Small Business Marketing on a Shoestring
Student Reviews
- This course was much more than I expected. It answered all my questions, and much much more. Thank you for giving me all the helpful advice I needed, and so fast.... Thank you, thank you.
- As a business owner this course was immensely helpful. I'm currently operating my second business and I feel that I've always been lacking in my marketing efforts. Owning a business doesn't afford much time so this was the perfect opportunity to learn at my own pace. The course and instructor provided so many ideas that I have a year's worth of work to do! I'm happy about this as it opened my mind and hopefully opportunities to increase my sales. In fact, I have already implemented several marketing strategies based on this course. I can't thank the teacher enough for her detailed and prompt responses to my questions and those of others which I found helpful as well. I would highly recommend this course. Very up to date and well presented.
- Excellent course. I am in the process of starting a business and this course could not have come at a better time. I feel that I am now well equipped to start my marketing campaign and I am much more confident about marketing my business.
- This course exceeded my expectations! I learned so much valuable information. I cannot wait to utilize all my new knowledge. Glynns taught in an easy-to-follow format. The informative was fresh and extremely useful. My interest in marketing has grown to a whole new level. Thank you Glynns!!
- This course was very thorough and informative. The information was presented clearly and logically with alot of extra resources added through the supplementary materials and discussion area answers. Our instructor, Glynns, proved to be exceptionally knowledgeable in all areas of our study. In addition, she spent alot of time supplying very complete, personalized answers and suggestions in our discussion areas. Her guidance will surely help our marketing efforts! Thanks for a great course!
Class Details
When it comes to marketing for small businesses, money isn't everything! In this course, you'll learn how to use the same marketing tricks the big companies employ—without making a big dent in your wallet.
As you build your own customized marketing plan step-by-step, you'll discover how to attract your target audiences, entice customers to buy your product or service, and keep buyers coming back for more. In addition, you'll find out how to generate the referrals that are crucial to your company's success. You'll get tips on evaluating your tactics, tracking your results, and fine-tuning your approach so it gets better every year. Best of all, the small business marketing strategies you'll learn will fit into any budget—and some are even free!
With the help of videos, spreadsheets, and hands-on activities, you'll build your skills in each lesson. You'll master cost-effective strategies including strategic partnerships, local marketing, search engine optimization, social networking, e-mail marketing, lead generation, and niche marketing. Along the way, you'll see many real-world examples from other small businesses much like yours.
Whether you’re new to advertising or looking for a refresher, this course will make you a marketing pro. And by the time you're done, you’ll have a personalized plan of action for increasing your sales—all on a shoestring budget.
Session Start Dates:
February 15 | March 21 | April 18
If you own a small business and need to stretch your marketing dollars, you’ve come to the right place! In today’s lesson, you’ll discover that you can promote your business effectively for just pennies—or sometimes even for free. The secret: a systematic marketing plan that targets your audience at every stage of the purchasing cycle.
The first step in successful marketing is getting people to notice you—and today, we’ll look at three ways to achieve that goal. We’ll start by talking about how to create a great first impression, both in person and through your brand. Next, you’ll find out how to position yourself as an expert in your field. And finally, we’ll talk about using the media to promote your business.
Want to stretch your marketing dollars to the max? Then put the power of partnerships to work for you. In this lesson, you’ll discover how to combine forces with other individuals or businesses to create exciting and effective marketing opportunities. In addition, we’ll talk about enlisting other people in your place-based marketing and word-of-mouth campaigns.
These days, a Web site is an essential marketing tool for any business. And here’s the good news: You can create an attractive, professional-looking Web site quickly and easily, for only a few dollars. You’ll find out how in this lesson—and you’ll also learn the ins and outs of obtaining a domain name, getting a matching e-mail address, laying out your Web site, and finding a hosting provider if you need one.
When you’re done creating your Web site, it’s time for the next step: drawing traffic to it. In today’s lesson, we’ll explore how to do this through on-page and off-page search engine optimization (SEO). In addition, we’ll look at pay-per-click ads, banner ads, classified ads, videos, and a host of other low-cost or free ways to draw attention online.
Successful business owners master the art of finding and cultivating leads, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. We’ll investigate everything from old-fashioned fishbowls to Facebook Business pages and Twitter, and we’ll talk about the pros and cons of e-mail and direct mail marketing. Whether you’re a traditionalist or a techie, you’ll find an approach that’s just right for you.
Congratulations: You’ve scored a sale! Now, how can you keep your new customer coming back for more? In this lesson, we’ll talk about inexpensive or free ways to generate repeat sales. In addition, we’ll look at a variety of techniques for encouraging referrals—and finally, we’ll talk about capturing your customer information in a database.
Some marketing efforts bring crowds of customers to your door. Others are a complete flop, wasting your time and money. How can you choose wisely? By doing some up-front analysis—and that’s what we’ll talk about today. When you complete today’s lesson, you’ll be equipped with all the tools you need to choose marketing tactics that have a high potential for success. In addition, you’ll learn why integrated marketing gives you the best results, and you’ll find out how to schedule a full year of marketing activities easily and efficiently.
Sure, you want everyone to buy your product—but when you’re marketing, it pays to be exclusive. Today, you’ll find out why niche marketing can bring in more customers than mass marketing (and create a more loyal customer base as well). After that, you’ll learn how to use geographics, demographics, firmographics, psychographics, and behavioral data to create a marketing message that resonates with your target market.
In this lesson, we’ll talk about key selling messages—those alluring words that overcome potential buyers’ objections and make them want to make a purchase immediately. You’ll learn how to identify the unique features of your business, how to create a competitive positioning statement, and—most important of all—how to identify the emotional benefits that motivate your buyers. By the time you’re done, you’ll be able to distill your new knowledge into a short, powerful message that will turn skeptical people into eager customers.
Today, it all comes together! First, you’ll create the two final elements of your marketing plan: your business goals and your marketing goals. You’ll discover how to create goals that are clear-cut, realistic, and measurable, so you’ll be motivated to meet (or even exceed) the targets you set. After that, you’ll roll all of your information into a single document that will be your blueprint for marketing success. With this marketing plan in hand, you’ll be ready to take your prospective buyers by storm.
In our final lesson, we’ll talk about tracking—the secret to continually improving your marketing tactics and increasing your profits. You’ll learn how to create a baseline and compile reports that can highlight your marketing successes and point to areas where you can improve. In addition, you’ll discover different ways to track your campaigns—including the campaigns you might think are “untrackable.”
This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Glynns Thomas.
Glynns Thomas has 20 years of advertising and marketing experience. She has worked for several of the world’s best-known advertising agencies and was a Vice President of Internet Marketing at Wells Fargo Bank. Today, she’s an independent small business marketing consultant and a volunteer with SCORE: Counselors to America’s Small Business, providing marketing advice to small businesses across the nation.
Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).
