123 eGuides

123 eGuides. 3 Proven Steps, Just 3 Bucks.

123 eGuides are authoritative guides published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost. Every 123 eGuide is just 3 bucks or less ($2.99 to be exact).

123 eGuides are designed for today’s reader who wants information in a quick, convenient, easily readable format. Each 123 eGuide is intended to provide a functional overview rather than a detailed roadmap. Every 123 eGuide always includes additional resources if the reader wants to learn more.

Check the "Available 123 eGuides" link above to see what's available. 123 eGuides are available wherever eBooks are sold, including the Amazon Kindle store and in any eBook format at Smashwords.com.

July Sale: All eGuides Half Off!

We're celebrating July by cutting the prices on all eGuides in half! From July 1 through July 31 only, you can purchase any eGuide at half price. This special promotion is only available on Smashwords.com, where you can select your choice of eBook format, including Kindle (mobi), EPUB and PDF.

To take advantage of this half-price sale, just click on the eGuide titles below that interest you. When you check out, simply use the code SSW50 to get the eGuide of your choice at half price -- just $1.50 each. Order today!

Low Cost / No Cost Marketing 123
3 Steps to Effective Marketing with Little or No Money

B2B Marketing 123
A 3 Step Approach for Marketing to Businesses

Branding 123
Building a Breakthrough Brand in 3 Proven Steps
Second Edition

Product Launch 123
Launch a Product or Service in 3 Proven Steps

Sales Leads 123
Generating, Qualifying, and Converting Sales Leads in 3 Proven Steps

On Your Own 123
Launch a 1-Person Business in 3 Proven Steps

1 Minute Advice: 3 Key Tips for Brands

In an article for Think with Google, Mark Read, CEO of major advertising agency WPP, shares three tips for brands in a post-pandemic world:

1. Be visible
   Read advises, "marketers must resist the temptation to launch another plain vanilla corporate ad that talks about the current crisis but does little. Empathy is important, but it’s more important to actually do something to help. People are smart enough to work out when you do."
2. Be relevant
   According to Read, "Loyalty is up for grabs. We’re seeing more than one-third of U.S. consumers choosing brands they normally wouldn’t. And, it’s worth noting, 80% of Americans are likely to support a brand that has taken action and helped communities impacted by COVID-19. Don’t count on these new preferences being temporary."
3. Be disruptive
   Read says, "Planning now for an uncertain but hopeful future means making contingencies, anticipating different scenarios, and being ready to respond as things shift day to day. It’s moments like these when we all need to embrace creativity and collaboration, and to focus not only on getting through today, but on the possibilities of tomorrow."

More at: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/organizational-culture/helping-customers-in-a-disrupted-market/?

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

Check out the new book featuring 156 best and worst brands of the 50s and 60s!

1 Minute Advice: Digital Shopping Soars

Not surprisingly, the pandemic that continues to plague the U.S. and the world has had a massive impact on consumers shopping online. eMarketer predicts that more than 204 million consumers age 14 and older will make a purchase online this year. The 45-plus age group will be especially active: two-thirds of online shoppers will be over 45, adding nearly 5 million new digital buyers in that category. 

eMarketer suggests "it’s likely that consumers who have tried online shopping for the first time will stick with it, at least for occasional purchases." That's good news for any business with an active digital presence and e-commerce capabilities.

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

Check out the new book featuring 156 best and worst brands of the 50s and 60s!

1 Minute Advice: Brands Must Stand Against Racism

According to a new flash poll conducted by leading PR firm Edelman:

"Sixty percent of respondents said that brands must take a stand to publicly speak out against racial injustice. That same 60 percent of Americans said that they will buy or boycott a brand based on if and how it responds to the current protests.

"Young adults—ages 18-34—are the most proactive in their response, with 78 percent of respondents saying that a brand must speak out, versus 48 percent of those 55 plus."

In addition, "Four times as many respondents say that taking a stand gains brand trust versus loses it."

According to CEO Richard Edelman, "This is a deeply important study. We have proven that brands can no longer dodge America’s original sin and third rail: systemic racism and inequality."

Read more about the poll here: https://www.edelman.com/research/universal-demand-change 

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

Check out the new book featuring 156 best and worst brands of the 50s and 60s!

1 Minute Advice: 3 Strategies for a Soft Marketing Pipeline

Demand for many products and services is down right now -- so how do you get your marketing pipeline chugging along again? Writing for Marketing Profs, Bhaskar Roy of Workato shares three smart ideas:

1. Maximize inbound leads by responding in five minutes or less
   Roy cites research that indicates only 42 percent of B2B companies respond to leads within five days, much less five minutes! You can differentiate yourself by being extra responsive right now. Needs have changed and prospects could be looking for more responsive, new vendors.
2.  Make buyer intent data actionable
   Roy suggests automating processes so you can have buyer intent data available quickly. High-intent accounts need to be quickly identified so sales people can act on them immediately.
3. Provide incentive to attend virtual events
   Virtual events have become the leading if not the only option in many cases right now. Roy suggests using "high-quality, engaging content that provides real value and makes your audience feel good about themselves for attending, and think about how you'll get them to not only attend but also stick around for the entire event."

