Alvaro Cuevas: ¿Qué es el marketing?

Video animado introductorio al marketing



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ5Jd3kiBQ8&hl=en

Marketing During a Recession

To learn more about Executive Education programs, go to www.marshall.usc.edu/execed Learn important tactics and tips for marketing during a recession.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgGevhDdMCo&hl=en

Is Marketing Unethical?

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Thomas Jefferson use to condemn marketing or rather the advertising aspects of it, he said something like you cannot trust any advertising. Today, you can trust advertising due to the laws we have, but you are now concerned about the opposite; you cannot trust the stories that are in print! What do they say, you can only believe half of what you read? Well, unless it's advertising and then you can believe 90% of it now.

Of course, on the sales side Zig Ziglar did make a wise observation when he said "Nothing Happens Until Someone Sales Something!" In other words, it takes nails to build a fence and the contractor who builds the fence cannot do it without those nails. But it takes steel to make the nails and you cannot make steel until you dig the iron ore out of the ground and you need a tractor for that. But to make a tractor you need a motor and to make a motor you need machines and a machine shop. But first you have to design the machine shop and you need someone with drafting abilities, which must convince the entrepreneur that is building the machine shop that he knows what he is doing, he must sell his services.

So is that person evil for selling himself? Certainly not! Neither are all the people along the way who are needed so you can have a fence put up at your home, because you choose to do so. Without all these people your choices would be limited and limited choices is less freedom, not more. Perhaps you enjoy philosophy and can see the problem with those who proclaim Marketing as an unethical profession?

Marketing is not unethical, rather it is vital to the flows of our civilization, so if you choose a marketing career, I salute you!

"Lance Winslow" - Online Blog Content Service. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow's Bio

More Mickey Mouse Marketing Secrets

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Fellow Business Builder,

I think we all agree that Disney is the best of the best with their marketing, customer service, and selling the experience.

That's how you get to be a $36 BILLION dollar behemoth.

No matter what your revenue goals are, Mickey Mouse has lots of things to share than can help build your business.

I wanted to share some of the other lessons I learned with our recent Disney excursion.

Mickey's Lesson #1: Impress people with your professionalism... but do it in your own unique way.

Have you ever seen one of the Disney park firework displays? Very impressive! My wife Kari said they were worth the entire trip alone.

At one of the rides in the park, you got an un-obstructed view of the 1 acre piece of land where the fireworks come from.

Miles of tubes, wires, cables and launching areas.

In the middle of it all a very distinct command center. And buzzing around everywhere, were the squadrons of firework professions (I didn't find out the actual name for them, which I am sure there is a Disney-style name for them).

They were decked out in slick looking blue uniforms and the ones that were out in the midst of it all wore blue flak jackets.

All-in-all it was a very impressive display, just for the preparations for the nightly fireworks.

Mickey's Lesson #2: Constant change.

If you have ever been to a Disney park, you undoubtedly went on the "It's a Small World" ride. It rocks!

The best part? It is probably one of their longest existing rides of all... yet they continue to keep it fresh, up to date, and exciting.

While we were there it was decorated in a Christmas theme... and it must take them hundred and hundreds of hours to switch the overall theme.

Every tiny little detail amongst the hundreds (more like thousands) of little characters inside needs to change with the theme. And they do the complete theme switchover overnight... while the park is closed.

One day you are there and it is a Thanksgiving theme... the next day Christmas!

Simply... right?

For them it is a science, for us a serious need to look at how fresh our graphics, content and promotions are.

Google gets this. They are constantly putting a theme to their main search page. Christmas, Valentines, St Patrick's Day... always something new to keep it fresh... and to remind the rest of us to pick it up a notch... or ten.

Mickey's Lesson #3: Promises are meant to be broken.

At every single ride throughout Disney, there are signs saying how long you will stand in line before finally getting on the actual ride.

The waits times range from 5 minutes for the less popular rides, to 55 minutes (!) for the most popular.

What I noticed though is that the actual wait times were consistently less than what the sign said.

