Marketing Guide For Dummies – I run a successful training and consulting company and have helped hundreds of entrepreneurs to launch or establish their own firms.

This article is designed to show you the importance of marketing and simple tips for making it work for your business and ideas.

Never Ignore Marketing

Yes, I know you’re going to build a killer product that people are going to love. Marketing can help you find people to love it. Make use of every opportunity and every minute of your business day to market your business. You need to invest in marketing.

Marketing Doesn’t Have To Be Shady

The best marketing is inbound which is basically doing what you do best (helping customers). It’s about creating content that is useful for your potential users/customers. You use that as a tool to bring people in.

Don’t Worry About Idea Theft

If you’re worried about somebody stealing your idea, please stop right now. Worry about how you’re going to get customers, team members, and funding.

All of these things are really hard — if you don’t talk about your idea.

Marketing Begins From The Beginning

Don’t wait until your product is in the market before you start marketing. Ideally, you’re writing your first line of content the same day as you’re writing your first line of code. You need to start building your brand, reach and credibility as early as possible.

Don’t Try To Outspend The Incumbent

They have more money than you and can spend money way more stupidly. As a startup, you need to find marketing that gives you leverage where you get disproportionate, the long-term return has given the investment.

Don’t Just Hire A Chief Marketing Officer

In the early years, everybody in the company should be selling. Everybody in the company should also be marketing. You don’t need a high-powered marketing executive from [whatever-company]. You need someone that cares passionately about what you are doing, wants to help people and teach them, and can create content and build your brand and reach.

Use Social Media As An Amplifier

It takes time, but if you build a following, social media is a great way to take that awesome content you’re producing and spread it further and wider.

Don’t Assemble Your Own Platform

As a startup, you should be spending ALL available calories on making your product better and helping your customers. Don’t rationalize the time for wiring together a bunch of different apps, just because you’re smart enough to pick the right tool in each category, and smart enough to get them to talk. Use those brain cells on the product.

Let us know how we can be of help to your idea or business.

Take Action Now!

– Chinedum Azuh

Vol. 3 No. 3 Monday, July 14 – 20, 2014