Online Class: Marketing for Small Business 101

This course offers fresh insights to many marketing issues that you may otherwise dismiss, but which will help you to create your marketing plan for a successful launch.

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  • 15
    Lessons
  • 17
    Exams &
    Assignments
  • 1,496
    Students
    have taken this course
  • 7
    Hours
    average time
  • 0.7
    CEUs
 
 

Course Description

Marketing for the 21st century small business is more dynamic and more challenging than ever before in the course of history. The world has simultaneously opened up and yet niched closed in many ways. Today's businesses are challenged by a couple of dynamics that did not previously exist in the business world: 1) choosing between traditional brick-and-mortar and web-based business or one that combines both features; and 2) deciding whether to focus locally, nationally or to spread into the international waters of business. 

Both of these dynamics add concern and a new focus on strategy for most businesses. Starting a new small business is both more challenging and more interesting. This course offers fresh insights to many marketing issues that you may otherwise dismiss as "not me", but which will help you to create your marketing plan. Your new company's ability to withstand the tests of time and the challenges of our fluctuating economic world will prove this course to be a well spent investment.

Course Motivation

Marketing Yourself
 
Starting your own small business is much like being on a job interview every day of your life, from the moment you leave home, until you go to bed. Everywhere you go, everyone you will ever see, everyday of your life, you will become consumed with "selling" yourself. Whether you dress in a suit with a printed "billboard" stating what you will do for anyone and everyone, or whether you quietly network in the back your local church or lodge – or something in between – you are marketing yourself every day.
 
There are no more days of "shyness" for you, if you are in business for yourself. You no longer have the luxury of a "bad day," or of not being "in the mood" for dealing with people and selling yourself all the while. Whether it is a hard sell – "Hi, I have air conditioners for even the most acclimatized Eskimo," or a soft sell – "Oh sure, I can do that for your company. Would you like me to e-mail you some samples?" – you are selling yourself from here on out.
 
If you are introverted and shy, you may need a sales staff and a public relations expert to sell for you, and to stand in the gap of your lack of interpersonal relations. If you are a "people person," then this will come as naturally to you as getting a drink of water. Whatever your personal demeanor, you must learn to sell yourself and market yourself everywhere you go, and at all times.

How To Work Your Master List

All successful sales people understand the value of a master list that contains everyone they have ever known, as far back as they can remember. As a new business owner, you are the number one sales person for your business. Fortune 500 companies teach their professionals to systematically work through their master list, so that they glean all of the help and influence they can from people they regularly or casually interact with, in both their personal and business lives. Some companies call this list your "circle of influence" or your "list of a lifetime." But the purpose of making the list when you go into business is to make sure you utilize every possible resource or advantage you have in your "natural market." To get you started, here is a list of steps you can take to get yourself ready and thinking about how to "sell" or market yourself everywhere you go.

  1. Create your own giant list of your personal circle of influence – those people in your natural, daily-life interactions. Ideally, this list should include anyone you can think of from your family, to your mechanic. Most people can create a list of at least 1,000 people they regularly come into contact with in the course of their daily lives.

  2. Mentally and emotionally prepare to tell each one of these folks what your new business is about, how you serve your clients, and how long you have been in the industry. You want to get the word out about your new business, and you want to do it with some credibility. Be sure to mention your tenure in the industry; it makes you the resident expert to everyone on your list.

  3. Get your business card into the hands of everyone on your list. Create your mailing list from these contacts, and send them early bird specials and discounts for knowing you.

  4. Although the Internet has changed the way we now do business and how we connect, there is still a residual traditional networking that happens in business today. Don't discount traditional networking, unless you want to miss most opportunities. Remember, you must be a walking, talking billboard for your business – every time you step outside your door or talk to anyone, anywhere.

  5. Don't expect to network everyone on your list in the same way. Remember, people are people and business is still in a technology transition. For now, remember that the people on your list will let you know their preference for contact. Some prefer phone calls, others prefer e-mail or text messages. You will network the best when you stick with each person's preferences.


Public Face vs. Private Life  

When you begin your business, it is wisdom to realize that good business requires you to have a public face that is separate from your private life. While some personalities are more open than others, all of us must use discernment and actively choose what areas of our lives we don't mind sharing with the world. Once you establish in your own mind, and among your family, just how much you are willing to share with others, then you can exhale and operate from a position of emotional ease.
 
It is vital for you to make this outline specifically, and on purpose. You do not want to be caught in an awkward situation in which you have to figure out on the spot whether, and what, you will disclose to someone in business. For example, in our business, my family knows we do not discuss daddy's work, the children's education, or mommy's hobbies with anyone outside of the family. Why? Because by establishing that these things are topics of family privacy, then, as a family, we know what areas of our lives are considered by all to be completely "family business only."
 
