Introduction: Marketing

Marketing touches every sector, and ever size business. SMEs must spend their small marketing budgets effectively, while bigger businesses rely on expensive marketing programs to entice new consumers and/or add value to their brand. Even automotive or mining suppliers are touched by marketing. For example; corporations are far more likely to proactively pursue procurement opportunities with minority (or previously disadvantaged) suppliers if they can market that initiative to improve their relationships with consumers and government decision makers. With that in mind, we will start this week with a contribution from Sam Taylor of Reputation Dynamics. She will address how to align business objectives with social programs, with a particular emphasis on supplier diversity. Later on in the week we will hear from a social media and marketing expert on her ideas for how SMEs might spend their limited marketing budgets.