Customer Reviews

Off The Wall Marketing Ideas: Jumpstart Your Sales without Busting Your Budget

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is OK if you actually have a product to sell. If your business, like mine, is a service business this book offers little help in creating "Off the Wall" marketing ideas. At least 70% of the book involves high dollar radio, TV, and other expensive marketing ideas. Very little practical examples of non budget busting ideas...

I loved this book! I am not in marketing, but found it to be a great read. The words and ideas just flow off the page. This book is jam-packed with ideas about starting a business and getting one going. However, a lot of the of the ideas can relate to any business success(not just your own) and can also be carried into interactions with people in the context of daily living. It is so easy to read and get pulled into this book! There are many stories about successful entrepreneurs and their "secrets to success." But nothing gets dragged out. Everything is to the point and fun to read. Some are just so unusual, they are hard to imagine. Anyone at all can read this book and find it not only enjoyable but useful.

Don't be fooled--the ideas in this book are hardly off the wall. They are right on and make a lot of sense. The book is accessible, interesting and applicable to a wide range of businesses. The authors clearly practice what they preach. I have been using the ideas from this book since I started my business; it continues to offer useful and timely advice.

This book is a wealth of information. While reading it you are bound to get fresh ideas for your existing business or wonderful new ideas to start a business. This is a must for owners of small businesses who need direction on how to market their company. All the ideas are usable and understandable. I would recommend this book to anyone in today's business world - in fact I already have! The content of the book is interesting and keeps your attention. I would suggest using a highlighter as you go through it so you can mark all your favorite parts to refer back to. Read it now - improve your business!

There are two self-promotion marketing books that I really think are great and that stand out from the rest of the crowd: 101 Ways to Promote Yourself (ISBN: 0380785080) and Self-Promotion for the Creative Person (ISBN: 0609806262). In my humble opinion, the instant book being reviewed comes in third to these books. I really liked it. It was fun to read, made me think, and I loved the story about the restaurant owner who took taxicab rides regularly to get the cab drivers to refer patrons to him.

The book is broken into six parts:

1. Personal Packaging
2. People Who Need People
3. The Power of Prestige & Expertise
4. Madcap Marketing: The Power of Pizzazz
5. Pro Bono: Civic Marketing
6. Press Waltz: How to Attract the Media.

The first part talks about being professional in all you do and to brand yourself and your business. The second part reminds us that nobody is an island unto himself or herself. We all need other people to help us thrive. That's so we can do things correctly, get the word out about our business, and to continue to move forward rather than stagnate. The third part explains the importance of becoming an expert, the go-to source, for whatever you do. The fourth part is about doing things a little different so your business will stand out. It's one thing to be an expert, and it's another to be THE expert. The fifth part reminds us that not all marketing is done solely to help ourselves. Sometimes we can help ourselves by helping others. And the last part discusses public relations and publicity.

I really don't have much to say in the form of criticism of this book. I probably would have liked the book better if the title had been different. And I would have liked the six parts listed above to have been included in the Table of Contents. Instead I had to turn through the pages in the book to find the titles. But, all in all, this is a wonderful fun read for someone who has just finished reading my two favorites listed here above. 5 stars!

I would have to say that Off The Wall Marketing Ideas is a great book to inspire anyones creative juices. Filled with ideas on how to market your self or product in a way that sets you apart from the rest and remembered. I know I will use this book when I start my business. I have read peviouse works by Debbie Karpowicz and with the talent this woman has, there is no dought that this book will be a best seller and it teachings will become common practice in todays business community. Which would add some much needed fun and creativity to marketing. I highly recomend this book to everyone.

Every small business owner and independent professional needs to have this book permanently affixed to their desk. Do not put it on your shelf with the others. Nancy and Debbi have done a terrific job putting together a collection of ideas and creative strategies to make your marketing efforts work better, thereby improving your chances of selling more products and services. This book will give you specific ideas you can use and stimulate your creativity in coming up with new ideas.

Although this book had some nice ideas and cited a few good examples, I was expecting something a little more, well, off-the wall. There are plenty of marketing books around, and many of them carry similar ideas to this one (as another reviewer pointed out already). Many of these books also have a greater wealth of the kind of ideas I was hoping to find in this one (try 'Do Something Different' by Jurgen Wolff for a better source of marketing techniques small businesses can use). There is also a slant towards PR, which is actually quite helpful, but just be aware it forms a significant part of this book.

All in, a pretty good book to have on your shelf but not a definitive guide and probably not the best example of books in its class. Perhaps I can best make my point by saying I finished this book in a couple of hours whilst waiting for a flight as I skipped over much of it (having seen it before). However, if you need help with some PR ideas and are looking for some inspiration and an easy read, then this book will help you.

As a long time marketing consultant, I found this book to be essentially a rehash of ideas that have long been explored/suggested by others. The first sections on personal and office appearance struck me as extremely dated given our current business climate and 'young' mindset. If you're new to marketing for a small business, I'd recommend Guerilla Marketing over this book by far.

Part Four (Madcap Marketing) came as close to living up the the book's title and does include some good ideas and approaches, but not enough IMHO to save the book.

Since I am a glassblower, an artist who can be "off the wall" in my own creativity, meeting Debbi then reading this easy to read book filled with fun and insightful inspiration has brought added support to my newest Marketing creation, the Glass Golf Putters. This book sits right on my desk with key pages marked for quick reference. Of course I am entering the "Off the Wall" Contest and intend to return back to Debbi's next book signing for more in-person inspiration...