Customer Reviews

Instant Marketing for Almost Free: Effective, Low-Cost Results in Weeks, Days, or Hours (Quick Start Your Business)

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was just OK. Nothing special. I looked at the author's bio at the end of the book and it appears she's a public speaker and professional writer. It did not look like she has the experience to be an authority on the subject of this book. And, quite frankly, when I read the book it appears to be little more than a term paper rather than a quality book on marketing in 2008 for the small business owner. The book is split into five sections and 18 chapters as follows:

I. Getting started (1&2)

II. Marketing imperatives (3-5)

III. The Instant Marketing Supply Kit (6-14)

IV. People, Places, & Things (15-18)

V. Appendix (A&B)

1. Taking the mystery out of marketing

2. Marketing from within: The heart of your marketing campaign

3. Love you, love your brand

4. Ten imperatives of instant marketing success

5. Get the right response

6. Signature materials

7. Brochures

8. Almost everything you need to know about creating your Web site

9. Direct mail and email marketing

10. Short stash: Tip sheets and flyers

11. Newsletters

12. News releases and other forms of publicity

13. Advertising: From newspapers to the airwaves and TV

14. Giveaways

15. Telephone marketing

16. The "Who" of instant marketing

17. Roadside marketing: Lobbies, windows, and signs

18. The people in the places: Marketing face-to-face

A. Worksheets

B. Samples

Why was Chapter 7 included? Today a Web site is imperative, and whatever goes in a brochure should already be listed in the Web site. Chapter 8 on Web sites was weak. Why wasn't Chapter 9 more about emails rather than direct mail. Direct mail is a dying way to promote a business (although it still has its place in nonprofit promotion). And I think the spam issue could have been better covered in the chapter. Chapter 10 and flyers? Oh my gosh! Flyers are such a waste of time and use of resources.

Chapter 11 discusses newsletters. Why didn't it cover ezines? Newsletters are pretty much ancient history now that we are in the Internet Age and Web 2.0 is in force. And Chapter 13 seemed a little inappropriate since the title of the book implies the book is about cheap ways to market and advertise. Radio and TV are not exactly bootstrappin. Chapter 15 on telesales? With the Don't Call lists out there, this is not the way to go today. I'm surprised this was included.

The chapters are short. And there is lots of white space on the pages. Don't expect too much coverage on any of the topics discussed. But if you are just looking for a book that you can read in 30 minutes or less and will give an overview of some things you can do to help market your small business, then take a look at this book. 3 stars!

I bought the book because it sounded like it had some good ideas for the business I just bought. The reality a far different.

If you are very creative and own a printing company some of her ideas could be almost free. The problem is most of the world isn't creative enough to draw the logos or write the press releases she suggest.

The book is also geared more to those in retail and law firms. Not too many contractors or day cares will have a need for a press release.

My biggest disappointment came in her political view point being peppered throughout the book. If I wanted to read about politics I would have gotten a book about that. Here I wanted to learn about marketing and branding, not how some forms of marketing show you are hot headed but if you go a different route it shows you are intelligent. I am keeping my politics out of my review so I won't be able to give specific examples, but they can't be missed.

All told I took maybe one or two nuggets from the book that I will ever be able to use. I can't in good conscious recommend this book.