Product, Place, Price and Promotion – why the 4 Ps are still relevant today

The concept of the 4 Ps may have come from a 1960s text book by Neil Borden but they are still relevant today.  Most Marketing courses continue to be based around the simple ideas of Product, Place, Price and Promotion.  These categories have now been widened and many different concepts, processes and strategies formulated for [...]

Promoting on a budget

For small and medium sized businesses it can be difficult to justify expenditure on promotions and advertising.  However with the right strategy and a creative approach it is possible to achieve a great deal with very little resources.  The bad news is there are no quick fixes, it really takes planning, time and a great [...]

Letting Your Staff Do the Marketing for You

Sometimes our best marketing assets are right under our noses, but we just don’t see them. That’s the case with your staff. Sure, they provide a good experience for your customers or clients and that’s important. But they can be a valuable asset in other ways, too. Upselling & Cross Selling Whether you run a [...]

Using Your Price as a Marketing Tool

When we think of marketing based on pricing, we usually think of advertisements for sales prices or special limited time discounts. But you can be using your price point as one of your most effective marketing tools. The best part is you don’t necessarily have to be the cheapest in town to use price to [...]

Why You Need a Mailing List (or What to Do with the One You Already Have)

Mailing lists sometimes don’t get the appreciation they deserve. In reality, they are the backbone of your marketing efforts, especially when you are trying to build loyalty and increase spending among your current customers or clients. There are plenty of good ways to build your own mailing list. You just need a reason for people [...]

Why One Size Should Not Fit All in Your Marketing

As a small business, your marketing budget is probably limited. But that’s no reason to put all of your eggs in one basket. No matter how much success you’ve found with a single marketing approach you can’t afford to rely solely on one type of marketing. You need diversification if you want to get the [...]

How to Get the Maximum Benefits from Social Media Marketing

Marketing Monday Tip of the Week: Always have a Plan! Social media marketing sounds like a great idea, and it is but all too often small businesses enter into the marketing venue without any particular overall strategy. What that means is that they either hit it lucky (seldom) or they waste time and effort and [...]

Marketing Monday Tip: The Importance of Branding

Welcome to the second installment of FMMG’s Marketing Monday. Today we are going to talk about Branding as your ultimate tool. Branding is your foundation, now isn’t it. Give this a moment of thought. If you don’t start at the beginning and carefully develop your brand – then exactly what are you going to market? [...]

Marketing Like a Rock Star – My Sharona

This is part 4 of my Marketing Like a Rock Star Series. What do you have that can be your single most powerful door opener (conversation starter)? Did you play college ball in the Pac 10? Traveled to all 7 continents? Did Kobe Bryant crash into you when saving a ball from out of bounds? [...]

Marketing Guru or Con Artist?

4 things to look for when hiring a marketing consultant: I am constantly surprised (and down right annoyed) at shat some people try to pass of as Internet Marketing skills. Whenever hiring a web designer, “marketing expert” or SEO company, look out for these warning signs. Or don’t and them come to me so I [...]

Viral Marketing Campaign by Nestle Crunch!

Oh you have to call the Nestle Hot line at 1-800-295-0051 When asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, wait quietly for about 10 seconds (really, don’t say anything) just wait and listen for the next message – this is where it will connect the caller to about the funniest set of [...]

10 Small Business Trends for 2009

I love prognosticators! It’s the end of the year and now’s the time when all the predictions are coming in. I don’t really care what Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer are up to (it’s OK if you do… No judgment from me) but give me some insight on small business trending and I’m all over [...]

Social Media ‘Becoming Popular Among Marketers’

It appears that marketing professionals are increasingly spending their budgets on interactive platforms such as viral marketing and social media, new research shows. Based on the survey results by the Online Marketing and Media Show (OMMS), marketers are no longer focusing their attention on traditional banner advertising but are spending more money on search, email [...]

WordPress Beginner’s Guide

I am so happy to announce, that the FreeMarket Media Group e-book entitled “The WordPress Beginners Guide” is available. This e-book walks you step-by-step through everything you need to know about the WordPress blogging system. Even if you’re not a beginner, this book is for you. Why? Because this book will walk you through everything [...]