Small Business Marketing FOR DUMmIES om ‰ EDITION T he G et Al l.c 2ND by Barbara Findlay Schenck w w w Marketing Consultant om l.c Al et G T he w w w Praise for “Small Business Marketing For Dummies” “Schenck writes with the authority of a woman who has been advising clients for 20 years Marketing issues are presented as real-world problems with real-world solutions Entrepreneurs of all sizes should be able to identify strategies they can use immediately.” — Business Week om “Barbara Schenck’s Small Business Marketing For Dummies threads the needle between sky-high strategy and ground-level tactics — the space every small business owner experiences daily and sometimes hourly Most importantly, Barbara isn’t afraid to drive stakes in the ground with business ratios, average costs, and response rates that deliver practical value at both levels.” l.c — Gene Kinkaid, Instructor, Department of Advertising, University of Texas at Austin G et Al “Barbara’s book is like a 4-year degree in marketing packaged by a person who has been there, done that Her understandable and realistically actionable advice gives you the street smart steps to the right things This book is a shining testimony to clarity, crispness, and advice you can remember and act on.” T he — Bob Boylan, Executive Presentation Consultant and Author, President/Owner of Successful Presentations w w w “Go ahead, clear your shelf of all other marketing books From now on you only need one, and this is it! The accuracy and detail of this concise volume is remarkable This book reads like you’re getting the real scoop from a trusted friend — only this friend is a knowledgeable marketing pro Give it to your marketing people and ad agency; they could use it as well.” — Robert L Newhart II, CEO, Innovation Center “It’s fun to read Barbara Schenck But more than fun, it’s enlightening to read Barbara Schenck It’s profitable as well to read Barbara Schenck That’s a lot to pack into 384 pages But it’s all there; if you don’t believe me, just read it!” — Dan Lufkin, Co-Founder, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc “Business is war The book gives entrepreneurs the ammunition they need to survive — and thrive.” — Rieva Lesonsky, Senior Vice President and Editorial Director, Entrepreneur Media, Inc “This book gets four stars, which means ‘Buy It!’” om — Scripps Howard News Service “ Extremely comprehensive, easy to follow, and filled with practical solutions for small business owners.” Al l.c — Jane Applegate, “Must-Reads for the Business Owner Who Never Sleeps,” Entrepreneur.com et “Besides serving as a powerful motivator, Small Business Marketing For Dummies is long on specifics — the hows and whys of reaching customers and bringing them back for more.” w w w T he G — George Engebretson, President, Watermark Publishing Small Business Marketing FOR DUMmIES om ‰ w w w T he G et Al l.c 2ND EDITION om l.c Al et G T he w w w Small Business Marketing FOR DUMmIES om ‰ EDITION T he G et Al l.c 2ND by Barbara Findlay Schenck w w w Marketing Consultant 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 permission 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 Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447, fax 317-572-4355, e-mail: brandreview@wiley.com l.c om Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book w w T he G et Al LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002 For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport w Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books Library of Congress Control Number: 2004117340 ISBN: 0-7645-7839-1 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 2O/RY/QR/QV/IN 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 literally around the world She graduated with a degree in English from Oregon State University and immediately moved to Hawaii, where she became director of admissions and instructor of writing at a small private college on Oahu before joining the staff of Honolulu’s largest public relations firm om 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 Al l.c In 1980, they returned to their home state of Oregon and founded an advertising 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 .T he G et 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 presenting “marketing issues as real-world problems with real-world solutions.” w w w 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 om l.c Al et G T he w w w ... you wish some marketing guru would step in to help you out? Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is especially for businesses like... w T he G et Al l.c om Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition w xxii Introduction W elcome to the 2nd edition of Small Business Marketing For Dummies, updated for faster and easier... 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