Rockin’ ROI: How to Bootstrap Ecommerce with Performance-based Marketing
Preface
Inspiration for This Book
Initially, I was inspired by the concerns of friends, business associates and total strangers who, as small business owners, felt overwhelmed at the thought of the additional time and knowledge they needed to take on social media efforts. I knew that I wanted to help solve their problems by teaching what I’ve learned and sharing tools I use that save time and money. But that was just the beginning.
This project then evolved to encompass more because it also seemed like the perfect opportunity to present results-driven marketing methods, my personal passion, used by successful corporations as well as frugal-minded entrepreneurs.
Background
I’ve coached businesses large and small, helping with business planning, infrastructure development and marketing strategies. My client list includes brand names such as Braun, M&M Mars, Ronco, Soloflex, American Express, Volvo, QVC and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I’ve also helped a lot of smaller companies find their way; sometimes in a very big way. I’ve run campaigns that returned $12-$15 for every $1 in media spent.
What makes me tick is my obsession to deliver the best return on marketing investment. The moment that crystallized my entire future career direction occurred early on when, as a media director at an ad agency, I prepared a plan that met all my client’s goals, perfectly estimating a radio campaign to reach the target audience across several dayparts (e.g. morning drive, etc.) with the required number of average messages (frequency) and it would be under the stipulated budget. Great, right? No. My boss instructed me to go rework it to spend every dollar allowed. That just seemed wrong to me then and it still does today.
The Bootstrap Process
The upshot is an undertaking that progresses from marketing efforts that are free (or nearly free) through channels that are gradually more expensive. The chapter sequence matches the stages of a new company by covering marketing channels that cost nothing, then moving to phases attractive to bootstrapping businesses with some, but minimal funds, and finally to methods that, while they cost more, can be managed to continue to drive ROI.
Marketing Stages
No matter the budget, startups and seasoned corporations alike need to set themselves up for marketing success. The book starts with marketing goal setting and planning, moves onto the creation of a solid foundation of online and offline sites and materials and then addresses content generation to engage a target audience with built-in campaign management and measurement functionalities.
The inspiration for "Rockin' ROI," a book about performance-based marketing were the concerns of friends, business associates and total strangers who, as small business owners, felt overwhelmed by the additional time and knowledge they… Share on XShifting Sands
Constant changes in technology, channels and audience behaviors affect the media, marketing methods and tools available at any moment in time. From the moment of this publication, any of number of tips and tricks will become obsolete, which is why I’ve chosen core pillars in general use.
My hope is that readers will want to keep up with various channels that interest them, so I share the dozen or so different experts in different aspects of marketing that I rely on to learn about new trends. I have found no single source and don’t presume to keep up with the myriad of changes, so I’m glad to share my go-to list. This text can only provide an overview of many choices. Once you identify your favorites, you can read the books, blogs and follow the same professionals that I would to go deeper into those topics. Additionally, I provide recommendations for further reading at the ends of chapters as well as on my blog at Dmcenter.com.
Every business will have its own custom marketing strategy that will require its unique selection of media choices. The road map for every business will continue to be a work in progress as new opportunities become available.
With a little planning, knowledge and discipline, small business owners realize they can easily manage impactful marketing campaigns on their own and dispel any concerns regarding bandwidth of time and resources.
Watch these pages as I post chapters from Rockin’ ROI: How to Bootstrap Ecommerce with Performance-based Marketing (Amazon affiliate link). Find it in paperback or as an ebook wherever you buy books and ebooks. My favorite version, a simple PDF, is on Etsy.
On a final note, I want to encourage interaction. I have received tremendous support and education from experts willing to network and mentor others. Feel free to connect and reach out to me with questions. If I don’t have the answers, I am glad to guide you to someone who does.
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Disclaimer
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