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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.

1 Minute Advice: Despite Uncertainty, Marketing Budgets Rebound

Marketers’ optimism about the U.S. economy lost strength, as a three-year-high in confidence levels recorded last spring was dampened by election uncertainty and lingering inflation worries. But despite macroeconomic and political concerns, marketing spending at U.S companies grew by 5.8% during the last year, up from a growth rate of 2.5% in the last survey.

 

This is according to the 33rd edition of The CMO Survey, directed by Professor Christine Moorman of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and co-sponsored by Fuqua, Deloitte LLP, and the American Marketing Association.

 

The survey found that overall marketing spending is bouncing back to the four-year-high levels notched in Fall 2022, after a two-year slump. Despite this, marketing spending as a percentage of companies’ budgets and revenues is lower, showing that both revenues and overall budgets are growing at even higher rates.

 

The CMO Survey was founded in 2008 and is the longest-standing survey of marketing leaders worldwide. Find more details, industry breakdowns and past results at https://cmosurvey.org/

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

1 Minute Advice: Which of These Marketing Trends Will Impact 2025?

According to eMarketer, these four trends defined marketing in 2024. Which of them will impact your approach to marketing in 2025?

1. Generative AI goes from promise to practice: Marketers have moved beyond the buzzy and controversial genAI use cases into somewhat more “boring” use cases for personalization and segmenting.
2. The cookie is not dead yet: Marketers can still use cookies, but consumers are opting out of being tracked. They need to focus on privacy-forward solutions, benefiting companies with rich first-party data.
3. Commerce media evolved to include more advertisers and platforms: “[Retail media networks are] increasingly looking at opening up ad inventory beyond the brands that they carry in order to continue fueling the growth of what they've recognized is a very profitable revenue stream,” said eMarketer analyst Sarah Marzano.
4. Connected Television (CTV) advertising kept growing, boosted by Amazon Prime Video: US CTV ad spend will hit $28.75 billion this year, a growth of 18.8% year over year. This year, five businesses will see over $1 billion in US CTV revenues, up from just two in 2020.

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

1 Minute Advice: What Consumers Want in Personalization

Recent research from SurveyMonkey, as reported by Marketing Charts, shows what consumers want most in personalization experiences. Consumers ranked "individualized customer support" as the most important personalization experience, with "special offers or deals" ranked second. Tied for third were "customizable products or services" and "tailored recommendations." At fourth place was "proactive outreach." Read more at: https://www.marketingcharts.com/customer-centric/personalization-customer-centric-234011 

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

1 Minute Advice: Connecting Brands to Culture

A recent report from Dentsu indicates that a whopping 88 percent of Chief Marketing Officers think it's more important than ever for brands to connect to culture, according to Marketing Charts. However, 74 percent of those surveyed said it's a challenge to know how to connect their brands to culture. In an attempt to move the culture needle, 41 percent of CMOs say they've already invested in branded entertainment, 37 percent in influencer partnerships and 33 percent in user-generated content campaigns. Read more about this study here: https://www.marketingcharts.com/business-of-marketing-233853?

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

1 Minute Advice: Low Confidence in Big Business

Results of a survey by Gallup, as reported by Marketing Charts, indicates that U.S. consumers have had low confidence in big business for the last four years. In 2024, only 27 percent of American consumers said they had "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in banks. That was only one percentage point higher than in 2023 (26 percent). That percentage was the same for technology companies -- 27 percent in 2024 vs. 26 percent in 2023. Big business in general was even worse, scoring 16 percent in 2024 vs. 14 percent in 2023. In contrast. American consumers said they had much more confidence in small business -- 68 percent in 2024 vs. 65 percent in 2023. The most recent data was based on a June 2024 survey of U.S. adults (18+).

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

1 Minute Advice: Key Brand Purchase Criteria

The three most highly ranked criteria U.S. consumers use in considering a brand purchase are (1) "it offers the best quality" (2) "it's a good value for the money" and (3) "I trust it." Consumers ranked each of these virtually the same in importance, suggesting that brand trust is a critical factor. This is according to a report from leading marketing firm Edelman, as reported in Marketing Charts. A 2023 Edelman report indicated that 88 percent of adult consumers globally say trust is a key consideration when they purchase a brand.

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

1 Minute Advice: A Good Year for Most Valuable Global Brands

The top 100 most valuable brands in the world have added $1.4 trillion to their value, a 20 percent year-over-year increase, according to Kantar BrandZ, as reported by Marketing Charts.

Apple still leads as the #1 most valuable brand, passing the $1 trillion brand value mark in 2023, the first brand ever to do so. At #2, Google's brand value comes in at just over $753 billion, while #3 Microsoft clocks its brand value at $713 billion. Amazon, in fourth place, has a brand value of $577 billion. McDonald's rounds out the top five at a brand value of $222 billion. Rising quickly, however, is AI chipmaker Nvidia -- in sixth place with $202 billion, a whopping 178 percent year-over-year increase, and the fastest growing brand overall.

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

Summer Sale! Half-Price eGuides During July 2024

For the whole month of July 2024, you can purchase any 123 eGuide at half price! 

This special promotion is only available at 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, click on the eGuide title below that interests you to read more about it. When you check out with code SSW50 your eGuide will automatically be 50% off -- regularly $2.99, just $1.49 each. Offer good through July 31, 2024.

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

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

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

Don't miss this special Summer Sale!

1 Minute Advice: Consumers Wary of AI Use for Brand Marketing

Almost 6 in 10 consumers think the use of AI by brand marketers could result in the loss of human touch, and 55 percent can see not being able to speak to a human when interacting with a brand in the future. This is according to a survey of 9,500 working age consumers from the U.S. and seven other countries conducted by Attest, as reported by Marketing Charts.

Additional results from the survey indicated that (1) almost half of respondents did not want to see AI-generated models in ads, and (2) only 18.6 percent said they would be likely to follow a computer-generated influencer online.

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.

1 Minute Advice: Marketers Should Pay Attention to Demographics

Demographics, such as age groups and gender, can help marketers select and better target the right audience segments. Here is an updated U.S. demographic chart from Marketing Charts.

This post is brought to you by 123 eGuides, publisher of authoritative, affordable guides to help small businesses get the most from your marketing. Now available: The updated, revised Third Edition of the popular eGuide, Branding 123, that details a 3-part system for how small marketers can build a breakthrough brand. Included in the Third Edition are profiles of 5 small brands that grew up using techniques similar to those outlined in Branding 123. Read more about this eGuide here.