Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide [Hardcover]

John Jantsch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2007

Duct Tape Marketing is the small business marketing road map - A collection of proven tools and tactics woven together in a step-by-step marketing system that shows small business owners exactly what to do to market and grow their businesses.

This guide combines insights gained from over twenty years of successfully working, in the field, with real-life small businesses.

There are no theoretical complexities presented in Duct Tape Marketing - just simple, effective and affordable marketing that sticks.

CAREFUL! Duct tape is a serious tool... it sticks where you put it. So are the ideas in this book. If you're ready to make a commitment and are willing to make something happen, John's book is a great place to start.
--Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow

For all those who wonder why John Jantsch has become the leading advisor and coach to small businesses everywhere, Duct Tape Marketing is the answer. I have never read a business book that is as packed with hands-on, actionable information as this one. There are takeaways in every paragraph, and the success of John's blog is living proof that they work. Duct Tape Marketing should be required reading for anyone who is building a business, or thinking about it.
--Bo Burlingham, editor-at-large, Inc. magazine, and author of Small Giants: Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead of Big

Duct Tape Marketing is a worthy addition to the growing library of how-to books on small business marketing -- concise, clear, practical, and packed with great ideas to boost your bottom line.
--Bob Bly, author of The White Paper Handbook

With the world suffering from depleted reserves of trust, a business that sells plenty of it every day tends to create the most value. The great thing about trust as a product feature is that it delivers exceptional returns. With this book, John Jantsch has zeroed in on exactly what small businesses need to sell every day, every hour.
--Ben McConnell, co-author of Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force

John Jantsch has provided small businesses with the perfect perspective for maximizing all marketing activities - offline and on. Jantsch has the plan to help you thrive in the world of business today. Read it, all your competitors will.
--John Battelle, cofounding editor or Wired and author of The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture

Duct Tape Marketing is a great read for anyone in business. It has fresh ideas laid out in a practical and useable way. I highly recommend this book for growing any business.
--Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI and Co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Masters of Networking

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Jantsch's popular marketing blog and Web site will be disappointed by this tepid resource. His Duct Tape Marketing refers to systematically "getting people who have a specific need or problem to know, like and trust you" and to inspire customers to "stick" to your company. The book plods through basic marketing precepts such as finding your ideal client, honing your message, being memorable, and making your Web site work for you. The chapters that draw from the author's Web expertise provide a solid overview of creating productive Web sites and automated referral systems. But too many chapters provide only a bland overview of familiar material without providing interesting case studies to illustrate the author's prescriptions. For example, chapter 10, on garnering media attention, starts with a 24-year-old example of a man who got a rush of publicity from offering to sell the Brooklyn Bridge, followed by boilerplate advice on writing press releases and updating media lists. Readers looking for real insights will quickly move on. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

John Jantsch is the creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System. For more than twenty years he has coached and consulted small business owners and independent professionals in simple and low-cost methods for growing and promoting their businesses. His blog, Duct Tape Marketing, was recognized by Forbes magazine as the best blog on small business and marketing. Follow him at www.ducttapemarketing.com. Twitter @ducttape, Facebook: facebook.com/ducttapemarketing.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078522100X
• ISBN-13: 978-0785221005
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #719,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker and author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Commitment Engine and The Referral Engine.

After working with small business owners for over 15 years and growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of a systematic approach to small business marketing, Jantsch decided he could make his mark on the small business world by creating the perfect small business marketing system.

He has made it his mission to bring the simple, effective and affordable Duct Tape Marketing approach to the millions of struggling small business owners all over the world through workshops, the Duct Tape Marketing small business marketing system and the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network.

His Duct Tape Marketing Blog was chosen as a Forbes favorite for small business and marketing and his podcast was called a "must listen" by Fast Company

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Complete Marketing System for Small Business Owners January 6, 2007

By Bill Brelsford

Format:Hardcover

I read a lot of business books, and in my opinion there are two things that make this book unique. The first is the focus on the needs of small business. Many marketing books have lessons that small business owners can apply to their business, but this book focuses squarely on the needs of the small business owner. As a result, you will find a lot of practical advice that you won't have to spend a fortune on to implement.

The second thing that I think is unique is the focus on marketing as a system. Many books address a particular aspect of marketing - defining your target market, lead generation, marketing metrics, product development, etc. This book focuses on creating a complete marketing system - from defining your marketing strategy to implementing that strategy in your day to day operations.

The first part of the book walks you through the steps of building a solid foundation. Beginning with the user friendly definition of marketing as "getting people to know, like, trust, buy from and refer you to others", the author shows you how to identify your target market, develop your core marketing message and then communicate that message with marketing materials that educate.

The second part of the book shows you how leverage the foundational work you did in part one by applying different marketing tactics (advertising, PR, direct mail, etc.) in order to attract more of your ideal customers.

The third part of the book discusses how to put your marketing on auto-pilot by systemizing your marketing tasks and creating a marketing plan, budget and calendar.

The appendixes are filled with additional resources to help you get started on your marketing plan. Appendix C is actually a bunch of discount offers for products and services that will help you implement the ideas in the book. A free marketing coaching session, web hosting on Yahoo!, logo design and a discount on the popular ACT! contact management software are some of the offers you will find in this section. Taking advantage of any one of these offers should cover the cost of the book.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for the novice June 30, 2008

By Michael J. Stelly

Format:Paperback

Novice business owners, like me, will love this book. It lays out the foundation for marketing your business with no expectation of prior marketing experience. Great job, John.

My one gripe, and the reason I gave it 4 of 5, is that the author assumes that you, the business owner, have an established clientele. Start-up owners, like me, who want to kick off the marketing effort to establish a clientele, will have to "act as if" we do and fill in the blank spots with educated guesses.

John, if there's a sequel, please point out where start-ups differ from established small businesses and if we need to do something different to reach the same goal in that particular phase of marketing.

All in all, though, a great read.

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Filled with clever little points worth trying in your business. March 12, 2007

By John Matlock

Format:Hardcover

There are a series of books that I keep on a special - quite small - bookshelf. I try to reread each of them every year or so. While I've gotten to the point that I know what they say, but each time I go through one of them I get an idea or two to try in promoting my business.

This book has made it to that shelf.

It got a decision to be put there while I was reading it at the book store. On page 24 there's a story of a lady wanting to sell helmets in a state with no helmet law. So she started stocking children's helmets. When riders told her they didn't want a helmet she asked, 'What about one for the child, they aren't old enough to make that decision for themselves.' What daddy could resist? Then a month later they were back for a helmet for themselves after the kid was asking, 'Daddy, where's your helmet." So a sale for Daddy, little Jimmy and little Suzie. Three sales for one question.

Then on page 83 there's the advice:

Shoot your web designer if they:

Suggest flash intro pages

Suggest frame pages

Suggest templates.

Yes, Yes, Yes!

One point about the web I do not agree. Learn to do your web site yourself. You may hire a designer to do it at first, but then maintain it yourself. It isn't hard and you won't be nickled and dimed to death over every small change you want.

I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea. All of his ideas won't be applicable, but if you get a good idea or two each time you read through it, the book is worth it's cost many times over.