Do entrepreneurs need a marketing degree to be successful?

In today's corporate world, the lack of marketing knowledge can seriously impact the business. The marketing is now a subject fluid, but is evolving and innovating at every turn. Stay ahead of the game marketing seems the last thing that many entrepreneurs get around to doing, but it is vital if one plans to expand beyond the make-break point.

How does the CEO of a company that is still trapped in the endless cycle of trying to sell after taking time to market? Many entrepreneurs feel the pressure to make sure that your business becomes a profit, customers are well served and their employees productive and happy - which begs the question: "Who has the time to learn about direct mail marketing, email marketing, Search Engine Optimization , publicity and advertising campaigns? Not to mention how to use it effectively? "

Joy Gendusa, CEO of PostcardMania postcard direct mail marketing, gives tips to ease the entrepreneur in his / her research of traditional marketing:

or get educated, but at the correct level. Vai in Barnes and Noble and Borders and browse the marketing section. Buy a couple of books on marketing and market segments where it is unknown, but make sure it is not oriented towards a marketing expert or you just decide that it's all too complex.

One or other is to attend marketing seminars

and finally,

or Look at the marketing tactics of its competition - subscribe to their newsletter online, get their mailing / e-mail list. Often, the marketing major innovations can come from improving what your competitor is already doing.

An interesting statistic that came from a survey of entrepreneurs from various industries at the national level was that almost 94% did not have a marketing plan and did not feel it was important. (Ironically, they were interviewed in a conference marketing!) As a result, 99% of the participants interviewed after the conference realized the importance of having a marketing plan and integrate not only one but several different ways of promotion for the their businesses. Education is the only change.

Gendusa believes that there are certain marketing fundamentals that, when faced with one, make it possible to make an informed decision based on the needs of a particular new business / industry - never mind the new-fangled marketing approach. In fact, although Gendusa is the founder of a direct marketing firm e-card, it is argued that in today's market, only a form of promotion can be deadly. A source of leads can severely hurt economically when such source is not performing well, but it is better to be supplemented by other channels of promotion.

She was recently quoted in the magazine Broker expound on this principle, arguing that direct mail should be an integral part of any internet marketing campaign. Gendusa also suggested other forms of marketing, not just direct mail, as essential to spread its web site, such as press releases, business cards and letterhead, advertising and even television scripts for telemarketing.

"There's no silver bullet-marketing," said Gendusa. "Do not only use postcards to market. Sure, postcards were my number one basis for my first three years, but I heavily use, internet advertising, e-mail now as well."

Entrepreneur Mike Slade Burton Mortgage, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, agrees. He says that keeping up with the marketing trend is underway. "Do it (marketing) in good times and bad," said Burton, "Do not stop when business is bad, kick up more." Mike has been using direct mail marketing for four years and says that by 6000 direct mail postcards list consistently each month, has seen tangible returns income-wise. Branding-wise, in her local community, he says all the time you receive mail. His other sources of advertising: advertising on local radio, internet advertising and yellow pages. He believes that every form of marketing buoys and the other helps create creditability.

In his attempt to help entrepreneurs, Gendusa paired with his good friend Marsha Friedman, boot camps to launch marketing entrepreneurs to illuminate the constant promotion in marketing and help them to learn, apply and use to their advantage. Friedman is the managing director of national publicity and advertising agency, Event Management Services, Inc.

Large multinationals to small, new antique, one-man-band for a thousand staff - marketing opens the way for greater economic expansion. It is worth knowing. The pay-off is growth .......