Too many toys to choose from! (Ethan in a shop in Shibuya, Tokyo)
Hit by a flash of inspiration, you decided one day to pursue your dream.
You are all fired up and raring to go. After slaving away for goodness knows how long, you have perfected your recipe for world domination.
What is the true essence of marketing?
I believe that it can be distilled into three basic questions:
Small businesses need to learn to be like David when fighting against Goliath (source of image)
What can Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and independent free lancers do to build their reputations, enhance their businesses, and strengthen their reach? With limited resources and finances, how can these entities carve a space for themselves in an increasingly crowded market with competitors possessing deeper pockets, greater resources and fuller teams?
To stand a chance of winning the hearts and minds of consumers, small businesses need to take advantage of their nimbleness, flexibility and agility to outwit and outmaneuver the bigger boys. Competing along the same dimensions will only result in a sorry ending.
Source of Image
What can small businesses, start-ups, free-lancers and other budding entrepreneurs do to build their reach? How can they compete against bigger companies with deeper pockets, greater resources and fuller teams?
In general, the clue is to look at what big conglomerates are doing, and then try to do the opposite – in a customer pleasing fashion of course. Clueless where to start? Well, here are five ideas to begin with.
Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I attended the second Keepers event hosted by Carrie K Artisan Jewellery thanks to the invitation of Geri and her gang at linea Communications. Themed “Aspects of Love” in time for Valentine’s Day, the showcase featured various artisans and “bespoke” businesses with products ranging from visual art, design, champagne, desserts, poetry and jewellery.
Courtesy of eTour Singapore
Festive holidays have always brought much cheer to those in the retail and service businesses, especially seasonal ones like Christmas, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa. Considered peak periods for those in the consumer and lifestyle industries, festive holidays are peppered with numerous promotions and special deals by shops in order to trigger purchases both impromptu and planned.
Many retail outlets are dressed to the nines during these occasions, decked in splendid eye-catching and attention-grabbing hues.