So if you thought you were waiting for 30 minutes, it was a pleasant surprise to only wait 20 minutes. Still a long wait, but less than you thought.

Under-promising and over-delivering worked really well for this part.

If your business has areas that are less than desirable (like long wait times), deliver the goods in less time than you tell them and you quickly turn a negative into a positive.

Mickey's Lesson #3: Thrill seekers unite! Get your signature experience out there front and center.

There is always a ride there that appeals to the adrenaline junkies like myself. And The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in the California Adventure side of Disney was it.

The once-glamorous, and now vacant, luxury Hollywood Tower Hotel is a blast.

By far my favourite there.

You step into the lobby of the hotel and are guided through their library where you discover the fate of the doomed guests of the past.

Then, you are taken into the service elevator to experience the hotel for yourself.

Each floor on your way up, the elevators stops and you experience another part of the disaster that happened in the past.

My kids favourite was when you stop on one of the floors and the doors open so you are looking directly into a full wall mirror. You see yourself sitting in your chair in the elevator and are told to wave. As you wave, the lightning bolts come from the sky and zap your reflection in the mirror, turning you into a ghost... the kids ATE IT UP.

Not long after that is when the elevator drops.

At first you only drop a few floors. Scary... but fun.

Then you are taken to the very top floor of the hotel and the doors open wide. This time though, the open doors give you an unobstructed view of the entire Disney park.

You are almost given enough time to start enjoying the view, when the floor drops out from beneath you and you fall 5 or so floors down.

It rocks! A great ride and one the kids talk the most about a month later.

Always have something that is your signature product or service that keeps them coming back for more... and more... and more.

There were people in the line who had already ridden the elevator 3 or 4 TIMES that day!

Worth the entire admission in itself, just for a quick 10 minute ride.

Mickey's Lesson #4: Kick Knack Patty Whack.

Disney is a master at knick-knacking you to death. But they do it in a way that leaves the parents with empty wallets, and the kids with giant smiles on their faces.

After every single ride, you go to exit the ride, but are forced to exit through a store that is themed to the ride.

So if you are doing the Indiana Jones ride, the store you end up in sells Indiana Jones paraphernalia.

The Monsters ride exits through the Monsters store.

What better way to remember your experience than to buy a little knick knack to remember it by? Works like a charm, and every single one of the stores was lined up at the till.

No matter what you sell - are their ways you can give them little mementos to remember you by?

I have a client now that sells power equipment like lawnmowers, chainsaws and snow blowers. We have find a line of miniature lawnmowers which we are going to start giving to their clients upon purchase.

Guys are guys... and we all love our toys.

An associate of mine once did a promotion for an airline.

Their target market was the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Part of the mailer was a wall sized map which was a quiz/puzzle. The original goal was to get the executives to take the maps home for their kids... but it was very quickly discovered that almost every single executive KEPT the map for himself and did it at work, usually enlisting the help of their executive assistant to finish the puzzle.

The end result of the campaign was still a blockbuster... but the unexpected finding that all men (CEOs included) are still 11 year old boys in grown up bodies, was a bonus finding.

That little discovery has been a major factor in the success of his future campaigns where men were targeted.

Mickey's Lesson #5: Keep them searching for those hidden finds.

Disney is a magical place with magical characters roaming the park. They also know the true importance of giving mementos to remember your experience by.

They have these little books you can buy for a paltry $8 (chump change in the Disney world) that have blank pages throughout. Each page is designed for a signature from one of the characters you see wandering around the park. The facing page has a spot for the picture you take with them.

So the kids are frantically trying to balance out which ride they want to do next, with their eagle eyes spotting the next Disney character they can get to sign their books.

Sometimes you get lucky and get the character to yourself (if you catch them at the right time coming out of a hidden door, which is another lesson it itself).

Sometimes you are standing in line, yet again, to get a signature and photograph with one of the characters.

But it doesn't stop people. And it certainly builds more into the memorabilia you take home with you.

Which means you tell more people, share more of your experiences, and get them to desire the same... soon.

Disney IS the best-of-the-best.

I hope some of these lessons will be used by you in the coming year.

