Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide

I positioned my own company around the entire process. A small business owner that has owned manufacturing, retail and several service companies, I found myself reading the book and thinking it was all common sense. Or did John Jantsch just write it sensibly? Hard to say, but in my mind, he is right on target, simple and concise the way marketing should be with just the right blend of old and new technologies. I put "my money" on it.

I almost did not buy this book after reading the editorial review--what a mistake that would have been. Read the readers reviews and then buy the book you will not be sorry. It is full of good information and will get you thinking of more ideas for your own business.

There are a series of books that I keep on a special - quite small - bookshelf. I try to reread each of them every year or so. While I've gotten to the point that I know what they say, but each time I go through one of them I get an idea or two to try in promoting my business. This book has made it to that shelf. It got a decision to be put there while I was reading it at the book store. On page 24 there's a story of a lady wanting to sell helmets in a state with no helmet law. So she started stocking children's helmets. When riders told her they didn't want a helmet she asked, 'What about one for the child, they aren't old enough to make that decision for themselves.' What daddy could resist? Then a month later they were back for a helmet for themselves after the kid was asking, 'Daddy, where's your helmet." So a sale for Daddy, little Jimmy and little Suzie. Three sales for one question. Then on page 83 there's the advice: Shoot your web designer if they: Suggest flash intro pages Suggest frame pages Suggest templates. Yes, Yes, Yes! One point about the web I do not agree. Learn to do your web site yourself. You may hire a designer to do it at first, but then maintain it yourself. It isn't hard and you won't be nickled and dimed to death over every small change you want. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea. All of his ideas won't be applicable, but if you get a good idea or two each time you read through it, the book is worth it's cost many times over.

The Duct Tape Marketing book covers pretty much everything you need to know about marketing for small businesses. And make no mistake, while the concepts might be the same, the practicalities of marketing in a small business vs a large one are very different. Small businesses have limited budgets and staffs so their marketing has to be practical and this book shows how. The book covers creating a marketing foundation (which so many small businesses forget to do), packaging up the business, tools for generating leads and then converting them to sales. It also talks about the use of the internet including websites, autoresponders and blogs. It really is that good.

John Jantsch knows what it takes to create marketing that sticks and ultimately leads to quantifiable results. His up-to-date advice shows small business owners numerous strategies they can implement to create a systematic approach to marketing. For companies selling into the business-to-business (B2B) marketplace, pay particular attention to these chapters: (5) Produce Marketing Materials that Educate: Corporate decision makers today are turned off by self-serving promotional materials. This books points out numerous ways you can create high value, educational marketing collateral that will really make an impact. (6) A Website that Works Day & Night & (12) Automate Your Marketing with Technology Tools: Most small business owners have no idea how valuable their website can be. Why not? Because they're not doing the right stuff. In this book, you'll learn the basics you need to know in order to maximize technology for business growth. (10) Earned Media Attention and Expert Status: To crack into corporate accounts today, it's imperative to become a thought leader in your field - even if you're a one-person firm. If you're just setting up a company, this book provides an excellent overview of how to get your marketing machine in gear. If you've been in business awhile, but you're working too darn hard for the amount of money coming in, this book will be a good refresher. Finally, I'd like to add that John Jantsch practices what he preaches. Several years ago John invited me to be a part of his Duct Tape Marketing Blog which has numerous experts sharing their knowledge on small business marketing. When the blog received recognition from Forbes & Marketing Sherpa, he leveraged that to get even more media attention, which ultimately led to more opportunities for him to grow his business. I'd suggest you study his website and personal marketing initiatives to really learn how to implement these ideas. Well-planned marketing can take your company to a whole new level with a lot less effort. If you haven't pulled together your strategic plan or started implementing, it's time!