Many small businesses believe that marketing is an optional activity. If I have some extra time, I’ll think about marketing. If I have some extra money, I’ll think about marketing.
Perhaps you don’t think this way and you actually believe in marketing, but don’t really know how to go about creating a comprehensive marketing plan.
Of perhaps you have felt that putting an ad in the yellow pages, or dropping off some flyers, or even making some sales calls is what marketing is all about.
At ACDLA, we not only believe that marketing is important, we believe it is critical for businesses that want to stay in the game.
Marketing can be described a number of ways, but we subscribe to the business guru, Peter Drucker position that marketing is everything:
“Marketing is not only much broader than selling; it is not a specialized activity at all. It encompasses the entire business. It is the whole business seen from the point of view of the final result, that is, from the customer’s point of view. Concern and responsibility for marketing must therefore permeate all areas of the enterprise.”
And we very much appreciate the passion of Jay Conrad Levinson, of Guerilla Marketing fame who said,
“Marketing is any contact that your business has with anyone who isn’t a part of your business. Marketing is also the truth made fascinating. Marketing is the art of getting people to change their minds. Marketing is an opportunity for you to earn profits with your business, a chance to cooperate with other businesses in your community or your industry and a process of building lasting relationships.”
So whether you have considered marketing to be a ‘nicety’ or a necessity, here you will find suggestions, recommendations and ideas for delighting your customers, creating fans, and effectively communicating the value your can bring to your customers.