Escape Podcast: Reduce your marketing dread

It's that time again!  I publish the Escape from Cubicle Nation Podcast every other Monday.

Go here to listen.

In this episode, I cover three things that help new entrepreneurs overcome their dread of all things marketing:

1. Readjusting your marketing mindset
2. Clearly defining a niche
3. Selecting and creating a marketing plan

In case you can't scribble fast enough while listening, I reference two helpful marketing experts:

Robert Middleton from www.actionplan.com and John Jansch from www.ducttapemarketing.com

Do you dread marketing too?  What has helped you to get over the dread?  And if you know of any other good small business marketing resources or experts, please add to the comments.

If you want to subscribe to this podcast automatically, here is the feed. 

Comments

[Danielle Keister]

I've long been a fan of Robert Middleton's message and have benefited from his advice for several years now. In fact, my organization is hosting him this month when he presents "The Seven-Steps to Fearless Marketing." Anyone who is an independent professional is welcome to attend! You can get more info and register here: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/webinar-registration.htm

[Ceallach]

Wow! Talk about just in time.

I am a project manager for a major bank, one of those the stumbled and fell into the job. After 10 years, I need to escape a industry that has completely lost sight of what they are about and who their customer is.

Since DS was born, I have been struggling to find a niche, my paradise on earth. I have run a business before, in college, but shut it down because I would either need to hire or have the same level of income the rest of my life. So I learned the lesson about following passion the hard way in small business. I did not love what I was doing then.

So fast forward 15 years to where I am starting a new small business, solar dyeing yarn and spinning fiber for knitters and spinners....it's fun, and I have gotten the site up, but traffic is low.

I need to now focus on marketing, you know, in my spare time, between working full time and raising a family. And it's really scary. I don't want to be too aggressive and chase my customers away. Advertising in magazines is way too expensive.....600 bucks at least for a 1/12th page ad and 9000 for a 2 page spread. That is more than I have in inventory right now.

So this podcast about marketing is just the thing that I needed. I will check out the two guys on small business marketing, but could you make some suggestions on ethical e-commerce marketing?

I ask this question, because my father took an online marketing course and made some suggestions along the lines of fooling folks into giving you information etc. and I am very uncomfortable with what he suggested, which was to put a big link on the website and, forgetting navigation for customers, this link would take them somewhere else for white paper on solar dyeing....which I don't like for a number of reasons:

1. folks need navigation....because the average user has a hard time finding their way round a site.
2. Solar dyeing is the process that I depend on, it's my niche, why would I give the secrets away?
3. I hate being redirected for my information online, and think that others would too.

So this is getting long, but thanks for the help and anything more on this topic would be fantastic!

[OfficeSmurf]

Ah, this site looks like just what I need. I am a newly emancipated cubicle dweller ready to step back into the real world. I look forward to combing through this site for wisdom and guidance on my path to entrepreneurial enlightenment.

(My cubicle survival tips here:
www.officesmurf.com)