Marketing Tips for SMEs

What is Marketing?

Ask ten people for a definition of marketing and you will probably get ten different responses! Marketing is often misunderstood but in essence it’s about gaining publicity to generate leads for a business. It does this through developing a brand and increasing awareness of it through activities such as advertising and public relations. 

The focus of all marketing tasks is the customer: identifying and fulfilling their needs and encouraging loyalty from them to your product. Marketing is about how a company and its products are perceived by the general public, as well as the methods by which the company encourages consumers to buy its products. 

Successful marketing can enable companies of all sizes to grow rapidly and punch above their weight. For example, Cobra Beer’s share of the UK market is less than 0.02% and yet ask diners at a typical Indian restaurant on a Friday night and almost all of them will recognise the gold labels of the Cobra bottles. But this kind of success requires a well-thought-out and well executed marketing plan.

This section will look at marketing in more detail, giving growing companies advice on getting started with marketing their company and products.

Section 1 - Advertising