When it comes to marketing your understanding of the basics can potentially save you thousands of dollars on advertising, marketing and branding. This book covers the basics of each of the key areas of marketing and branding, including: • Identifying Target Markets • Marketing and Brand Planning • Media and Promotions • Websites and Social Media • Customer Service Essentials • Gaining Repeat and New Business • Building Your Reputation Through Public Relations And how to create an easy strategy and budget for all your advertising and marketing investments. This book will help you to understand the basics of business and marketing plans, branding, image, customer service and public relations so that you can grow your business through simple and smart marketing practices. Getting the basics right can make such a difference to the outcomes. Measuring the results of your advertising can lead to effective decision making about what to spend and where to invest your marketing budget. When you understand 'how it works' you get a lot more punch out of your advertising and marketing campaigns. Bonus tools and templates included. If you are in business for the first time, or the 100th time, getting your marketing right and understanding the basics is going to save you a lot of money in experimenting, time wasted in taking pot shots at advertising, and frustration when you find out how much easier it could have been to get it right the first time. Dixie Maria Carlton has helped dozens of businesses, entrepreneurs, and managers to sort out their marketing plans, get them free and low cost publicity, and to rise to the very top of their industries by using their resources, reputation, and brand differences to stand out from the crowd. This includes helping them several clients to become national and international award winning specialists in their industries. Author Q&A Q: Why did you write this book? A: Because as a small business owner, marketing specialist and consultant, these are the things that I keep repeating to my clients. Getting the basics right and a general understanding of the role that marketing, branding, and advertising all play together to create success in any business is often overlooked and it's an expensive oversight. Q: Do you cover anything about online and social media marketing in this book? A: Yes, a lot really, but not How to advertise on Facebook in depth. More about getting your brand and marketing strategy sorted so that what you do either ON or OFF line is more effective. That's the key to successful marketing on ANY platform. Q: Finally, what sort of templates and resources does the book have for readers? A: Things to help plan, measure, and manage your advertising. Your branding checklists and social media checklists are also made available on the linked website page. These are essential tools I've developed over nearly 20 years of business and marketing coaching and consulting for clients who have achieved some outstanding results. Warning: This is the BASIC's of marketing - if you're already 'pretty good at this', then maybe this book is not for you. But if you're starting out trying to understand marketing at beginner's level then this is the FIRST book you should read to help everything else make sense!