Your customers want more from you... and will pay for it... if you deliver.

When you do... the competition nearly becomes invisible to your ideal buyers.

Worthy of some of your time with a pen and paper... figuring out how you can use Mickey Mouse secrets in your business.

Till then...

To your success,

Troy White

PS: If you want a quick and dirty blueprint for creating the ultimate marketing plan for 2010 - a new year is here and these plans will have you up and running in no time

PPS: This article was originally written for Clayton Makepeace and his Total Package blog. Every Thursday you will find one of my articles, along with a daily post from other contributing editors.

Troy D. White
http://www.smallbusinesscopywriter.com

Mobile Marketing Demographics and Market Penetration

Just a couple years ago marketing to consumers on their mobile phones seemed out of reach for most business owners. Many people wouldn't have even considered wanting to get ads on their mobile phones bringing thoughts of their phones being stuffed with spam much like their email inboxes.

While mobile coupons, text message marketing and even geo-social applications may not be as far ahead as most companies would like you to believe, it continues to grow each month. The younger demographics, 18-34 year olds, have accepted this marketing medium while older demographics continue to slowly adapt to receiving mobile coupons.

If you need to reach the younger demographic you know how hard it can be with traditional marketing. A recent eMarketer study noted that 66% of 18-44 year olds said they were somewhat likely to try mobile coupons. 31% said they would be willing to give their mobile number in exchange for mobile coupons. When you reduce the age range to 18-34 year olds, the number jumps to 50% willing to receive coupons on their mobile phone by giving their number to a business.

Being able to target 50% of your customers may not seem like much but when you consider redemption rates it becomes very attractive. Let's compare this to email marketing as an example. Say you have a customer base of 1000 consumers on your email list and 500 on a text marketing list. Sending the same offer to each list will result in an average 3% redemption rate from the email list or 30 customers and an average redemption rate from mobile of 15% or 150 customers. Mobile marketing ROI is much higher even with a smaller customer list.

The rate of acceptance and willingness to receive offers on mobile phones will continue to grow. We think a crucial factor of this growth is smart-phone penetration that also continues slow growth each month. As people become more accustomed to using their mobile devices for social media, searching the internet for local services, they grow more comfortable with receiving offers on their phone.

Each month more restaurants, retail stores and companies turn to mobile marketing to attract and reach customers when traditional marketing methods do not bring in the return on investment they need to continue to grow. What once was considered far-fetched is becoming reality. To reach your customers, you need to speak to them where they are, and that is continually increasing to be on the mobile phones.

Mobile marketing may be your answer if nothing you seem to be doing for your marketing efforts is working to increase your sales or profits. Let Moto Message help you increase your sales during this down economy.

We can help you increase your sales, profits and customers in just 30 days. You don't have to take our word for it though, we let you use our service completely free for 30 days with no credit card required so you can see for yourself how powerful text marketing can be in today's economy.

Visit http://www.motomessage.com/ today to learn more.

Viral Marketing Techniques - Challenges

Marketing buzzwords come and go. Terms such as "surefire", "greatest", "as seen on TV", and "innovative" each have been featured in millions of advertising headlines. These once powerful marketing words eventually became overused in the advertising world. As a result, they lost much of the impact they once had to persuade people to buy a product.

There is a marketing word being used today that companies are making millions of dollars a year from that consumers aren't even close to sick of hearing. That word is "Challenge".

People love to challenge themselves. They love to say they conquered a challenge. It makes them feel better about themselves, and gives them something to boast about to their friends. Whatever the reason, the word "Challenge" quickly hooks a person into reading more.

Some companies are building their entire marketing strategy around challenges. An example is Ed Dale's "30 Day Challenge" which challenges participants to create a profitable Internet business in 30 days.

So can it work for your business? Can you create a viral marketing campaign by challenging your customers to do something that is so difficult only the best can achieve it?

Here are a few ways regular businesses can use challenges to attract new customers.

1) Reward Anyone Who Accomplishes a Certain Result

Offer a discount or prize to those who complete a certain task.

