In episode 26 of Micro Entrepreneur: the magic of starting small, I had a great time continuing my conversation with Dee Blick, best-selling author, speaker and small business marketing guru. Dee is a Chartered Marketer, CIM Fellow, blogger, columnist and writes for many magazines. She has 31 years experience in marketing, copywriting and public speaking.

This is the 2nd part of Dee's interview and today we're talking about the great small business marketing strategies Dee has implemented for herself, and for other business owners. If you missed last week's podcast you can catch it here, where we talked about her fantastic new book 'The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book on a Shoestring Budget'.

This week's guest

Dee is the author of The 15 Essential Marketing Masterclasses For Your Small Business, endorsed by The Chartered Institute of Marketing. The book has masses of new material on subjects essential to small businesses. Published by Wiley. 90 Five star reviews on Amazon with rave reviews in The Sun, Elite Business Magazine and winner of The BookBag nonfiction award and Talk Business Magazine 'Best Business Book 2013'.Dee's 4th book was released to a fab review in 'The Sun', and it won the revered, independent book review site, the 'BookBag's' top 10 non-fiction books of 2014.

You may already know Dee as the author of The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Book. The Number 1 best-selling small business marketing book on Amazon. 156 five-star reviews. 87,000 words of practical marketing wisdom and tips that work. Now published by CITIC Publishing in China.

What we covered in the show:

Some of the case studies I've prepared for the book I'm writing - I can't wait to share them with you next year - so stay tuned!

This is the last podcast for 2014, so we'd like to wish you all a very Merry Xmas and remind everyone to really take some time out and enjoy the holidays with your loved ones.

And then on to Dee with:

Where to start - Dee's 15 Masterclasses - Chapter 1 the marketing plan 'template' which has generated millions of pounds of business for others

The Expert Masterclass - bring out your expertise and become the 'go-to' person

Review what a 'marketing plan' really means to you

Write out who your target market is - who do you want to reach and why, can you offer them something valuable, will they be prepared to pay for it, and where do you find them?

It may mean buying an information list (make sure it's from a member of the Direct Marketing Association)

Know what the relevant, compelling benefits of your offer are

What are the barriers - what will put your target client off?

Benefits and barriers are the key to understanding great communications

Identify complementary partners and introducers for cross referrals

Write out your 'positioning' statement

Have campaigns - drip feed a series of communications - to move the client through the funnel

Focus on those clients with the strongest need

Warm potential clients up before you contact them

Marketing agencies can work for you as long as you brief them properly

The fear of marketing - change your mindset - it's the channel that releases you into the marketplace - and it gets easier!

You have to get out of your comfort zone and take risks

Be your own best salesperson and brand ambassador

If you are a new business you should be marketing non-stop, if you are established slot in strategic time

What to avoid - systems that promise an instant business, don't put all your eggs in one basket

What to embrace - networking, be able to articulate your business over the phone, explore social media, send 'charming' emails and links - blend your tactics and join the marketing dots for your business