If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will have noticed we have been on a marketing tear lately. This is because Synap Software’s lead managment product, LeadsOnRails.com, is launched and the company is in marketing mode.
Do you see the error in this statement?
If you read John Jantsch’s Duct Tape Marketing book and blog you would know that marketing is not a mode, it is not a stage, it is not something you turn to after your product or service launches to try to sell it.
In his book, John Jantsch starts right off by saying that every business is in the marketing business. Yes – that means you. But you do not need to be a “marketer” to be effective in marketing your business.
John defines marketing as:
getting people who have a specific need or problem to know, like, and trust you.
That is a goal that most any business would have and the Duct Tape Marketing book gives practical advice on how to get there.
As I’ve said in previous book reviews, I am a huge fan of books that have practical implementations. I admire The Innovator’s Dilemma and Good to Great because they deal in “The Brutal Facts” as author Jim Collins says.
I recommend Duct Tape Marketing for the same reason. It is full of immediately useable information, but makes no pretention that marketing is easy work. Each chapter ends with three or four actionable items that while achievable, can take some real thought and effort.
No matter what “stage” you think your business or product is in, a marketing strategy is essential for small business owners. For example, Duct Tape Marketing discusses naming strategies for your company, even though choosing a company name is probably one of the first tasks founders do, and is often not considered a “marketing” decision.
The Actionable Points
Read about marketing. Duct Tape Marketing is a good book. Also see Seth Godin’s books. For those in the software business, I recommend Bob Walsh’s marketing entries in his blog and Bob’s new blog ClearBlogging.com.
Synap Software, LLC 