Week 4 Discussion

If you are marketing to businesses, identify potential customers for direct mail or telemarketing efforts on ThomasNet at www.thomasnet.com.

Some of the marketing vehicles to choose from are:

■ Brochures. Leaflets, flyers, or other marketing collateral; these are particularly useful for service businesses.

■ Company Website. Every business must have a website. It may be robust — where you sell products directly to customers, or answer customer service inquiries — or it may be quite simple.

■ Print Media. Newspapers, magazines, and specialty publications.

■ Broadcast Media. Radio and cable television can likewise target specific markets; network TV stations can be very expensive, however.

■ Social Networking. Social media sites, microblogging sites, and blogs that help you build relationships with customers and influencers in your market.

■ Online Advertising. Paying for visibility on other websites; these can be banner ads, sponsorship of other sites, purchasing of keywords in search engines, and participating in online portals.

■ Advertising Specialties. Items imprinted with the company name given to customers, such as calendars, caps, desk sets, and other gifts.

■ Direct Mail. Flyers, catalogues, brochures, and coupons.

■ Email Mailings. Regular or infrequent mailings to email mail lists; these can be direct advertisements or online newsletters.

■ Public Relations. Free feature and news articles in the media and other publicity, usually secured by public relations specialists.

■ Sampling. Distribution of free product samples, or coupons entitling recipients to free or discounted samples of your product or service.

■ Informal Marketing/Networking. Activities such as joining organizations, public speaking, or attending conferences. (Abrams, 20140612, pp. 163-164) Abrams, R. (20140612). Successful Business Plan, 6th Edition [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from vbk://9781933895475 Always check citation for accuracy before use.