Marketing essentials

How to create a marketing plan for your small business - build a brand, target customers and set prices that will maximise sales.

Marketing essentials - overview

A marketing strategy tells you what to say, how to say it and who to say it to in order to make more sales. Our guide to the basics.

Your marketing plan - overview

How to make an effective marketing plan for your small business, including choosing the marketing mix, setting objectives and tracking results.

Do a SWOT analysis - overview

Where to start with SWOT analysis, what to include, where to find the information and how to use it to help your business survive and thrive.

Create a brand - overview

No idea whether your business needs a brand? The basics of how to create a valuable brand and how to exploit it for business advantage.

Set prices - overview

Your business needs to get pricing right. The basics on the different pricing strategies you could use, and what you need to consider.

Your target market - overview

Our introduction to identifying market segments, and how it can help you tailor your offer to meet their needs - helping you sell more effectively.

Small business team having a creative meeting to create a brand for the business.
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Essential guide to creating a brand

Creating an authentic brand for your small business that matches your USPs with your customers’ needs to create a powerful brand identity.

Small business team creating a brand
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How to create a brand - checklist

A strong brand calls for a clear visual identity, effective messaging and a distinctive brand voice that resonates with your target audience.

'IDEA' written in white text with an orange background
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Great infographics made easy

Kira Lauber explains the importance of creating a narrative and using a metaphor to present complex data in a clear and attractive way.

A marketing team work on a business rebrand
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How to rebrand your small business

Rebranding your small business can give it new impetus especially your brand is underperforming. When to rebrand and how to make your new brand a success

"Find your niche" written on a notepad
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How to set up a niche business

Many small firms offer specialist products and services aimed at niche sectors. Bruce Townsend finds out how small can be beautiful.

Making sales via eBay and Amazon
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Selling on eBay and Amazon

Amazon and eBay offer huge opportunities for small firms trading online. Chris Dawson, finds out what the future holds for small firms trading online.

Man in a suit pressing white 'BRAND' sign at the camera
FAQs

How to build a brand FAQs

Find out how to build a brand for your small business, including creating a logo, registering a trademark and branding on a budget in these handy FAQs.

One green match standing out from multiple red matches
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How to stand out from the crowd

If you want to sell more than your competitors, you need to remind your customers why they should buy from you rather than a rival. Here's how.

Lots of segments of orange
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Make customer segmentation work

Reaching potential buyers with a targeted message at the right time is key to maintain sales growth. Make sure you identify who spends what when.

Diverse group of male and female business people
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Marketing and sales recruitment

Marketing and sales recruitment is a vital part of building a solid marketing and sales team that can move your business to the next level.

Woman on the phone while using her laptop to talk to a customer in her ecommerce store
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Marketing your ecommerce store

Chris Barling shares eighteen valuable tips for attracting visitors to your ecommerce website and maximising your sales potential online.

Benchmark your business
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Why benchmark your business?

Rather than being a pointless exercise in data analysis, benchmarking can help you to identify areas where you can make changes and make your firm more profitable.

A queue of potential different customers
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Why it pays to profile your customers

Understanding your customers is the secret of successful selling. The more you know about them, the easier it can be to increase their spending.

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