MARKETING IDEAS and TOOLS
Business Card Design Ideas
Brochure Design Ideas
Die Cut Business Cards
Scented Business Cards
Cheap Business Card Ideas
Unique Business Cards
Unique Brochure Ideas
Cheap Advertising Ideas
Business Card Layout
Promoting Home-Based Business
Competitive Advantage
Email Marketing Tips
3 Ways To Spend Less
Selling With Color
Promotional Magnets
MARKETING STRATEGIES
Differentiate Yourself
Information Marketing
Building Customer Loyalty
Getting Customer Feedback
Testimonials
How to Define a Niche
Discovering Niches
Finding New Customers
Indirect Benefits
The Consumer's Perspective
Promotional Marketing
Pricing Products and Services
Viral Marketing Magic
Marketing Mix
STARTUP IDEAS and STRATEGIES
Home-Based Startup Ideas
Business Idea Brainstorming
Virtual Assistant
Internet Researcher
Event Planner
Wedding Consultant
Telecommuting Strategies
Freelance Job Strategies
WEBSITE MARKETING
Build Traffic to Your Website
Domain Name Ideas
5 Ways to Increase Traffic
Scavenger Hunts
Talking Avatars
Promote Your Web Page
Autoresponders
Internal Links
Link Exchange Tips
Viral Marketing and Email
Attract Your Target Market
Market Your Website Offline
KEYWORD TIPS
Keyword Competition
Keywords and Meta Tags
Prime Spots for Keywords
Keyword Phrases
AFFILIATE MARKETING
How To Get Started
Residual Income
Affiliate Agreements
ONLINE BASICS
Choosing Domain Names
Domain Name Extensions
Website Design Strategies
Learning HTML
Understanding HTML Colors
Are Your Colors Web-Safe?
How to Accept Payments
Bandwidth: Doing The Math
Find The Right Web Host
Publish Your Website
MARKETING YOURSELF
Resume Tips
Competition: How To Make It Work For You
Competition is a good thing. It just means that you aren't alone in recognizing the market potential for what your business offers.What good is it if you're the only company that sells a product to a non-existent market?
Having competition can actually work for you instead of against you.
Product awareness, establishing or even creating a need for a product - these are things your competitors can actually help you to do.
The face of competition has changed, though, and it's going to keep changing.
Competition isn't all about geography.
If you're the only gift shop in town, for example, you might assume that you have the market all to yourself. That's not necessarily true, though.
Mail order companies and internet businesses all have a potential stake in the same market.
Almost without exception, you can count on having competition that extends far beyond your own community.
On the positive side, you have the same potential to expand your market without geographical limitations.
That market is only limited by those to whom you can distribute your products or perform your services.
So, how can you mimimize the effect of your competition and maximize the size of your market?
Technically, anyone who can provide the same products or services to the same market is competition.
The key is to be different, to offer something your competition doesn't.
Your business is much more than just the products you sell.
It is the sum total of the people in your company, the value-added services you offer your customers, and other tangible and intangible aspects of your business.
Nancy Richardson
CreateYourMarket.com publisher
Need a writer?
Quick Tips:
Enclose a business card promoting your website with each piece of outgoing mail.
Ask customers who frequently do business with you for a testimonial.
Promote your website URL offline on everything from bumper stickers to your answering machine message.
Want to reach the highest percentage of your target market?
Advertise in specialty publications including newspaper supplements devoted to a specific topic.
Marketing is crucial, but it doesn't always have to be serious.
Some of the most effective advertising campaigns rely on humor. Don't be afraid to make your customers laugh!