Marketing Blog

I must say, throughout my days of listening to podcast and webinars, I have found Small Business Big Marketing's podcasts and advice really interesting and useful. Their topics and understanding of the business has really taught me how to approach SMEs at work and would highly recommend their content for any SME that is new to marketing.  Here's the link to their site: http://smallbusinessbigmarketing.com/ .

Seasonal marketing refers to promoting your products and/or services that are only used for a specific period of time during the year.  We all know the primary aim of marketing is be visible when people identify a need, for example, it is summer and you need a swimsuit. In saying that it would make sense for business to offer a sale and show their ranges during this period, rather than winter – all your marketing efforts need to reflect this; work your promotions around seasons to make the best of what you have to offer.   If you offer a product or service that is aimed at a season, maybe you should work around these periods and learn from what your competitors are doing – it will take preparation and a keen eye on what will work best for you market, trying to obtain a sample of the market share becomes harder the later you enter a market, thus it is important to differentiate yourself from the competitors as much as possible.    

Marketer's need to reduce risks in every industry. Whether it is online advertising or service marketing, these 6 perceived risks are always a factor when purchasing or using a service. Depending on which industry, some can be more than others, and some may have a lesser relevant. Marketer's all appreciate the relationship between price, benefits and quality; they all are a measurement of value.  Once you identify what the risks are for your product or service, it is a good idea to try and reduce the implications of your risks.  Functional Risks Functional risks relate to the performance of the product. Does your product or service deliver what it says it will? Honesty is the best policy! It's not just a saying- it actually will help you retain your customers and increase satisfaction. For example, you are dry cleaning service, even though you might Financial Risk Financial risks are monetary loss. In terms of perception, when you pay more, you expect m...

The Consumer Decision Process, or the 5 Stages of the Buyer's Decision Process is the cycle a consumer goes through when they purchase a product or service. The process has 5 main steps: Problem Recognition Information Search Evaluation & Selection Store Choice & Purchase Post Purchase Processes  1. Problem Recognition   In this stage, a consumer realises they need a product or service to solve their problem. In psychology this can be separated between a need or want. This classification is based on your biological needs, for example; if you feel thirsty you need a drink. Whereas you need a car to drive around, but you want a Lexus due to the brand name and quality associated with it. 2. Information Search   After a consumer has recognised they have an problem, they seek information on where they can find a solution to their problem. They can conduct an internal search , which means they use information from their ...

What does SWOT Stand For?    SWOT stands for: strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. A SWOT analysis is used in marketing to analyses a company using the marketing mix. The marketing mix refers to the 4p: Price (cost of a product) Product (Features of the product) Place/ distribution ( where the product can be found) Promotion (techniques to encourage sales). A SWOT analysis is equivalent to the balance sheet in the accounting world. It demonstrates what is happening at a single point in time. Strength and Weaknesses   The strength and weakness section of a swot analysis cover the internal factors a company has. This concentrates only on what happens within your company. It can demonstrate which areas require improvement, and focuses on efficiency.       Opportunities and Threats    The opportunities and threats section of a swot analysis cover the external factors that effect a company. For example...

What's Google AdWords?   AdWords is an advertising method provided on Google. The adverts, that being the ads you have created are placed on the top, bottom, and/or right had of your Google page; they are usually in a buff colour and are relate to a search result.  Every time you search something, this is known as a search query . Google brings up the adverts that relate closest to your search query. A lot of factors are taken into consideration before an advert is shown on the page. AdWords work on a cost-per-click (CPC) bases, this means that the advertiser does not pay unless if someone has clicked on your advertisement. The cost you pay heavily depends on how many advertisers are competing to appear, thus the CPC varies depending on your industry.  In 2011, it is estimated that 62% of Internet users have purchased a good or services online (Gregorio, 2011, par 5).  "Regardless what industry you are in, without being online, you are missing out on a great mark...

Some brands build such a brand leverage, that they become synonyms for what they are. Some times you hear people call for a brand rather than what the item actually is. This is very hard to achieve, but if achieved, your brand is positioned in a unique way- it becomes a generic term used in everyday conversation, it basically becomes its function.  In all, the product name is adopted into the language, especially in English. Once this happens, it is very hard to compete against a product like this. They will most likely have a significant amount of the market share.    Successful Brands that Become Synonyms for Generic Terms Kleenex : Have you ever heard someone say "pass me a Kleenex" rather than using the word 'tissue'? This is a classic example of how the brand Kleenex is used as its common term. When I was growing up, I thought Kleenex meant tissue, on later on understood it was a brand that produces tissues.       Jaccuzzi: for "Spas/hot tubs...