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.

Start here - our simple guide to creating an effective marketing plan, why you need one, what information you need and what it needs to cover.

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.

Successful exporting needs to be carefully planned to avoid expensive failures. Our guide to where to start and what you need to consider.

How to attract customers and make a success of being a small independent retailer, whether on the high street, selling online or both.

How to market your business on a shoestring, and why measuring, testing and fine-tuning is the key to getting the biggest bang for your buck.

Where to start when hiring marketing and sales staff, the sorts of skills and attributes you should look for and pitfalls to avoid.

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.

How to safeguard your business when a competitor opens up nearby, and even benefit from it in the long term: there may well be room for both of you.

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.

Small businesses can create an effective brand by examining how the business works and what it means to customers. Our guide to business branding.

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.

Exporting can be more financially complex than selling in the UK. How to negotiate payment methods, choose financing and deal with foreign currencies.

How to prepare for successful exporting, including researching the market, organising transport and distribution, and the paperwork involved.

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.

If you make deliveries, your service must be reliable: it can differentiate you from competitors. How can you make your delivery service superior?

SWOT analysis looks at your strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats your business faces. Read our guide to completing a SWOT.

As they keep a tight hold on their purse strings, customers are looking for better products, services and value for money. How can you tempt them?

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

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 do you decide how much to spend on marketing and what happens if your business has to make cuts? Drayton Bird looks at marketing spend.

Technology is allowing business marketing to be increasingly localised. Find out how you can use technology to attract local customers.

Your brand is potentially under threat in many ways online. Expert Chris Barling provides his eight top tips for safeguarding your business

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

Like people and relationships, businesses can fall into a rut. Three experts tell us what the symptoms are and how to get your business mojo back.

Effective motivation can significantly boost the performance of your marketing team. Try a combination of financial incentives and management support.

Are you losing profit without realising it? Every business has leaks where revenue can disappear. But you have to spot them before you can mend them.

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

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

Paul Reddington, managing director of Nottingham-based Spike Photography Ltd on how he gave his business credibility.

Ten types of shopper and how independent retailers can attract them and win them over in-store and online using mobile commerce and social media

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.

A good recruitment agency will have access to quality candidates who aren’t actively looking for a job and screen applicants for you.

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

Every business has a brand that it needs to promote and protect. Even with only a small budget, small firms can create their own powerful brand.

If you can't afford to employ a dedicated sales person but want to target new markets, a commercial sales agent could offer the solution.

Read these handy FAQs and find out how to build a brand, including creating a logo, registering a trademark and branding on a budget.

To maximise your chances of succeeding in business, you must focus on the most effective routes to your market. Find out how to identify them.

The real work on branding begins long before the creatives are let loose with their crayons. Here are five principles that create stand-out brands.

The key questions you need to answer to develop a successful customer segmentation strategy.

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 marketing training plan sets out what your training needs are and how you will meet them, and will help you get the most out of your budget.

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?

A wealth of overseas opportunities and UK Government support means now could be a great time to start exporting. But where should you start?

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.

Small businesses need customer relationship management solutions that are quick and easy to use and deliver results fast - including increased sales.

The AdCracker website has some useful sample briefs to help you if you've never briefed a creative team before. Or even if you have.

Big companies have staff and resources that small firms can only dream of. So how do you compete against bigger rivals when you are a small firm?

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

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?

Customers can worry about small firms, fearing they lack the capacity and experience to match their bigger competitors. So how can you look bigger?

Marketing is vital for accountants and law firms that want to bring in new business. But what are the key principles for promoting professional firms?

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.

Five steps to forming strategic marketing collaborations with other businesses - one of the most cost-effective ways to reach new audiences.

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.

How do you sell an unusual product into a conservative and traditional marketplace? Find out how Daisy Coffins overcame challenges to do just that.

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

Reliable customers are the lifeblood of every business. However, it can be risky to rely on them - if their business flounders, so might yours.

Spotting a gap in the market is only part of the battle: taking it successfully to market presents a far bigger challenge. Find out how it's done.

Creating a loyal band of customers through good service is a great achievement, but you've got to keep working at your relationship. Find out how.

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.

As a business owner you have a vital role in leading the marketing effort and maximising the effectiveness of your sales and marketing team.

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.

Marketing and sales training can deliver significant business benefits. Training your employees helps boost sales and improve customer satisfaction.

How to write an effective marketing job description, outlining the key elements of the job and the knowledge, skills and attitude you're looking for.

Partnerships and alliances are good for business. Big firms have always known this but alliances can bring significant benefits for small firms too.

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.

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

Profitable marketing for small businesses means identifying gaps in the market missed by mass providers. These FAQs can help you get it right.

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.

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

Andy Preston of sales performance training company Outstanding Results explains how training can help you improve the performance of your sales team.

Although The Bribery Act has most impact on businesses which trade overseas, it could mean you need to change the way you do business.

For business owners in need of an extra pair of hands, the prospect of cheap, or even free, labour, can be very enticing. But what does the law say?

If you have an online business, the world could be your oyster. But there are some definite pros and cons when it comes to selling overseas.

When it comes to getting your product on the shelves, it's not easy negotiating with retailers. Tim Potter explains how to make the relationship work.

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.

Intellectual property (IP) theft is common. Take steps to protect your ideas, designs, trade marks and copyrighted material to help prevent it.

Effective international marketing is crucial if you want to take advantage of export opportunities. Here’s how to approach marketing overseas.

Whenever consumer spending slows down, you need to defend your market position to keep your competitive advantage. Here's how to stay ahead.

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.

It’s more cost-effective to cultivate existing customers than look for new ones. CRM can help you sell more to your existing customers.

People don't only have perceptions about products, services and organisations - they also develop perceptions about the people they meet.

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.

It's essential to carry out thorough research before you start exporting, to avoid costly mistakes and boost your chances of success. Our guide.

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.

Competing on price threatens your margins and your reputation. Ben Dyer explains why small business owners should avoid price-cutting.

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.

Regular sales are vital for your business. So how can you ensure your products and services remain keenly priced and relevant to your market?

Increasing prices involves risk, but if you handle things carefully you can avoid upsetting customers, while achieving your goal of boosting margins.