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

Check out the new book featuring 156 best and worst brands of the 50s and 60s!

1 Minute Advice: Brands React to National Crisis

It seemed like one national crisis -- the coronavirus pandemic -- was enough to challenge brand marketers, many of whom chose to celebrate and thank frontline workers. Now another national crisis, inspired by the racially charged killing of George Floyd, has erupted, and some major brands are making their views known. A new PRNEWS survey indicates that 43 percent of PR professionals are featuring diversity and inclusion content in their internal and external messaging.

PRNEWS cites several major brands taking action, including Nike, who launched an ad last Friday in which the company changed its memorable "Just Do It" tagline to a strong anti-racism message with the plea, "Don't Do It." Capitol Records, a label with a long history of black artists, said they would observe "Black Out Tuesday," pausing all business on Tuesday, June 2 in solidarity with Black colleagues. The NBA Washington Wizards, based in D.C., issued a united statement from its players that, among other things, stated, "We will no longer shut up and dribble." All of these examples prove that brands cannot be tone deaf.

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

Check out the new book featuring 156 best and worst brands of the 50s and 60s!

1 Minute Advice: Even as Digital Media Grows, Direct Mail is Surprisingly Strong

Digital media has surged over traditional advertising in recent years. With more consumers shopping online during the pandemic, the growth of digital advertising is even more obvious. But direct mail is one of the few forms of non-digital media that is resilient. Research conducted for The Marketing Insider found that direct mail generates as much as ten times more response than such digital media as email, social media and paid search. The study indicated that direct mail influences 31 percent of purchases and is driving high value purchase decisions. One apparent reason for direct mail's current strength is the fact that it can be precisely targeted and delivered directly to a consumer's mailbox -- and most consumers are spending a lot of time at home right now.

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

Check out the new book featuring 156 best and worst brands of the 50s and 60s!

1 Minute Advice: Marketing Leadership Right Now

Needless to say, this is a difficult and challenging time for marketers. According to McKinsey, marketing leaders will need to act across three stages:

1. Resolve and resilience: Manage the now
   McKinsey says marketers need to center on four actions: (a) Support customers, employees and suppliers (b) Empathize and understand customers (c) Build up cash reserves (d) Drive revenue response
2. Return: Plan for the recovery
   This stage includes: (a) Rethinking strategies and media plans (b) Winning the battle for brand awareness (c) Redefining loyalty
3. Reimagination: Get ahead of the "net normal"
   Reimagining the future involves: (a) Develop deeper insight and seek foresight (b) Start ideating now

More detail from McKinsey about these crucial stages here: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/how-marketing-leaders-can-both-manage-the-coronavirus-crisis-and-plan-for-the-future?

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

Check out the new book featuring 156 best and worst brands of the 50s and 60s!

1 Minute Advice: Where Retailers Should Improve the Shopping Experience

As retail stores slowly reopen, they will face a new reality of reduced traffic and social distancing. More consumers will be likely to continue relying on digital shopping as well, potentially changing the way traditional retailers operate. Emphasizing consumer-focused marketing concepts will become more important than ever.

According to research conducted by Google, consumers want their shopping experience improved in three primary areas:

1. Loyalty/rewards programs: Over half of shoppers want automatic activation at checkout of the loyalty or rewards programs to which they belong
2. Relevant promotions and deals: Deals relevant to past purchases are desired by nearly half of shoppers
3. Wish lists: A wish list, which allows shoppers to save items of interest to them, is a very desirable feature.

Google also found that shoppers value experiences that save them time when selecting products, provide the best value through a discounted price, and make it easy to find the right product through recommendations from the retailer.

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

Check out the new book featuring 156 best and worst brands of the 50s and 60s!

1 Minute Advice: Advertising During the Pandemic

In the past few months, there has been a definite shift in tone and content in most brand advertising. The majority of ads have been redirected to address issues surrounding the coronavirus pandemic -- topics such as staying at home and thanking frontline responders are particularly popular. eMarketer studied the effects of "disastertising" and discusses the current wave of pandemic-driven ads and what the next wave might look like in a podcast.

According to research from eMarketer, brand marketers have made significant changes to ad strategies in March and April. From March 17 - 2o, almost half of brand marketers surveyed delayed an ad campaign launch, (49%) stopped a campaign mid-flight (45%) or made media adjustments such as budget shifts (48%). For the period April 1 - 4, the percentages for these activities increased to 64%, 50% and 49%, respectively.

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

Check out the new book featuring 156 best and worst brands of the 50s and 60s!