Controlling your logo presentation 100 Deciding on your type style 100 Copy guidelines 101 Chapter 8: Getting Strategic before Getting Creative . . . . . . . . . . . .103 Good Communications Start with Good Objectives 103 Putting an end to shot-in-the-dark marketing instructions 104 Dodging the creative landmines 104 Deciding on a Goal for Every Single Marketing Communication 105 Writing a Creative Brief 105 Targeting your market 106 Dealing with prospect perceptions 107 Stating your desired outcome 107 Conveying benefits versus features 109 Naming your “have-to-haves” 110 Deciding how you’ll measure success 110 Specifying your specifications 111 Chapter 9: Hiring Help for Your Marketing Program . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Can You Afford to Hire Professional Help? 114 Knowing When It’s Time to Get Help 115 xv Table of Contents 02_578391 ftoc.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page xv Where to Turn for Help 116 Tapping in-house talent 116 Using free or almost-free resources 117 Hiring marketing professionals 118 Choosing and Working with an Advertising Agency 120 Defining your selection criteria 120 Creating your agency short list 121 Requesting proposals 122 Agency presentations and interviews 123 Putting the client-agency agreement in writing 124 Understanding how agency fees are calculated 126 Working with your agency 127 Hiring Help for Web Site Design 128 Creating a request for proposal 128 Seeking responses from design companies 129 Evaluating proposals 130 Signing a contract 130 Handing off the content 131 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads 133 Chapter 10: Mastering Advertising Basics and Media Planning . . . .135 Moving the Market through Advertising 135 Image versus product advertising 136 Image-plus-product advertising — the have-it-all approach 136 Talking to the right people 137 Creating Ads That Work 137 Bringing in the pros 138 Starting the creative process 138 Landing on the big idea 139 Brainstorming 140 Golden rules 140 Capturing Prospects with a Media Plan 141 The media menu 142 Mass media pros and cons 142 The Making of a Media Schedule 149 Balancing reach and frequency 150 Timing your placements 151 Evaluating Your Advertising Efforts 152 Generating ad responses 153 Keying responses 153 Chapter 11: Creating Print Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155 Writing and Designing Your Ads 155 Packing power into headlines 156 Writing convincing copy 158 Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition xvi 02_578391 ftoc.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page xvi [...]... Book Is for You Are you just starting out in business? Or are you so busy trying to run your business that you barely have time for marketing? For that matter, do the words marketing, advertising, and sales seem interchangeable or confusing? Do you wish some marketing guru would step in to help you out? 2 Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition,... Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition Introduction W elcome to the 2nd edition of Small Business Marketing For Dummies, updated for faster and easier use by the millions of small businesses that comprise the vast heart and soul of today’s business world Since Small Business Marketing For Dummies first hit bookshelves in 2001, I’ve visited with hundreds of small business owners to learn how they’ve... More Information 337 Small Business Web Sites 337 Advertising and Marketing Web Sites .337 Internet Marketing Web Sites .338 The Newsstand 338 Advertising Periodicals 339 For Dummies Books for Small Business Marketers .339 Marketing Classics 339 The Library Reference Area .340 Index 341 xxi xxii Small Business Marketing For Dummies, ... Organized Each part of Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, tackles a different aspect of your marketing program From marketing terms to marketing plans to nitty-gritty details for getting your marketing message into ads, promotions, and online — you’ll find it all shoehorned into the pages of this book Part I: Getting Started in Marketing Part I begins with a plain-language marketing overview... process of creating your marketing plan (see Chapter 22 for how to write a plan in ten easy steps) becomes a focused, goal-oriented, and vastly easier activity Chapter 1: A Helicopter View of the Marketing Process How Small Business Marketing Is Different All marketing programs need to follow the same marketing process, but the similarities between big business and small business marketing stop there... right now Or become the marketing genius for your business by reading this book from cover to cover It will walk you through the full marketing process and help you tailor your own marketing program, create your marketing messages, and produce marketing communications that work For the cover price of this book, you can get what big businesses pay big dollars for: a self-tailored marketing “consultation.”... Because the whole point of marketing is to build and maintain customer relationships, it stands to reason that no business is better configured to excel at the marketing task than the very small business Chapter 1: A Helicopter View of the Marketing Process Making Marketing Your Key to Success How many times have you heard small- business people say that they just don’t have time for marketing? Think of it... loyalty by making customer service a cornerstone of your business 3 4 Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition Part VI: The Part of Tens Chapter 20 leads you through the ten most important questions to ask and answer before naming or renaming your business or one of its products Chapter 21 shares ten all-time best and ten all-time worst marketing ideas Finally, Chapter 22 brings it all together... media opportunities that may or may not fit your business needs The small business marketing advantage As a small business owner, you may envy the dollars, people, and organizations of your big -business counterparts, but you have some advantages they envy as well The heads of Fortune 500 firms allocate budgets equal to the gross national products of small countries to fund research into getting to... marketing? Think of it this way It’s the simple truth that without customers, a business is out of business Because marketing is the process by which your business gets and keeps customers, that means marketing is the key to keeping your business in business Put in terms like that, marketing is the single most important activity in any business — including yours The fact that you’re holding this book means . Barbara Findlay Schenck Marketing Consultant Small Business Marketing FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2ND EDITION 01_578391 ffirs.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page v Small Business Marketing For Dummies ® , 2nd Edition Published. Page xxi Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition xxii 02_578391 ftoc.qxd 12/28/04 8:55 PM Page xxii Introduction W elcome to the 2nd edition of Small Business Marketing For Dummies, updated. Your Business with Google For Dummies didn’t think twice before responding to my call for help. The same is doubly true for Jim Schell, author of Small Business For Dummies, with whom I’m fortunate