Marketing

What exactly is Marketing and why is it important to you as an entrepreneur? Simply stated, Marketing is everything you do to place your product or service in the hands of potential customers. 

As business has evolved, Marketing has changed from a selling orientation to a broader customer orientation. Today, Marketing is more and more focused on the development and implementation of competitive strategies ("game plans"). It is the marketer's responsibility to understand changes in customer needs and to get the right products to the market at the right time. The survival of companies depends on it as they say Marketing is all about winning the warfare.

There are different types of Marketing:

Targeted Marketing: Who is your target audience, what do they want, and how do you reach them? Understanding your audience is the first step to a successful Marketing campaign. There are many ways to reach your target audience on the Internet, including search engines, links, Ezine advertising, joint ventures, and more. Don't neglect to research your 'offline' market as well -- many people still prefer to be contacted in the 'real world', rather than through cyberspace!

Permission Marketing: 'Spam' -- unsolicited email -- can cause varied reactions from minor irritation to outright rage. You don't have to spam in order to get business; people acknowledge that there are products and services about which they're willing to receive information. The Internet has proved this to be true: how many times have you willingly signed up to receive a newsletter? Some methods of Permission Marketing include publishing a newsletter; offering product or service announcements or updates; and using an auto responder to distribute reports, articles, stories, etc. Subscription forms can be placed on your site so that visitors can indicate their interest.

Relationship Marketing: Relationship Marketing has to do with the way you treat your visitors, prospects, and customers. Unless you operate a site with a well-known brand, people aren't buying from a 'website' -- they're buying from other people. Treat them as people instead of 'just another customer number.' A few ways to help accomplish your goal include offering an opt-in newsletter - over time, readers will come to know and trust you; answer email and phone calls promptly and courteously; or offer a little something extra, such as simple 'thank you' or Christmas cards by postal mail. A little extra effort can help your business to stand out from the rest. 

Confidence and Credibility Marketing: People have to trust you and have confidence in your business before they're comfortable making a purchase. So how do you inspire confidence with visitors who have no previous experience with you? First, use some basic, old-fashioned common-sense when creating your site. For example, if you're selling information about how you made a fortune in the stock market, don't host your site on a free domain that's packed with popup and popunders. 

Other ways in Marketing include posting testimonials from happy customers; writing articles, columns or interviews to establish recognition as an 'expert'; and asking customers to refer others to your business.

Now in last let’s see how important is Marketing? Marketing is very important. Almost a third of all Americans work in Marketing-related activities! According to the U.S. Government Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment in Marketing should increase faster than the average of all occupations through the year 2005. Increasing globalization, technical improvements, and higher living standards bring consumers a growing choice of products and services, each of which has to be marketed.