In order to compete in an ever-changing market, business leaders must assess and respond to consumer needs and wants. Marketing is a means of creating value for consumers and engendering loyalty and enthusiasm for your product or service.

If you are starting or running a business, identifying and targeting your consumers is the single most important decision you can make. Business leaders often wrongly believe that every customer is a good customer. This is not always the case; knowing which customers to let go of is just as important as finding customers. In this marketing course, you will learn how to assess the value you provide to the consumer as well as the value the customer offers your business.

The course will also provide you with a toolkit you can apply to real-world situations. Topics include:

• the marketing mix
• segmentation
• targeting and positioning
• marketing strategy
• consumer behavior

Marketing is often an afterthought for entrepreneurs as they focus on getting their venture off the ground. You will learn how marketing is a vital part of launching a successful business and keeping one running, and how marketing concepts can be applied to entrepreneurial situations. By the end of the course, you will be thinking about marketing strategically in order to grow your business, rather than as a tactical cost.

This course is part of the Business Principles and Entrepreneurial Thought XSeries.