For example, a gym could offer to refund membership fees paid during the first three months to any customers who lose over 25 pounds during that time period.

2) Run a Competition

Run a competition right in your store where people compete against each other. Give a unique prize to the winner.

Make it a recurring event for added impact. That way, people can refer their friends to future events, and the event can grow stronger and stronger every time you run it.

3) Make a Quiz

Create a quiz related to your product on your website which gives the user a score, and suggests that they challenge their friends to see if they can beat that score. People love to compare their performance with others. People love it when they score higher on something than a friend does.

4) Help People Achieve a Certain Result with Your Product

Some people need a helping hand. That's why Ed Dale's 30 Day Internet Marketing Challenge is so successful. He actually guides people through the process of creating a money-making website. Can you create a series of videos that guide people towards a certain result with your product or service? They may be more willing to purchase your product if you can guide them to achieve great results with it.

For Hundreds of Free Marketing Ideas Visit the Marketing Training Center -- a huge online database of free marketing ideas spanning dozens of marketing subdisciplines.

Interior Design Marketing

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It is estimated that only one in every five interior designers has any kind of formal marketing plan. They usually only market when business is slow and they more or less advertise in an impromptu manner. There are several ways to work on your interior design marketing. I will just name a few of the many ideas.

If you want to market your interior design business and see results, follow some simple guidelines to put you ahead of the game in your industry. You should first research your competition. Learn what they are doing to attract business. Find out where they are marketing their business and who they are targeting.
Take several pictures of your work and publish them in trade publications. Also include any specials or other items of interest you want to promote. Arrange speaking engagements whenever possible and have a professional sounding, well prepared speech ready.

Another great idea for interior design marketing is to create a portfolio with plenty of samples of your work. Put it together in a format that is easy to add new items or update. Rent a booth at trade shows or buy advertising time on radio or local television stations.

Any lead is a potential customer. Don't presume any lead is not worth the effort. Even if a particular lead does not turn into a future customer, they may send others your way if you keep a professional demeanor and treat each lead special.

If all else fails, don't forget cold calling. Okay, calm down. Take a deep breath. I know, I know, cold calling is every business person's least favorite part of the job. However, for every ten cold calls, you will receive one positive answer. So if you make ten calls and you get one appointment, that's one more than you had before. Persistence is the key in cold calling. It will be frustrating and discouraging if you make 25, 50 or 100 calls and get no more than one or two appointments but don't give up. It will pay off in the end.

If your current clients are happy with your services, ask them for referrals. If they are truly pleased with what you have to offer, they will be happy to send more business your way. Equally important as gaining customers is keeping customers. Be sure you keep your clientele happy by resolving issues as soon as they arise.

Always, keep a positive attitude and display confidence in your demeanor. People will be more likely to hire a self-confident business professional. Give your customers a reason to come back. Offer something that your competition doesn't offer or find a unique way to promote your business. Anticipate a client's needs or questions and have the solution ready.

Following these simple tips and ideas will not only help you generate business, but will help you keep that business for years to come. Not only will you keep the business of loyal, return customers, soon you will be receiving the majority of your new business from referrals from satisfied customers and your client base will continue to grow.

David Ledoux is an author, speaker, trainer and mentor to entrepreneurs. His newest report The Small Business Death Sentence can be downloaded for free at [http://bigmoneyfreetime.com]

Funny Marketing Course

For more great videos visit blog.MarketingWorkshops.ca



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpRYhPvqTW0&hl=en

The Value Of Marketing Assessments

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What when was the last time that you took a hard look at the effectiveness of your marketing programs and decided whether or not you were really getting a good return on investments from these efforts. Lots of companies develop habits on how they spend their marketing dollars, and since we're all creatures of habit, it's really easy to be comfortable with doing the same thing over and over and over again. Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting a different result. The question I have for you is as follows: What is your company doing to measure its marketing results and objectively assess whether or not you're getting what you're paying for from them?

