- Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-Free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business, David Siteman Garland.
A marketing book nominally.
The big takeaway from this book is about building a digital monopoly for a niche and building a business around it. A focus on one-on-one relationships and education-based marketing.
"Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-Free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business" by David Siteman Garland offers practical insights and strategies for entrepreneurs and small business owners to effectively market and promote their businesses without breaking the bank. Here are the main points summarized:
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The New Rules of Marketing: Embrace the changing landscape of marketing, which includes digital platforms, social media, and the power of online communities.
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Content Marketing: Create valuable and relevant content that resonates with your target audience. Blogging, podcasting, and video production are powerful content marketing tools.
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Online Communities: Build and engage with online communities, forums, and social media groups where your target audience congregates.
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Email Marketing: Build an email list and use it strategically to nurture leads, provide value, and promote your products or services.
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Understand the basics of SEO to improve your website's visibility in search engines and attract organic traffic.
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Social Media Marketing: Choose the right social media platforms for your business and create engaging content to connect with your audience.
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Online Advertising: Use cost-effective online advertising methods such as Facebook Ads and Google AdWords to reach a wider audience.
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Networking and Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers, other businesses, or podcast hosts to expand your reach and credibility.
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Metrics and Analytics: Monitor key performance metrics to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions.
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Product Launch Strategies: Plan and execute product launches effectively, including pre-launch marketing and engagement strategies.
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Customer Relationships: Focus on building strong customer relationships and providing exceptional customer service to encourage repeat business and referrals.
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Testing and Iteration: Continuously test different marketing strategies and adapt based on what works best for your business.
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Budgeting and Resource Management: Be mindful of your budget and allocate resources wisely to maximize the impact of your marketing efforts.
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Time Management: Efficiently manage your time and prioritize tasks to ensure you are focusing on high-impact marketing activities.
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Branding and Positioning: Develop a clear brand identity and unique value proposition that sets your business apart from competitors.
"Smarter, Faster, Cheaper" provides a comprehensive guide to cost-effective marketing and promotional strategies tailored for small businesses and entrepreneurs. The book emphasizes the importance of creativity, authenticity, and a results-oriented approach to marketing in the digital age. By implementing the strategies outlined in the book, individuals and businesses can effectively promote their offerings and achieve their marketing goals without a large marketing budget.
The smarter, faster, cheaper approach includes creating (or getting involved with in other ways) valuable content (text, video, audio, and/or speeches/workshops)—both on- line and off—that is focused on educating, inspiring, and/or entertaining. It also means that you have to consciously focus on one-on-one relationship building (online and off) with a mentality of giving, and in many cases you can use your content as a handshake.
There has NEVER been a better opportunity to build, market, and promote a successful business. The tools are avail- able to just about everyone. There’s never been a better time to market like an entrepreneur and be the David and outhustle Goliath—no matter what your business is.
The goal is to appeal to a specific, passionate, subset of people.
We are media sources, not product pushers
New media sources (bloggers, video bloggers, online content providers) in your niche can have a more substantial effect than the traditional kinds. Not only do they have passionate audiences, but they’re able to reach people all over the planet ... and can attract traditional media coverage.
Content is king. Marketing is the queen. Our website is our throne.
The perfect storm for marketing smarter, faster, cheaper includes three qualities:
- Passion
- Personality
- Knowledge
Show your face, be the face.
Now, despite what we’ve covered so far—just making yourself visible and acting as the face of your business—doesn’t mean that everything—or really, anything—is about you. It’s about your customers. Your clients. Your potential clients.
Use education-based marketing.
If you give educational, inspirational, and/or entertaining content away—with your number one goal being to help people—your business will flourish.
Take control, don't ask for permission.
Experiment.
There isn’t a road map for compelling content becoming a media source.
Posting to your website is free. Most social media sites are free to use.
Content compounds.
Online content stays up—in most cases, forever, or until you choose to take it down. This means that even six months from now, someone can link to a post you put up today, last week, or last month. It also means that value can increase over time—just as it often does in a long-term relationship.
Be the expert.
Having expertise in an area is critical, and creating content positions you as the trusted resource in your industry when done correctly.
Niche down.
Finding that niche is so important online. What is yours?
What is something that should always be around for the most part?
Artists create.
Consistency is huge.
Whatever your unique ability/characteristic/talent is, use it to your advantage.
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Use interviews to build your brand!
Interviews create the ultimate triangle of awesomeness. The interviewee wins because they get to be in front of your community. Your community wins because they receive valuable content and information. You win because you are promoting others, providing great content, and generating interest.
Do SEO.
Lots of other methods.
Build a great site.
If you think about it, your website is your house. You can have the best marketing and promotion in the world, but if your house is a mess, nobody will want to come over or come back.
Give.
Chapter 12: Your Reputation in the Transparent World We Live in - Doing Business Now Is Like Being on Camera 24/7
Be authentic.
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Chapter 14: How to Connect with Anyone You Want - Using Your Content, Connections, and Products as a Handshake
Method for connecting.
Chapter 15: Traditional Advertising Is Dying - The Rise of Creative Paid Sponsorships and Social Marketing
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