Conducting market research Understanding your customers, competition and marketplace is your key to making effective marketing decisions and avoiding costly mistakes. 5 tips to create effective customer satisfaction surveys How market research helped one small business double sales 5 steps to conduct your own low-cost competitor analysis How to define your target market From our blog—A practical guide to market research to help you make better decisions From our blog—5 ways to improve your business with market research
Defining my target market By effectively defining your target market, your company will be in a better position to identify typical customers and tailor marketing plans accordingly. 5 game-changing consumer trends that will transform your business How to understand your customers better How to market and sell to early adopters From our blog—The ever-evolving digital consumer 5 questions to answer before selling a foreign product in Canada From our blog—Millennials: Drivers of a new consumer era From our blog—How to brand and sell to Millennials From our blog—How to influence prospects who think they don’t need you Use personas to create more effective marketing campaigns
Developing my marketing plan Doing business without a marketing plan is like driving without a map. A solid plan should clearly lay out how you intend to attract customers and persuade them to buy. From our blog—In the digital age, marketing fundamentals are the crucial differentiator A 5-step, no-nonsense marketing plan Low-cost marketing for your small business From our blog—Your top marketing priorities From our blog—How to marry traditional and digital marketing 7 low-cost marketing strategies to implement now Finding the right product-market fit
Creating my marketing budget A marketing budget will help you measure the ROI of your marketing efforts, so you can focus proactively on the tactics that give you the most bang for your buck. What is the average marketing budget for a small business? 5 steps you need to know to plan your marketing budget How to avoid pitfalls in advertising your small business From our blog—Developing a budget for your Website From our blog—Open up your sales funnel by boosting your marketing budget
Branding and positioning my business A strong brand identity will favourably position your business in a competitive marketplace—the foundation of any successful marketing strategy. Score with your brand: How to propel your business with better branding Branding lessons from a successful small business Branding: 5 steps for building your company's brand 3 easy steps to your best logo and branding strategy From our blog—3 common signs your brand is broken (and 3 ways to fix it!) From our blog—3 essential elements of a successful brand Video—Entering new markets: Gray Tools Tips on how to find your unique selling point Why differentiation is the key to small business success Is green marketing right for your business? Tentree international does well by doing good The elevator pitch: How to present your business in 60 seconds 4 steps to follow when reviewing your pricing policies How to counter predatory pricing How to price your product: 5 common strategies 6 easy strategies to attract more foreign visitors to your tourism business From our blog—5 steps to spring clean your brand and refresh your marketing Customer experience: The secret to retail success Insights from data help this entrepreneur reach an untapped market From our blog—Connecting to your market through storytelling 7 steps to setting the right price for your products or services
Choosing the right distribution channels Selecting the right distribution channels will ensure that your customers, no matter their location, can buy your products or services. The pros and cons of direct and indirect product distribution Pain-free tips to find your best distribution channel
Implementing traditional marketing strategies Digital technologies have changed the way everyone does business. That said, it might surprise you to know that traditional marketing remains a key lever in promoting your business. How to avoid cold calling for sales Practical strategies to maximize your trade show ROI Trade shows: 6 steps to finding potential customers 7 guerilla marketing tips to break through to customers on a budget
Implementing digital marketing strategies Today, a digital strategy is critical to the success of most small and medium-sized businesses; especially when it comes to attracting and serving customers. Online marketing 4 online marketing mistakes holding your business back 3 reasons why your business should be doing inbound marketing 4 steps to building an online marketing strategy 7 online marketing secrets for attracting local customers Video—Top trends in Canadian online business Video—4 steps to online success Video—Online marketing: Tips from a successful entrepreneur From our blog—Is your business ready for an online strategy? From our blog—Effective digital marketing takes time and resources. Are you ready? From our blog—Digital marketing: Small strategies… Big results From our blog—Online marketing case study: Auto Trim Design From our blog—B2B online marketing really does work! From our blog—What is mobile marketing anyway? From our blog—Generating more leads using online marketing: A success story E-commerce From our blog—E-commerce case study: Posh Jewelry From our blog—E-commerce case study: Studio F/X Content marketing 10 tips for attracting customers with great online content Canada’s anti-spam legislation: Your questions answered Canada’s anti-spam legislation: What you need to do Using e-newsletters to achieve marketing success: 5 tips From our blog—What is content marketing and why is it so important? From our blog—Marketing automation tools make your digital marketing easier Search Engine optimization 10 SEO tips for small businesses 4 local SEO tips for small businesses From our blog—SEO basics for entrepreneurs: Easy tips for optimizing your website From our blog—Building your local SEO presence Online advertising Pay-per-click advertising: 8 tips to make it pay off How to use pay-per-click advertising to increase sales From our blog—Using landing pages and small data to optimize your online ad campaigns Social media How to create a social media strategy for your business 6 ways to turn social media fans into customers 7 steps to create and optimize your company’s LinkedIn page 10 tips for creating an online video strategy for your business Create a Facebook strategy for your business How to market your business on Twitter How to manage your reputation on customer review sites From our blog—Social Media: Engage with your customers
Improving customer loyalty It’s easier to persuade a customer who already knows you to buy again. In fact, an existing customer can cost up to five times less than winning a new one. 6 ways to build better customer relationships Facebook marketing plan: No‑nonsense tips to reach more customers From our blog—Omnichannel marketing: 5 steps to a seamless customer experience From our blog—6 easy steps to create a customer loyalty program
Measuring ROI Even the very best marketing strategy will fail in today’s highly competitive and global marketplace if the company doesn’t track its ROI. From our blog—Small data is the big answer for small business How to measure your social media success From our blog—Small data: Learn to measure your growth
Optimizing my strategies and tactics A continuous cycle of measuring, learning and making changes to your marketing initiatives will help your company maximize its returns on its marketing investments. From our blog—5 ways you’re messing up your marketing (and how you can fix it!) From our blog—7 growth lessons I learned for 2016 From our blog—How to use easy tools to beat your online competition