Marketing "isms" and other fun stuff you always wanted to know about marketing but were too confused to ask

Marketing is the complete cycle of bringing a product or service to market. This includes the product's name, pricing, packaging, sales strategy, target market definition, distribution channels, timing, branding, logo, and any other means by which the right market finds out about your product at the right time, with the intention of making a purchase.

So, given that, keep in mind the following:

Marketing is the lifeblood of any business
On average it costs up to 10x more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one
If you build it, you must give them a REASON to come
Marketing is an investment not an expense
Every ‘touch' to your customers is a marketing opportunity — even your invoices
Know what your competitors are doing
Needs are finite, desires are infinite — tap into your customers desires
Features don't sell, benefits do
Create an "elevator" speech and memorize it to use whenever introducing your business
Frequency is far more valuable to your bottom line than reach
Never have your brother in law create your website (unless, of course, that's his business)
80/20 Rule — over time, on average 20% of your customers will produce 80% of your revenue, so...
You better treat these people REALLY well and know what makes them tick
Market responsibly — don't bait and switch; know the basic regulations of each marketing technique you use
Don't fall prey to ad space salespeople — be sure you have a marketing plan and budget
One off piece meal efforts almost never produce results — be sure you have a cohesive message
Good copy beats pretty all the time so be sure your offer is strong
Keep your employees in the loop — they can make or break your marketing efforts