THRIVEPOINT

There is a popular misconception in the Web 2.0 world that if you build it, they will come and that marketing is not necessary because the web gives everyone a platform to launch an app, tool, product, service, whatever. The team at Thrivepoint has worked with hundreds of startups and growing businesses, and it says here:

Very little in life is guaranteed but if you fail to recognize the importance of sales and marketing to your business, your business will fail.

Marketing is the sum of all activities that a business does to put the product in the customers hands. It starts with the customer and ends with the customer. And if you ignore the customer, you will find yourself without them.
So if marketing is necessary, why are successful business people claiming it is not?

The web certainly has changed the rules of marketing for the better and there are a lot more opportunities to market your company than has ever existed. And to top it, these opportunities are extremely cost-effective, extremely nimble and very measurable compared to more traditional forms of marketing.

The days of past when the yellow pages, newspapers, radio and TV were the only advertising and marketing options are past. More importantly, the cost to do marketing, especially online, can be a fraction of what some traditional advertising costs and new media is measurable and changeable on a moments notice. Marketing today lets startups and growing businesses invest minimal amounts, measure success, then focus investment on the most profitable opportunities.

Here are five ways you can make your marketing better today without a lot of expense:

• It never hurts to re-evaluate your understanding of your target customer
• Maximize your website to make the most of your investment
• Implement analytics to track and improve your marketing activities
• Start or improve your search engine marketing program to reach people who are searching for your products
• Connect with people… virtually (as in Facebook or Linked In) or the old-fashioned way… talking to people is always a great way to get the word out about what you are up to. But more importantly, listening to people is the best way to understand your target customer and the opportunities that exist for your company.