Doing a marketing assessment using an outside consulting firm is an easy way to get a quick snapshot and some objective feedback on whether or not your marketing is actually achieving its desired results. My suggestion is if you haven't done this for some time, hire a strategic or marketing communications consulting firm to come in and help you do a quick and easy assessment. It doesn't cost a lot of money, and it's definitely worth your time and effort to use an outside firm.

They can do a six or eight point assessment of your marketing programs including how well you are addressing your target audience and how effective your messaging is. They can also measure the effectiveness of your lead generation programs, and your marketing mix. For a few thousand dollars it could be money very well spent in order to step outside the box and look at what you can do different in order to generate increased effectiveness from your marketing.

The rules of marketing are changing constantly, and companies that are staying on top of those changes are the ones who are increasingly using new techniques in order to boost their lead generation and their penetration of their target markets. Companies that are engaged in old entrenched thinking, using the same methods that they've always used in the past are finding that they're getting less and less return on investment from those efforts. If you haven't done this for some time, I would suggest that you do a self assessment, or better yet bring in a marketing consulting firm that can help you to take an objective look at what you're doing wrong, and what you're doing right and what can be improved.

Cube Management helps companies accelerate their sales, by providing the Sales & Marketing talent they need to grow their business. Cube is a leading recruiting and consulting partner to mid-market and emerging growth companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. We work across the spectrum of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, providing holistic solutions that drive revenue and profit success. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process and People, to produce great results. Download the Cube Management Recruiting Guide and the Cube Management Inside Sales Guide.

Do You Use Bad Marketing Language?

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Do you use marketing language when someone asks you what you do? Do you sound like a brochure instead of a real, live human being? I'm sure you recognize marketing language in other people. Have you ever heard someone say something like "we help our clients find the solutions to their needs" or "we help our clients protect their wealth" or "we provide technology solutions for progressive companies" or some other junk like that? That's marketing language.

The difference between marketing language and real language is that people don't think in marketing-speak. That is, their actual thought processes don't include the words found in marketing language.

So how do you know if what you are saying is marketing junk? It's as simple as asking yourself the following question; "Is what I just said the way people think?" Have you ever formulated your thoughts using those exact words?

Let's use an example to make it clearer. How many times have you stayed awake at night worrying about money? Did you think to yourself, "Gee, I wonder how I can protect my wealth?" Or did you think something more like, "I've worked hard to earn this money. How can I grow it without taking too much risk in the market and without getting killed on taxes?" The first example is marketing language, the second is real English. Do you see the difference?

If you're still stumped, try a great, free service called Bull Fighter. You can access it at [http://www.dc.com/bullfighter] . It will help you get rid of all the b.s., jargon and marketing lingo in your speech and writing. Now, go speak plain English and make more money !!

Will Turner is the Founder and President of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group, a sales training and consulting company. Will has over 20 years of sales and sales management experience and is the author of over 150 sales-related articles and sales training programs as well as the co-author of the book, Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. Will can be reached at Will@dancingelephants.net.

Actor Kevin Spacey Explains Network Marketing

Check out this video of actor Kevin Spacey explaining the benefits of Network Marketing.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_smi8JuojU&hl=en

Mezcla de Marketing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqFklz8AyBc&hl=en

Marketing 101

Entrepreneurs explain successful marketing techniques



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n1v4YxdWHE&hl=en

Introduction to the Marketing Mix

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The marketing mix is concerned with the realities and practicalities of how the marketing objectives may be turned into specific marketing plans and activities. The role of the marketing mix is to move objectives and plans into reality of implementation and achievement.

WHAT THE MARKETING MUST HAVE:

STRATEGIC ELEMENT: For instance, the company must decided what kinds of products its wishes to produce, given the choices its has made about the target markets its wants to satisfy. Such decision will inevitably, preclude other markets and products, given the limitation on resources available to it.

PLANNING ELEMENT: For instance, what time - scale should be applied to new product development activities.

TACTICAL ELEMENT: For instance, to what extent should the company allow discounts to volume buyers and how widely should its pricing policy be publicized within the trade.

OPERATIONAL AND IMPLEMENTATION ELEMENT: For instance, should marketing management expect to be involved in the formulation of detailed advertising copy being undertaken by the company's advertising agency.

