Book Introduction

Introduction

Marketing. It's a fascinating subject and one that I have devoted my entire career to. For many small businesses however, marketing is a black art, the preserve of big businesses with equally big marketing budgets.

Yet when harnessed properly, marketing is one of the most powerful and effective tools that a small business has at their disposal. If you want to grow and succeed in both good times and challenging times then you simply cannot afford to overlook the vital role that marketing plays in the long-term success of your business.

You don't need to be a marketing guru nor have a string of marketing qualifications to get some incredible results from your marketing efforts. The good news is that the best investment you can make where marketing your business is concerned is your time and enthusiasm. This doesn't mean that you have to spend four days a week on marketing, but if you can devote one day a month to focus on growing your business through marketing then you are off to an excellent start.

Marketing on a shoestring is all about combining your time and your energy with some marketing know-how and a splash of creativity. There's no need to spend huge sums of money on untested activities and then crossing your fingers in the hope that the results will justify the outlay. In fact, by following the advice in these pages you will find that your results go up and your marketing spend goes down!

And that’s what this book is all about. No marketing jargon, just an abundance of accumulated wisdom, tips and some practical small business case studies that bring the advice to life. Whether you're just starting out, or have been in business for a few years, this book will help you understand how effective marketing activities can be performed on a small budget.

I hope you enjoy reading this book and that it inspires you to unleash the power and the potential of your small business.

Good luck!

Dee Blick