Brian's Introduction

By Brian Walsh (Founder & CEO of Entrepreneur.co.za)

Marketing and advertising are touchy topics for entrepreneurs. In today’s world we are bombarded with marketing campaigns for all types of products and services. The challenge is that much of what we are exposed to (television adverts, radio campaigns, print adverts, etc) are very expensive routes to go for us smaller companies. We often have to think creatively with regards to how to market or advertise our products.

It is true to say that you can have the greatest product in the world, but if no-one knows about it, it’s worthless. Other than direct selling, which is an important aspect of all small businesses, we have to consider marketing and advertising in order to create awareness of our offerings.

The starting point is to develop a marketing plan. This is an essential ingredient to starting a business, but in many cases I have come across entrepreneurs who don’t have a marketing plan. It is important not only to determine how you are going to make people aware of your product or service, but to determine specifically who it is you want to make aware. A marketing plan should explore who your potential market comprises of, as well as how to access them.

With regards to direct advertising, research is required into different forms of advertising, what it costs, which market groups are impacted by these forms of advertising, etc. This is essential prior to spending vast sums of money on any given advertising campaign. Once you have made an informed decision regarding your advertising approach and the media you will use, it is then critical to monitor and manage your results - it is essential to observe what kind of response you are getting from each type of advertising. In some cases you may realise that you aren’t getting much return for the particular advertising investment. Awareness here is important, but it’s not good enough - sales from the awareness you are creating are all-important.

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