RESOURCES COMMITMENT: For instance, upon what basis should advertising and sales promotion budgets be constructed or over what time scale should new products be expected to pay - back the research and development costs incurred in their development.

The Importance and complexity of the marketing mix, therefore, explains why it is such a major subject in the theory and practice of marketing. This complex of elements and activities should be managed such that it ensures that the right product is available at the right price in the right place at the appropriate time to satisfy the needs of target customers in the chosen market segments. It may also involve some degree of persuasion that the customer should consider purchasing the products or should actual make the purchase. The need for appropriate promotion of the products is, therefore, also an important part of the marketing mix. The marketing mix may effectively be described and analyzed on the basis of the four p's. These are: Product, Price, Place and Promotion.

[http://www.earnrealcash.info]

Funnel Your Way to Marketing Success

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A funnel is a good way to think of the marketing process. The top is very broad and consists of using mass marketing techniques. Mass marketing includes items like mass mailings, national advertising, billboards, and airing commercials during the Super Bowl. The marketing message is sent to a broad audience with little or no discretion. Mass marketing is very expensive, difficult to evaluate, and has a low return on investment. Mass marketing is a stab in the dark, like trying to find needles in a haystack. The next section of the funnel narrows the target audience into market segments. The communications still appeal to a large audience, but they are at least targeted to a specific market segment by means of the chosen media.

Cat Fancy magazine, ESPN, and the Oxygen website each target a specific segment of the market: cat lovers, sports enthusiasts, and women, respectively. Next, we narrow the target audience further into niche or specialty markets. Harley Davidson, Barbie, and Macintosh computers each appeal to a specialty area of the market. The bottom of the funnel is the customized or one-to-one area of the funnel. The consumer being on a first-name basis with the product or service provider often characterizes these markets. Mike the mechanic, Bill the barber, Doc Baker are all one-to-one relationships in which the customer and service provider know each other personally. Through the use of technology and mass customization, these relationships can be available on a wide scale such as in the case of the "My Yahoo!" page.

ROI

ROI stands for return on investment. Every one of the techniques in the funnel will gain customers. The question is which technique will provide the greatest return on investment. A Super Bowl ad is sure to create interest and generate new customers, but at what price? The same amount of money spent at the bottom and targeted directly at ideal customers will produce a much greater return on investment. Two benefits of targeting the bottom of the funnel are the likelihood of a positive response and the kinds of relationships that are established. Relationships on the bottom of the funnel are more committed and not easily broken. One-to-one customers form the bedrock, the foundation, for any successful product line. These people are not likely to change to a competitor due to the mutual commitment they feel between themselves and the brand.

Customers at the bottom of the funnel can and should become your best marketing tool. They are positive multipliers that spread the word to friends and family. There are three levels of the one-to-one section: the customer, the referent, and the advocate. The customer will continue to buy the product and not switch to the competition. The referent will continue to buy the product and will tell others about the product when asked (give referrals). The advocate will continue to purchase the product, will actively promote the product, and will convince others to buy it. The goal of every marketer is to gain advocates for the product.

To summarize, the top of the funnel is the most expensive with the least return on investment and the least amount of consumer loyalty, while the bottom of the funnel is the least expensive with the greatest return on investment and the greatest amount of consumer loyalty. Getting consumers to the bottom is the goal. Marketers should always be guiding their consumers to the bottom of the funnel where the costs are less and the relationships are stronger.

Take it from the Top

Why would anyone market to a mass audience at the top of the funnel? There are three reasons marketers come in from the top of the funnel: lack of education, sloth, and lack of opportunity. The majority of people marketing products do not know anything about the marketing funnel. If you know anyone that needs to be a more effective marketer, I urge you to advocate this book to him or her. Millions of dollars are spent because that is just the way things have been done in the past, or that is what companies see from their competitors. If you want to lead the market, then innovate instead of imitating.

On the other hand, some people are too lazy to work on building these types of relationships with customers. Often it is easier to pay for a television commercial or a billboard than to figure out how to establish one-to-one relationships with thousands of target customers.

