The Unofficial Guide® to Marketing Your Small Business


Book Description

From the author of the successful The Unofficial Guide to Marketing Your Small Business, this handy guide provides detailed information on low-budget, high-impact marketing techniques that produce near-immediate results. Small businesses need a quick return on their marketing investments, and this book shows the best ways to achieve it. Small business expert Marcia Layton Turner puts her wealth of business knowledge to work for business owners who need results now. The Unofficial Guide to Marketing Your Small Business provides comprehensive, straightforward coverage of everything small and large businesses need to know about the vital basics of effective marketing. Marcia Layton Turner (Rochester, NY) is the founder of her own marketing consulting firm and a small business expert who has been profiled or quoted in such publications as Money, Entrepreneur, and USA Weekend. She is also the author of The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Small Business (0-7645-7285-7), from Wiley.




Unofficial Guide to Starting a Business Online


Book Description

The inside scoop... for when you want more than the official line! If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to capitalize on the fastest growing marketplace ever, the Web, this is the book for you. From choosing the product or service you offer to designing your website to marketing and managing your online venture, this guide gives you step-by-step guidance and helps you avoid common pitfalls. You don't have to be a computer guru or programmer, and you don't have to invest big bucks, thanks to the unbiased recommendations, practical guidance, and insider savvy this book puts at your fingertips. Updated with advice from experts, current statistics, new tips and strategies, and information about hundreds of resources, this guide gets you in business online with: Vital Information on choosing a unique product or service and targeting a specific niche market Insider Secrets from entrepreneurs who have launched successful online businesses Money-Saving Techniques, including using services from Yahoo!, Microsoft, eBay, and others to create a small-business website Time-Saving Tips for obtaining prominent listing placement on search engines and in Web directories and information portals The Latest Trends in online advertising, marketing, and branding, plus the online auction phenomenon Handy Checklists to help you create and operate your online business




Self-Publishing For Dummies


Book Description

Get your books into the hands of readers with this simple how-to guide Self-Publishing For Dummies takes you through the entire process of publishing your own books, starting with the writing and editing process and moving through cover design, printing options, distribution channels, and marketing to a target audience. With the advice in this book, you can tackle self-publishing, no matter what genre you write in. You’ll learn how to retain full control over your work and keep the profits from the sales of your book. In this updated edition, you’ll discover the latest technologies in self-publishing, trends in the world of ebooks, and new marketing techniques you can use online and in the real world. Becoming a published author is easier than ever, thanks to this Dummies guide. Understand every step in the self-publishing process Discover how to write and sell your books in ebook and printed formats Hire an editor, obtain an ISBN, and generate publicity for your book Fine-tune your writing to improve your chances of success Get your work out there—no agent or publisher needed Self-Publishing For Dummies is the perfect choice for anyone with an interest in DIY publishing.




Social Commerce


Book Description

This is a multidisciplinary textbook on social commerce by leading authors of e-commerce and e-marketing textbooks, with contributions by several industry experts. It is effectively the first true textbook on this topic and can be used in one of the following ways: Textbook for a standalone elective course at the undergraduate or graduate levels (including MBA and executive MBA programs) Supplementary text in marketing, management or Information Systems disciplines Training courses in industry Support resources for researchers and practitioners in the fields of marketing, management and information management The book examines the latest trends in e-commerce, including social businesses, social networking, social collaboration, innovations and mobility. Individual chapters cover tools and platforms for social commerce; supporting theories and concepts; marketing communications; customer engagement and metrics; social shopping; social customer service and CRM contents; the social enterprise; innovative applications; strategy and performance management; and implementing social commerce systems. Each chapter also includes a real-world example as an opening case; application cases and examples; exhibits; a chapter summary; review questions and end-of-chapter exercises. The book also includes a glossary and key terms, as well as supplementary materials that include PowerPoint lecture notes, an Instructor’s Manual, a test bank and five online tutorials.




The Unofficial Guide to Opening a Franchise


Book Description

The inside scoop... for when you want more than the official line! So you dream of escaping the 9-to-5 rat race, starting your own business, and becoming your own boss, but you don't have a clue where to start. Opening a franchise-based business can lower your start-up costs and reduce the time, hassle, and risk associated with getting a new business operational. A franchise offers training, support, a proven business model, and the closest thing possible to a turnkey solution for achieving success. There are more than 3,000 different franchise opportunities in more than seventy-five industries, including packaging and shipping, tax preparation, maid service, fitness, car care, and more. Featuring exclusive, in-depth interviews with a wide range of franchising experts, this book gives you a first-hand perspective plus valuable tips and strategies for success. It provides the guidance you need to choose the right franchise, select a prime location, market your business, and get it up and running efficiently. You'll learn all about financing, essential business skills, hiring and managing employees, working with suppliers, and even preparing for your grand opening. This guide includes: Vital Information on things to look for when evaluating franchise opportunities--and where to look Insider Secrets from successful franchisors, franchisees, and franchise consultants Money-Saving Techniques such as using a franchise attorney to help you review the UFOC (Uniform Franchise Offering Circular) and finalize your Franchise Agreement The Scoop on the latest trends, plus profiles of the top twenty-five franchises in America Handy Worksheets to help you examine your goals and opportunities, evaluate financing options, develop a realistic business plan, and more




