Starting a Business All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 5

Creating Marketing Communications That Work

IN THIS CHAPTER

Defining your marketing objectives

Generating marketing communications that get results

Figuring out which media channel(s) to tap into

Balancing the reach, frequency, and timing of your ads

Monitoring your ads’ effectiveness

Creative. The very word turns confident people queasy and rational people giddy. It prompts marketers to say such outrageous things as “Let’s dress up like chickens” or such well-intended but pointless things as “Let’s cut through the noise” or “Let’s think outside the box.” Far less often will you hear the conversation turn strategic, with statements like “Let’s talk in terms that matter to our customers” or “Let’s define what we’re trying to accomplish.”

This chapter helps you set communication objectives and steer past the mistakes that shoot too many ad efforts into the great abyss, where wasted dollars languish.

Note: The first three sections of this chapter apply to small business owners ...