The final reason is lack of opportunity. Sometimes when marketing a new product, it is necessary to enter the market from higher up in the funnel. If this is the case, steer your customer relationships down the funnel as quickly as possible. For example, if you must enter the market by means of a national newspaper advertisement, link the ad to a customizable website or some other tool that allows the relationship to develop further and reduces the need for future mass marketing efforts.

Michael Daehn is the founder of marketingenious consulting and author of the book The Seven Keys to Marketing Genius: The Complete Guide to Increasing Your Marketing IQ available at http://www.sevenkeysmarketing.com and http://www.borders.com. Visit his website at http://www.marketingenious.com

IT Marketing: Know the Decision Maker

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Know exactly whom the decision maker is that you're trying to target before you start your IT marketing and prospecting. In this article, you'll learn why it's extremely important that you define as tightly as you can who the decision maker is, and how to do that.

If there's a particular industry you're trying to reach with your IT marketing, getting to know the decision maker will be a lot easier. Once you know your niche it's going to be a lot easier to find the trade groups, to find the lists you need to run to, to find the conferences you need to go to, to figure out what hot buttons you want to hit, and who the decision maker is.

How do you find the correct decision maker or contact person within the company that you're targeting for your IT marketing? How would this differ in a 10-person v. 50-person, v. a 100-person office?

So the basic question here is with your sales and marketing efforts, what's the role, what's the job title, what kind of person are you looking to reach?

IT Marketing: The Two Most Likely Contact People

In most small businesses, you're going to find two types of main contact people. You'll find the person you want to reach, signs the checks or the purchase orders, or the contracts or the purchase authorizations. I sometimes call that the P&L person because they're responsible for the profit and loss statement of the company. This may actually be the owner or a partner, especially in smaller businesses.

Person number two is the internal guru. That's the one everyone tends to yell for when there's computer problems, but taking care of computer problems isn't their full-time job. They generally have another job within the company. Sometimes it's an office manager. Sometimes they're the executive or administrative assistant, but they're the one that everyone yells for when something goes wrong with IT.

When in doubt, simply ask who's wearing each hat. Who's the person that makes the financial decisions on major IT purchases? Who's the person that when the laser printer jams up or the Internet connection goes down? Who's the one on the phone with the technology vendor? The answers to these are a good starting point to find the person you need to for IT marketing

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Business Computer Consulting .com. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of small business computer consulting firms get more steady, high-paying clients. Now you can too. Sign-up now for your free access a one-hour audio training program featuring field-tested, proven Small Business Computer Consulting Secrets.

Niche Marketing: Finding Hot Markets

NicheTrends.net If you're stuck trying to find niche ideas for your niche marketing, here are some free tools that I use to find hot trends that may help you as well. You can also download a free report of the hottest niche marketing trends of 2008 at http



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDoQjDLcd5o&hl=en

The 7Ps of Marketing Mix

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Marketing professionals and specialist use many tactics to attract and retain their customers. These activities comprise of different concepts, the most important one being the marketing mix. There are two concepts for marketing mix: 4P and 7P. It is essential to balance the 4Ps or the 7Ps of the marketing mix. The concept of 4Ps has been long used for the product industry while the latter has emerged as a successful proposition for the services industry.

The 7Ps of the marketing mix can be discussed as:

Product - It must provide value to a customer but does not have to be tangible at the same time. Basically, it involves introducing new products or improvising the existing products.

Price - Pricing must be competitive and must entail profit. The pricing strategy can comprise discounts, offers and the like.

Place - It refers to the place where the customers can buy the product and how the product reaches out to that place. This is done through different channels, like Internet, wholesalers and retailers.

Promotion - It includes the various ways of communicating to the customers of what the company has to offer. It is about communicating about the benefits of using a particular product or service rather than just talking about its features.

People - People refer to the customers, employees, management and everybody else involved in it. It is essential for everyone to realize that the reputation of the brand that you are involved with is in the people's hands.