202 Things You Can Make and Sell For Big Profits


Book Description

Reap Your Share of Resale Riches! This is it—the bona fide insider’s guide to cashing in on the huge boom in reselling new and used products for big bucks. At last, a soup-to-nuts primer on how to tap into the exploding market for new and “previously owned” merchandise flying off of websites such as eBay and elsewhere. This book has it all—the latest information on what to buy, where to buy, what to pay, and how to sell it for big profits, online and off. Get the complete lowdown from a true expert on how to launch into this exciting area, plus discover 202 products almost guaranteed to start your business off with a bang. Learn which products are proven sellers, how and where to buy them cheaply, and how to resell them for top dollar: • Tap into page after page of buying sources, including distributors and wholesalers, manufacturers, online and offline auctions, government surplus sources, estate sales and more! • Find out how and where to sell the goods for the most profit, including: eBay, internet malls, websites, e-storefronts, consignment outlets, and mail order, not to mention your own showroom and in-home parties, or at trade shows and seminars. • Learn how to negotiate like a pro for overstock and out-of-season and slightly damaged goods—buying on terms for no money down. • Learn how to “work the room” at auctions, estate sales, liquidations, and flea markets—bidding and buying for less. • Learn how to tap the vast and profitable world of imported goods, with full details on over seas sources and how to deal with them.




Managing Your Finances


Book Description

Expert advice for success in a small business. Learn from an expert the most effective way to manage your business finances. From preparing a business plan and raising capital to establishing sound management and financial controls, this jargon free-guide shows you how to run your business successfully. Essential know-how on taxation and legal issues is supplemented by helpful charts and diagrams, at-a-glance tip boxes, case studies, questionnaires, and checklists that gives you a complete understanding of small-business finance. In Estimating Finances, you'll learn about preparing your business plan, and forecasting cash flow. Then move on to Raising the Money, to find out about organizing your business, and choosing a source of finance, followed by Tracking the Money, which covers keeping the books, the profit and loss account, the balance sheet, and accounting rules. Finally, discover the keys to Controlling the Numbers, from watching the big picture, going into detail, and setting out your budget, to improving your performance. Managing Your Finances also provides Useful Information, from legal matters, financial matters, and glossary, to useful contacts, and suggested reading. Managing Your Finances is one of four new titles in an innovative series of practical guides, covering every aspect of business, for everyone starting their own small business.




Ultimate Guide to YouTube for Business


Book Description

490 million people log on to YouTube each month-and business owners need to know how to capture them or better yet, be the initial reason for their visit. Jason Rich shares the expertise of practicing entrepreneurs, delivering a step-by-step strategy supported by valuable insights, tips, and resources.From video production to promotion, author Jason R. Rich details how to use the power of YouTube to promote business brands, products, or services, ultimately attracting new customers. Unfamiliar entrepreneurs receive a full tutorial on pre-production and production essentials, from developing video ideas that attract attention to overcoming lighting and sound challenges. Amateur producers receive a full list of equipment needed, and they gain tips from well-known YouTube users on how to produce quality spots without breaking the bank. After covering the basics, Rich - joined by YouTube-savvy entrepreneurs - reveals how small business owners can drive viewers to contact their business. Rich also shows entrepreneurs how they can make money, while promoting themselves.




The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Business Online


Book Description

Only a few years into its popular use, the World Wide Web has already enabled thousands to set up online businesses that require a minimum of upkeep and maximum profits. The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Business Online is the cyber-entrepreneur's ultimate guide to every aspect of hanging out a shingle in the virtual world. Here's what readers get: Step-by-step advice and key information on setting up shop online, from creating a Web site to marketing and advertising big on a shoestring budget Addresses for hundreds of Web sites they can use as start-up references that would have taken hundreds of hours to track down alone A rundown of the best businesses to start online, and advice for choosing the right one Pointers on combining traditional selling techniques with Web-specific ones for the best of all possible plans!




Design and Launch an Online Gift Business in a Week


Book Description

This guide to designing and launching an online Web design business includes tips from industry experts as well as hundreds of available tools and resources.