Marketing strategy

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Our guide to product development, including customer research, market positioning, the product life cycle and how to keep your product range fresh.

You need to understand how Brexit affects your business. Our overview of the key issues you should be thinking about

A memorable brand can reinforce your identity and encourage customer loyalty. But there's a lot more to a lasting brand than a well-designed logo.

How to build a strong brand identity for your business that meets the needs of your customers and persuades them to choose your firm over your competitors

Effective use of design in your business can increase sales, reduce costs and present a new image to customers. Our guide to getting design right.

Here are some simple things you can do to get more footfall and win sales from people who would not otherwise know about your business.

If you are a small firm, you could be forgiven for thinking that branding is not important for small businesses, but this perception is wrong.

Ten ways to make sure that your business stays ahead of your competitors

Content is at the heart of today’s marketing strategies as websites and blogs demonstrate expertise, sell services and grow professional businesses.

How Brexit affects UK ecommerce businesses. The implications for sales to UK and EU customers, and practical steps you should consider

Understanding how Brexit is likely to affect your business, what you should do to prepare, and where to find further help and support.

Is your marketing wasting money and profits? Discover the most common areas where your marketing budget could be going to waste and how to plug the gaps.

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

Creating a marketing plan can be challenging. Here Sara Drawwater explains how she developed a plan that worked for her design business.

How to get more local customers using Google My Business, social media sites, customer reviews and networking to market your 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

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

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

Testimonials offer an independent indication that you have done a good job and can help reassure new or nervous buyers. Here are ten ways to generate customer testimonials.

Many companies do not understand the important differences between brand and marketing. Find out why the two are important, but in different ways.

It can be tough for small retailers on the high street. Customers are looking for bargains and retailers need to respond to changing customer needs.

A poor or out-of-date image could be holding your business back, while simple changes could make a huge difference. But where should you start?

PR is used to raise the profile of a business and portray the business in a good light. Here are 10 FAQs on how to use PR in a small business.

Why your best sales people could be your customers thanks to word of mouth. Shweta Jhajharia on how to turn loyal customers into a sales team.

Commissioning a professional graphic designer can ensure that your stationery and marketing collateral impress, but how do you find the right one?

There are no quick tricks when it comes to selling expensive products. But with the right marketing you could seriously improve your sales.

Atlantic Trampolines is a specialist trampoline supplier that uses Google Ads to bring in orders. Founder Andrew Jardine reveals how.

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.

If you really want to be successful in developing your business-to-business operation, here are five smart things you should do now.

Everything on choosing and sourcing the right packaging, passing on the costs to your customers and finding your way through the regulations.

Your creative people can be your strongest business asset, because they can give you something that is valuable — ideas. So how do you motivate them?

Find out how you can stop others from damaging your business by registering or using the same or similar names or brands to yours.

While many businesses put a lot of effort into trying to attract new customers, they risk missing the chance to sell more to existing customers.

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.

Getting Personal started with one personalised gift and has grown into a multi-million pound business. Find out the secrets behind their success.

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.

Your firm's intellectual property may include anything from website content to your company logo. To exploit it you will need to protect it legally.

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.

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

Apart from a good idea, what do you need for successful development of a new product? These FAQs talk through the process from strategy to prototype.

Do you shy away from PR because you don't have a big budget? PR can be done on a shoestring and small steps can bring big rewards.

A guide for suppliers on how to negotiate with retailers to maximise product sales and achieve the best possible margins

Being small can give you an advantage, but sometimes appearing to be larger than you are is a wiser strategy. So how can a small business look bigger?

Every business needs to stay fresh to be competitive. This may mean regularly refreshing your products or coming up with an entirely new offer.

Marketing challenges for knowledge-based businesses are different from firms selling products. Here's how to spread the word about your business.

The statement “made in Britain” carries a lot of kudos with some overseas customers. So how can you cash in on that positive association?

It's tough in a recession, but what about surviving two world wars, and the Great Depression? Meet the businesses that have been through it all.

The culture of sharing is already well-established among consumers. Now businesses are discovering that by collaborating they can reach new audiences.

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.

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

PR activities can help spread the word about your business for little money. This checklist explains how to promote your business through the press.

YPP's founder noticed a gap in the market for fast, quality print production. Stuart Maclaren tells us how he went from kitchen table to big success.

Potato farmer Will Chase started the gourmet snack brand Tyrrells Crisps in 2001 and since 2008 he's been making vodka from his potatoes.

Need-to-know answers to ten questions frequently asked by small-business owners when they need to set prices for their products or services.

Price comparison websites do a great job helping consumers find good deals, but they can also be useful to small business owners if used properly.