Process - It refers to the methods and process of providing a service and is hence essential to have a thorough knowledge on whether the services are helpful to the customers, if they are provided in time, if the customers are informed in hand about the services and many such things.

Physical (evidence) - It refers to the experience of using a product or service. When a service goes out to the customer, it is essential that you help him see what he is buying or not. For example- brochures, pamphlets etc serve this purpose.

Medha Behera

Wedding Planner Marketing Tips

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The wedding planner life is the only one I'd like to lead. I love to see couples find the ways to have their perfect day, and I absolutely love being able to help them do it on their own budget. Solving problems, working with people, and just being around weddings is a great career, so I love what I do. The only problem wedding planners have is marketing. There aren't too many wedding planner marketing tips that are just floating around there. But there are a lot of wedding planners, and it can be hard to make myself stand out in the crowd. If I was going to give advice about wedding planner marketing tips, there are a couple of things that I would be sure to say.

First of all, as a wedding planner, one of the biggest wedding planner marketing tips that I can come up with is making sure that you've got a solid business plan and you are professional. You've got to know what you are doing right off the bat so that you'll be able to do it well. You also have to always present yourself in a professional way. Remember that part of wedding planner marketing is making sure that you can work with all kinds of people, from couples getting married to in laws, to florists and DJs. You are going to have to plan this whole thing out, so be sure that your people skills are up to date. One of the biggest wedding planner marketing tips you can have is to always, always be friendly and polite. You have no idea how far a good word can go. If one couple likes you, they'll recommend you to a friend. Business is easy, that way.

But you've got to get your name out there. I learned that the hard way, having no work for quite some time. Finally I realized that a web site is a great idea, because couples who are getting married like to see what I've done before. I put up photographs from weddings I've planned, and testimonials from couples who like me. I've also put up lists of what I do and what I charge for those services. With this information online, it is super easy for couples to decide that they'd like me. The hardest part is making sure that they know my address. I got an easy to remember website address, and started plastering it all over town. I took out ads in magazines that catered to brides and grooms, and made sure that I stuck it at all sorts of places. I even got some florists and DJs to say that they'd keep some of my cars and recommend me. In turn, I usually use them when I need those services for a wedding. That kind of networking can be the best of the wedding planner marketing tips because not only does it help you get business, it also helps you during your own business. No matter what, I always remember that if I want to be a successful wedding planner, I've just got to get out there and do it.

David Ledoux is an author, speaker, trainer and mentor to entrepreneurs. His newest report The Small Business Death Sentence can be downloaded for free at [http://bigmoneyfreetime.com]

Effective Marketing Skills

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Being able to network effectively for marketing purposes is a skill. You might even say it is an art. There are plenty o f prospects all around you but you likely aren't seeing them.

Every single day you pass by prospects unawares. It's because you haven't trained yourself to see them yet. It takes some effort and discipline, but you can get better at finding new prospects to grow your business.

Here's one basic question that I want you to think about. How often do you talk to people when you're out and about? You should be talking to people regularly. Follow the 5 foot rule. Anyone within 5 feet of you, whether in a store or elevator or wherever, speak to them politely and briefly.

After you have broken the ice, gauge whether they seem receptive to ongoing conversation. Ask a question like "what do you do for a living?" Depending on how they respond, see if you can't continue the conversation. They may hint, or even outright state, that they are ready for a new opportunity to come along.

If they note that they are receptive to new opportunities, try a line like "I have something I think you might want to look at. Would you be interested?" Your next move is to give them some sort of tool such as a website or a reference. If you can, get their card so you can call them with more information.

If you do this regularly you will find that you come across literally dozens of opportunities every day. Can you imagine how that might build your business? Even if you only talk to 5 new people each day it would be a big difference.

If you spoke to even five new people each day, how do you think that would affect your network marketing business? You'd have a lot more prospects in line that is for sure! Your business would take off exponentially. They might even refer their friends to you as well.

Start using that 5 foot rule the next time you are out. You can't be shy if you want to grow your business. Your network marketing prospects will multiply so quickly you'll hardly believe it. Along with this, your income will almost certainly skyrocket.

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