Hi Guys, I'm a software developer, and I'm just getting started with marketing. All the things that seem so natural for you all is completely strange for me, as I'm used to the sterile environment of coding and send it to someone else to release. Now I'd like to get into the web marketing fray, particularly as it relates to branding and selling software over affiliate links, google advertisments, calculating if my marketing expenditure is too high or too low etc. But I don't want to ask on the trivial commonplace questions, so I'd basically like to know - what is the best resource for a beginner to read through before he even gets started with marketing. What explains the basics to me? Markovich.
take a intro marketing class at a local community college. it will not give you the exact skills you are looking for, but will help in thinking ffrom the standpoint of a marketer.
Most programmers have a high level of intelligence, they grasp concepts and ideas very easily. I guess it comes with the job. I don't think taking a college course is the right way for the programming-type to learn marketing. Read around the forums, dabble with anything that interests you and don't be afraid to ask questions.
First welcome to the DP forums Markovich. I am in the same situation like you. I got started in october and had the same questions like you. I didn´t know anything about internet marketing. But as Blanket sayd first try to learn something about general marketing, but you don't have to visit a course to learn that. I could recommand you really good books but they are all in german and aren't available in an other language. I don't know how the college/ university classes in US/UK are organized but here in Austria the scripts for the courses are downloadable from the Institutes website and are for free. Normally that should be enough to learn it by you yourself. One thing you should know is, that marketing in real life and on the Internet are not the same thing. On the Internet it may be easier or harder to market a product or website. To learn more about internet marketing read the DP forums and read the threads. If you read a post of somebody, who could help you, just PM him and ask your sepecific question. Some members are kind and may give you a helpfull awnser. I hope that could help.
Hi, The reason I would not like to go to a local college is that I want instant action! I want to sell only on the internet, so I want practical tips that I can actually try out and see working. I guess it's the programmer in me talking Anyways michaelangelo, I know how to speak german, so please do recommend the books to me. Thanks!
all at www.amazon.de Grundlagen Marketing. Von der Vermarktungsidee zum Marketingkonzept von Hans-Dieter Zollondz von Cornelsen (Broschiert - September 2003) Marketing-Mix. Die sieben P's des Marketings von Hans-Dieter Zollondz von Cornelsen (Broschiert - September 2003) Wie man Kunden gewinnt. Das weltweit erfolgreichste Leitbuch moderner Verkaufspraxis von Heinz M. Goldmann von Cornelsen (Gebundene Ausgabe - Mai 2005) Marketing. Grundlagen für Studium und Praxis von Manfred Bruhn von Gabler (Broschiert - September 2004) Brain Script. Warum kunden kaufen von Hans-Georg Häusel von Haufe (Gebundene Ausgabe - September 2004) these books are easy to read, they are about general marketing concepts not for online marketing I have never read a book about online marketing, so I can`t recommand one. Good luck!
I never went to college and I work for a top marketing company in New York as a creative director. It's just about guts and intuition. Reading books is ok - but I think you might find some novel ideas by reading magazines like Fast Company, Business 2.0 and Wired since they write about web companies about to pop. You can then find out how they marketed themselves and try to replicate it.
you are right adholes, it is about intuition, it is normally a skill you have or don't have.I didn't say that, because it is demotivating.....