Your set of privacy issues will likely be different than mine. But the point is that you establish what those issues are, and that everyone in the family knows what they are, and what the "public relations answers" are for each of them. This prevents social disasters with business acquaintances, and keeps a friendly and sociable appearance when dealing with your prospective business clients. Good public relations are always important, even in a family-owned or operated business.
  • Completely Online
  • Self-Paced
  • Printable Lessons
  • Full HD Video  
  • 6 Months to Complete
  • 24/7 Availability
  • Start Anytime
  • PC & Mac Compatible
  • Android & iOS Friendly
  • Accredited CEUs
Universal Class is an IACET Accredited Provider
 

Course Lessons

Average Lesson Rating:
4.3 / 5 Stars (Average Rating)
"Extraordinarily Helpful"
(877 votes)

Lesson 1: Marketing Yourself

You must learn to sell and market yourself everywhere you go, and at all times. 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 1 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Reasons for Taking this Course
  • Complete Assignment: Why this Course?
  • Assessment: Lesson 1 Exam

Lesson 2: Marketing Your Company - Basics

When you initially start your business, there are marketing basics that you will need to implement in order to get running in your community, and in your market. 8 Total Points
  • Lesson 2 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 2 Exam

Lesson 3: Networking and Marketing To Your Local Community

Networking and marketing to your local community is an artful blend of community relations and community involvement. This lesson is designed to help you get started within your local community. 8 Total Points
  • Lesson 3 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 3 Exam

Lesson 4: Networking and Marketing to Your Region and State

At all levels of business, you will want to designate someone in your marketing department as the go-to person for your company's list building. 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 4 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 4 Exam

Lesson 5: Networking and Marketing to Your National Market

This lesson covers the three major components of national marketing for your company. 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 5 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 5 Exam

Lesson 6: Creating and Writing Your Company's Marketing Plan

You will need an excellent presentation when speaking with investors or bankers, and this lesson will help you to accomplish your presentation. 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 6 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 6 Exam

Lesson 7: Selling Your Marketing Plan to Investors

Investors generally look for upward of 25 percent return on their investment ROI)) per year. You must be able to prove that you and your company/product can give this type of return to attract funding. 8 Total Points
  • Lesson 7 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 7 Exam

Lesson 8: Brick-and-Mortar Business Marketing

Consistency is the key to brick and mortar marketing and advertising. 6 Total Points
  • Lesson 8 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 8 Exam

Lesson 9: Online Business Marketing

This lesson is about updating what you already know about online marketing, and expanding your knowledge of upcoming trends in the marketplace. 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 9 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 9 Exam

Lesson 10: Marketing and Advertising

Marketing and advertising principles work hand-in-hand with your sales team and will ultimately affect your bottom line. This lesson covers some of the basics for your business's marketing and advertising needs. 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 10 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 10 Exam

Lesson 11: Radio, Television and Other Marketing

Ad avenues previously closed to new and upstart businesses, because they were so prohibitively expensive, are now open and much more affordable to new businesses. 8 Total Points
  • Lesson 11 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 11 Exam

Lesson 12: Marketing to Social Networks

The majority of the "big" social networks have become household names to a majority of the online community. 7 Total Points
  • Lesson 12 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 12 Exam

Lesson 13: Expanding Your Business Into International Markets

A good approach to international marketing is to emphasize an agreement or business position that yields a mutual gain, so that trust is built between parties, and contracts become viable for everyone involved. 7 Total Points
  • Lesson 13 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 13 Exam

Lesson 14: Customer Relationship Management

To pull out ahead of your competitors today, you must find a way to give more service, not less, to your customers. 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 14 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 14 Exam

Lesson 15: Budgeting for Your Company's Marketing

Budgeting for your company's marketing is one of the more detailed and dreaded aspects of starting a business. 53 Total Points
  • Lesson 15 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Let us know what you think of this course; Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course); Course Comments; Course Comments
  • Assessment: Lesson 15 Exam
  • Assessment: The Final Exam
171
Total Course Points
 

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  • Marketing Yourself
  • Marketing Your Company - Basics
  • Networking and Marketing To Your Local Community
  • Networking and Marketing To Your Region and State
  • Networking and Marketing To Your National Market
  • Creating and Writing Your Company's Marketing Plan
  • Selling Your Marketing Plan To Investors
  • Brick and Mortar Business Marketing
  • Online Business Marketing
  • Marketing and Advertising
  • Radio, Television and Other Marketing
  • Marketing To Social Networks
  • Expanding Your Business Into International Markets
  • Customer Relationship Management
  • Budgeting For Your Company's Marketing
  • Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
 

Additional Course Information

Online CEU Certificate
  • Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
  • Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
  • Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
  • View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
  • Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media
Document Your CEUs on Your Resume
 
Course Title: Marketing for Small Business 101
Course Number: 7550395
Lessons Rating: 4.3 / 5 Stars (877 votes)
Languages: English - United States, Canada and other English speaking countries
Availability: This course is online and available in all 50 states including: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.
Last Updated: September 2023
Course Type: Self-Paced, Online Class
CEU Value: 0.7 IACET CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
CE Accreditation: Universal Class, Inc. has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
Grading Policy: Earn a final grade of 70% or higher to receive an online/downloadable CEU Certification documenting CEUs earned.
Assessment Method: Lesson assignments and review exams
Instructor: UniversalClass Instructional Team
Syllabus: View Syllabus
Course Fee: $120.00 U.S. dollars

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